Civil War New York City In Images Of America

Both the Civil War and New York City have been written about extensively, but there is always more to learn. This short photographic history, "New York City in the Civil War"(2025) shows America's largest city during the Civil War from a variety of perspectives. It is a fascinating account with many images of Civil War era New York and an informative text. Historians Johathan W. White and Timothy J. Orr wrote the book which also includes a short Foreword from the renowned historian and Lincoln scholar, Harold Holzer.

The book shows many aspects of New York City life during the Civil War. Most of the fighting was far away, and the city proceeded with its business and life, from the glitz of the wealthy to life in notorious areas such as the Five Points. Broadway, finance, education, and street life carried on. But the War had a great impact. The book's twelve chapters, with images and text, offer a broad-ranging view of New York City's Civil War.

The first three chapters show the City on the verge of Civil War, with its liveliness in the late 1850s the Secession Crisis and the mobilization of troops from the City. New York was politically divided with many Southern sympathizers.

The fourth chapter offers images of some of the many soldiers, "The Boys in Blue" from the City. Chapter five offers a portrayal of what makes New York what it is, the "Street Scenes and Social Life" of the City in all its diversity. For me, this was the highlight of the book. The sixth chapter discusses the bosses and politicians of New York, then a motley group with a variety of views on the War. Tammany Hall and "Boss" Tweed played large roles at the time and afterwords.

Chapters 7-9 deal with African Americans and slavery with chapter 7 offering a history of the Atlantic Slave Trade. It discusses the hanging of the New York City slave trader Nathaniel Gordon when President Abraham Lincoln declined in spite of great public pressure to commute his sentence. Chapter 8 discusses the New York City draft riots, shortly after the Battle of Gettysburg, and their impact on the African American community. Chapter 9 discusses Black Civil War soldiers especially those from New York City.

The final three chapters begin with the Great Metropolitan Fair of 1864, designed to raise money for the hospitalized soldiers. The Fair was to be accessible to rich and poor with something for everyone, lowbrow or highbrow. I hadn't known of the fair before reading this book. The eleventh chapter shows voting in New York City in the momentous 1864 presidential election between Lincoln and General George B. McClellan. And the final chapter of the book discusses some of New York City's memories in the aftermath of the Civil War, including the City's response to the assassination of President Lincoln, Decoration Day (Memorial Day) observances, and the death of the controversial Union General and New York City politician, Daniel Sickles.

This is a great deal to be covered in a short book, and the work enhanced my understanding both of the Civil War and of New York City. The book is part of