USA > New York > New York City > History of the city of New York, from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 40
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It now became evident to all that war was inevitable ; and, in order to call home and detain the American ships and sailors, and to put the country in a posture of defence, on the 23d of September, 1807, an embargo
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was laid by Congress on all the vessels in the harbors of the United States. The result was most disastrous ; business was instantly paralyzed, failures occurred on every side, and the whole country seemed in a state of stagnation. This measure revived the disputes between the federalists and the republicans ; the latter sustain- ing the action of the administration, the former insisting that, if war were made at all, it should be against France as the principal aggressor.
On the 1st of March, 1809, the embargo which, while failing to obtain from France and England the desired acknowledgment of American rights, was ruinous to the commerce of the country with other nations, was repealed by Congress, and a strict system of non- intercourse substituted in its stead. Relying on the promise of Mr. Erskine, the British minister, that the obnoxious "orders in council " should be repealed before the 10th of June, President Madison, lately elected to the office, proclaimed that commercial inter- course with England should be renewed on that day. The promise, however, was not kept, the government disavowed the pledge of the minister, and on the 19th of August, non-intercourse with England was again proclaimed.
In March, 1810, the hostile decrees of the French were revoked, and commercial intercourse was renewed with the nation. The English, meanwhile, continued their aggressions, stationing ships of war before the American ports, to intercept the outward-bound vessels and take possession of them as lawful prizes. Scarce an American vessel was safe on the seas, and, finding that
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no satisfaction was to be obtained from the British government, Congress resolved at length to bring mat- ters to a crisis, and on the 4th of April, 1812, laid an embargo upon all vessels within the jurisdiction of the United States, which was followed on the 19th of the ensuing month by the President's proclamation of war against Great Britain.
Although the citizens had differed greatly in opinion in respect to the expediency of the projected war, no sooner had it been declared, than they pledged them- selves heart and hand to aid in its accomplishment. The news. reached the city on the 20th of June, and on the 24th, the citizens assembled in large numbers in the Park to concert measures for future action.
The meeting was called to order at 12 o'clock, noon, with Col. Henry Rutgers as president and Col. Marinus Willett as secretary. The law of Congress declaring war and the President's proclamation were read, and a preamble and resolutions, approving the action of the government, and pledging to its support " their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor," were unanimously adopted by the Assembly .* Copies of these resolutions
* These resolutions we transcribe entire-the preamble from which they are deduced is too long to be inserted here.
" Resolved, That we have viewed with pleasure and approbation the increasing " efforts of our government to preserve to our country the blessings of peace ; that " we duly appreciate their able negotiations, and admire their unwearied patience to " promote so important an end ; and that we consider them standing justified in the "eyes of their fellow-citizens in all the restrictive measures to which they have "resorted, as temporary expedients, with the hope of preventing thereby the evils " of war.
" Resolved, That while solicitous of peace, and ardently attached to its blessings, " we believe that the crisis had arrived when it could be no longer with honor
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were ordered to be forwarded to the President, to Congress, and to the press for publication, and the people dispersed, fully determined to make their words good whenever they should be called upon to redeem their pledges. So vigorously were they backed by individual enterprise that, within four months after the declaration of war, twenty-six privateers were fitted out from the port, carrying two hundred and twelve guns and twenty-two thousand and thirty-nine men.
The city, in the meantime, was ill prepared for defence, although, taking warning by the indications of the gathering storm, the government had for some time past been busy with its fortification. In the beginning of 1807, the city was entirely defenceless. The Narrows and the Sound were open and undefended, not a fortifi- cation was to be seen in the harbor or on any of the islands, and a small force might have sailed up to the city without opposition, and captured it as did Nicolls in the days of Stuyvesant. Awakened to a sense of the impending danger, in the spring of 1807, the general government began to take measures to fortify the harbor of New York ; but the work went on slowly, and it was
" retained ; that we therefore hold our government justified in its appeal to arms " against Great Britain, and yield to its decision our unqualified and decided appro- " bation.
" Resolved, That as our government has now appealed to the sword, it becomes " the duty of all good citizens, at such an eventful period, to lay aside all party " animosity and private bickering, to rally as becomes brethren, equally involved in " the welfare of their common country, around the national standard, and to yield " to their government an undivided support.
" Resolved, That in placing our reliance in the Most High, and soliciting his " benediction on our just cause, we pledge to our government, in support of our " beloved country, ' our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.'"
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not until the war had been prosecuted for two years, and the city was threatened with invasion by a British fleet, that the citizens took the work into their own hands, and succeeded in rendering the defences available.
In the spring of 1814, the blockade of the southern ports, which had been maintained by the British since the beginning of the war, was extended along the entire coast, and the Common Council, alarmed by this hostile demonstration, issued a public call, urging the citizens to come together and concert measures for the defence of the city. In pursuance of this call, the people assembled in the Park in front of the City Hall on the 11th of August, 1814, to redeem the pledges of the former meeting. Colonel Henry Rutgers was again chosen chairman, and Oliver Wolcott secretary ; and Drs. Mitchell and McNeven, with Messrs. Wolcott, Riker, Anthony, Bleecker and Sampson, were appointed as a committee to draft resolutions to be presented to the meeting ; pending which, the veteran Willett addressed the audience in a stirring speech, reviewing the events of their first struggle for independence, and urging them not to falter, but to support their leaders to the end. His speech was received with shouts of en- thusiasm. In a short time, Richard Riker presented a preamble and resolutions in behalf of the com- mittee, declaring their resolve to unite in arms on the first approach of the enemy, and to defend the city to the last extremity, and urging all the citizens to enroll in the militia and the naval service, to assist in the public works, and, by every means in their power, to aid the authorities in their efforts to secure the public
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safety .* These resolutions were passed unanimously, committees were appointed to confer on the proper mea- sures to be adopted, and to correspond with the citizens of other States for the purpose of inviting them to form voluntary associations similar to those proposed in the city, and the meeting adjourned amid shouts of applause.
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* These resolutions read as follows :
" Resolved, That the citizens here assembled, will, to the last extremity, defend " their city.
" Resolved, That we will unite ourselves in arms with our brethren of the country,
"and on the first approach of the enemy, make it a COMMON CAUSE.
" Resolved, That humbly confiding in the favor of the Assembly, we hope to " prove ourselves not unworthy of that frecdom won by the heroes of the Revo- "lution ; and trust that the enemy they vanquished will receive from us a similar " defeat.
" Resolved, That we highly approve of the measures for public defence which " have been devised by the government of the United States, by his excellency the " governor of the State, and by the corporation of this city; and that we will " cooperate in carrying the same into effectual execution.
" Resolved, That it be recommended to the citizens generally, to meet, as soon as ' " may be practicable with convenience, in their respective wards, for the purpose of " electing discreet and efficient committees to promote the execution of the follow- " ing objects :
"1. To complete the voluntary enrollments of persons exempted by law from " military service.
" 2. To encourage the enrollment of seafaring citizens for service in the harbor, " or as artillerists; and
" 3. The enrollment of citizens for voluntary labor on the public works.
" Resolved, That it be the special duties of the ward committees to provide, " under the direction of the corporation of the city, for the relief and protection of " the families of such persons as may be absent on public duty, and also, to " provide in the best manner practicable, for the protection of such helpless -per- " sons and their property, as in case of alarm may be desirous of moving into the " country.
" Resolved, That we will endeavor to promote concord, and will discountenance " all attempts to weaken the patriotic efforts of good citizens.
" Resolved, That we will endeavor to discover and subject to the animadversion " of the laws, all persons who shall be concerned in any illicit commerce or " improper intercourse with the enemy."
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The citizens were not slow in redeeming their pledges. Men of all classes and vocations lent a helping hand ; masons, carpenters, shoemakers, merchants, and incorpo- rated societies, all turned out in distinct bodies to aid in digging and constructing the works, and so numerous did the offers of aid become that the corporation was often obliged to entreat the friendly societies to wait from day to day for want of room. The whole city wore a martial aspect, militia companies were organizing and drilling here and there, the citizens hurried to and fro with pick and shovel to labor upon the fortifications, and every- thing bespoke the spirit of determined resistance. With this efficient aid, the works were soon completed. Castle Clinton, better known as Castle Garden, was con- structed on the southwest point of the island, the North Battery was built at the foot of Hubert street, and Fort Gansevoort was erected at the foot of Gansevoort street. On Governor's Island, about half a mile south of the city, was Fort Columbus, with the strong Fort William in close proximity. About a mile to the westward of this, on Bedlow's Island, was a strongly built star-fort, and on Ellis Island, about a mile southwest from Castle Clinton, was a circular battery. On Staten Island, eight miles below the city, at the narrowest point of the passage between Long and Staten Island, stood Fort Richmond, a strongly built stone fortress, well supplied with all the munitions of war, with Fort Tompkins on an eminence directly in the rear, and Fort Hudson a little way below on the shore. In the Hudson River about two hundred yards from Long Island was Fort Diamond, afterward Fort Lafayette, the strongest fortress of any, built on
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made ground on a shoal, which could only be seen at low water. These fortifications, which in case of need could mount five hundred cannon, amply defended the harbor, and precluded the possibility of a successful invasion.
Nor were the fortifications at Hellgate and on the upper part of the island, less effective. On Hallet's Point stood Fort Stevens, with a stone tower in the rear; the opposite shore was strongly defended by the fortifica- tions at Benson's Point ; and strong works were erected to protect McGowan's Pass on the road to Harlem and the Manhattanville Pass on the Bloomingdale road, be- tween which a line of block-houses was thrown up.
Early in the month of August, a requisition was made by Congress for twenty thousand troops, to be stationed in and around New York, and the cor- poration raised the necessary funds to meet the expense under pledge of reimbursement by the general govern- ment. Volunteers speedily flocked in from the surrounding country, and, on the 1st of September, all the artillery and infantry in the city and county were consolidated and mustered into the United States service, under their own officers, subject to the same rules and regulations and receiving the same pay and rations as the regular troops. Daniel D. Tompkins, at this time governor of the State, and Major-General Morgan Lewis, were the commanders at the post. The whole detached division was placed under the command of Major-Gene- ral Ebenezer Stevens. Commodore Decatur was stationed in the city with a small force of picked men to be ready for action by sea or land, and a strong fleet
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lay in waiting in the harbor. The active duty required was performed in turn by the companies with their officers. Each company had its parade-ground, where the men who quartered at home were drilled for three or four hours every morning and afternoon. The bat- talions formed twice each week, the regiments once a week, and the brigade once in two or three weeks, while the whole division under General Stevens had three or four parades during their three months' service. During this time, the different regiments encamped in turn at Harlem, and guarded the fortifications there until relieved by a new corps from the city.
When, at the close of the campaign of 1814, the division was reviewed by Governor Tompkins, it was found to consist of more than twenty-three thousand men, of whom but five hundred were regulars, while the rest were volunteers. The regular army was on the northern and western frontier, repelling the attacks of the British and Indians, and New York had none but her own sons to depend upon for safety. Happily, their protection was not needed. The battle of New Orleans virtually closed the war, and on the 24th of December, 1814, a treaty of peace was concluded at Ghent, and signed by the commissioners of both nations. Strangely enough, no mention was made in this treaty of the causes which had led to the war-the encroachments upon American commerce and the right of search and impressment, but the former had ceased with the conclu- sion of the war with France, while Great Britain had quietly abandoned the practice of the latter.
The federalists having now the ascendency in the
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State, in March, 1815, De Witt Clinton was removed from the mayoralty and John Ferguson appointed in his stead. Ferguson was at this time the naval officer of the customs. Being incapacitated by law from hold- ing both offices, he resigned the new appointment in the ensuing June, and Jacob Radcliff, who had already acted as mayor in the last interregnum of Clinton's civic administration, was appointed in his stead, while John Ogden Hoffman was at the same time superseded in the recordership by Richard Riker. In the same year, the time of the charter elections was changed from Novem- ber to April. The election of this year was warmly contested, and resulted in favor of the federalists, who carried six wards as in the previous election.
In the charter election of 1816, the republicans for the first time adopted the name of Democrats, an appellation which was for some time confined only to the party in the city. In this election, they achieved a signal triumph, carrying six wards out of the ten and effectually routing the opposite party. This result was repeated in the election of 1817.
From this time, the ancient federalist party steadily declined, while new factions rose from its ruins, and allied themselves with off-shoots from the republican party. The issues that gave rise to these divisions are too compli- cated for any but a political history of the times ; leav- ing all details of this nature, therefore, to those to whom it properly belongs, we shall briefly make mention of the questions of the day, and outline the career of the rival parties.
At this time, the republican party was divided into the
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two great divisions of Madisonians and Clintonians. To the former belonged the greater part of the Tammany party, familiarly known as " bucktails," from the deer's tail worn as an emblem in their caps by one of the orders of the society-an appellation by which the whole sec- tion of the party opposed to Clinton afterward came to be known. Of this party, Martin Van Buren became the most prominent leader .*
The state election of 1818 placed De Witt Clinton in the governmental chair by the unanimous vote of all the parties in the field. In the charter election, there was less unanimity. The First, Second, and Third wards were won by the federalists without opposition, the Clintonians carried the Fourth Ward by a small majority, and the remaining six wards were won by the bucktail party. The republicans being again in the ascendency in the State, Radcliff was removed from the mayoralty, and Cadwallader D. Colden, grandson of the former lieutenant-governor of that name, of the Clintonian section, was appointed in his stead, Governor Clinton giving the casting vote necessary to secure his election in the Council of Appointment. In the following year, Richard Riker was removed from the office of Recorder, and Peter A. Jay appointed in his stead.
The charter election was won by large majorities by the bucktails ; the federalists carrying only the First and
The section of the republican party opposed to De Witt Clinton originated as early as 1806 in the "Martling men," who took their name from their place of meet- ing at Martling's Long Room, on the site of the Tract House. Tammany Hall, which was built in 1811, afterward became the rendezvous of the Madisonians, whence the section derived the name of the Tammany party.
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Second wards entire and electing the alderman of the Third.
The charter election of 1820 resulted in a still more decided victory to the bucktails, who carried all the wards in the city, the Second alone excepted, for the first time electing an alderman in the First Ward. The State elections of the fall for the members of the Legis- lature resulted also in their favor, and, having thus suc- ceeded in gaining a majority in the Council of Appoint- ment, they removed Colden from the mayoralty to make room for Stephen Allen, and restored the recordership to their favorite, Richard Riker.
At the municipal election of 1821, the bucktails, now known as the republicans, a name to which both they and the Clintonians laid claim, succeeded in electing their candidates in all except the First and Second wards. Their success in the following election was still more decisive ; and their candidates were elected in every ward without opposition or by large majorities.
In the charter election held in November, 1823, a new division arose in the politics of the city. The ancient federalists were well-nigh extinct ; and the chief point at issue was the nomination of a successor to James Monroe, now on the eve of quitting the presi- dency. William H. Crawford, Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and John C. Calhoun were presented by their respective cliques as candidates for the nomination ; and this competition excited new party differences. Another question that arose at this time was in respect to the appointment of electors ; a portion of the people advocating the existing system by
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which they were appointed by the Legislature ; and others urging that this law should be repealed and the choice of the electors submitted directly to the people. The bucktail party, styled by its antagonists the " Albany Regency," which supported Crawford, avowed itself in favor of the existing system, while the friends of the other candidates, fusing on the point at issue under the name of the " people's party," united in urging the repeal of the law. The charter election was closely contested, and resulted in the election of five aldermen and six assistants on the people's ticket, thus giving to the party a majority. In the course of the year, the power of appointment of the mayor was transferred from the Council of' Appointment at Albany, to the city corporation, who soon after superseded Stephen Allen in the mayoralty by the appointment of William Paulding, the former competitor of Colden. Richard Riker was also removed from the recordership to make room for Samuel Jones ; then restored to the office in the following year.
In the elections of the two following years, the poli- tics of the city were strangely complicated. New factions sprung into existence, and independent candi- dates were put in nomination. The people's party retained its ascendency in the election of 1824; in the following year the republicans regained their power, electing their candidates in a majority of the wards. Since the last election the Eleventh and Twelfth Wards had been added to the city. In the course of the year, William Paulding was removed from the mayoralty, and Philip Hone, a native-born citizen and a federalist of
CITY OF NEW YORK.
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St. Paul's Chapel.
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the old school, appointed in his stead ; not from any influence of his party in the council, but in consequence of a quarrel between the friends of Paulding and Wil- liam P. Van Ness, the candidates of the rival democratic factions.
Having thus glanced briefly at the political fluctuations of the city during the first quarter of the century, we will resume the narration of the events of general interest which transpired subsequently to the termination of the war of 1812. This war left the country in an impover- ished condition, but commerce soon began rapidly to revive ; so rapidly, indeed, that the unnatural growth brought on a commercial crisis in 1818-19, which oc- casioned many failures and much suffering.
In 1817, the first regular line of packet ships to Liv- erpool-the "Black Ball Line "-was established by Isaac Wright and Son, Francis Thompson, Benjamin Marshall, and Jeremiah Thompson. This line consisted of four ships from four to five hundred tons -the Pacific, Amity, William Thompson, and James Cropper, which sailed regularly on the first day of every month. The " Red Star Line" was next established by Byrnes, Trimble, & Co., with four ships, the Manhattan, Hercules, Panthea, and Meteor. These sailed on the 24th of each month. About six months after, the proprietors of the " Black Ball Line " added four more ships to their line to sail on the 16th of each month, which were soon after followed by the establishment of the "Swallow Tail Line " by Messrs. Fish, Grinnel & Co., and Thad- deus Phelps & Co., consisting of four ships, to sail on the 8th of each month, thus making a fleet of sixteen
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packets, with a weekly departure. This was a desidera- tum which the citizens had had an opportunity to learn to appreciate; as, previously to this, the departures of the European packets had been very irregular and had occa- sioned much inconvenience to merchants and travellers.
On the 11th of July, 1818, the remains of Gen. Richard Montgomery, the hero of Quebec, were trans- ferred from their Canadian resting-place to the city, and deposited with military honors beneath the mural tomb in the front of St. Paul's Chapel, which had been erected to his memory in 1776 by order of the Continental Congress. Montgomery, though of Irish parentage, was allied to many of the prominent families of the city, . through his marriage with the sister of Chancellor Liv- ingston, and this transfer of his remains occasioned a lively interest among the people.
In 1819, the first Savings Bank-the institution now located in Bleecker street-was organized under the auspices of Thomas Eddy, Dr. John Griscom, John Pintard, and other well-known citizens, and opened in the basement of the New York Institution, once the Alms House, in Chambers street, with William Bayard as its first president.
The charter of the United States Bank, granted in 1791 through the efforts of Hamilton, had expired in 1811 by its own limitation, and, after endeavoring in vain to procure its renewal, the friends of the banking system, in 1812, applied to the New York Legislature for a charter for a proposed " Bank of America," in the city of New York, with a capital of six millions, five millions to be subscribed at their option by the stockholders of
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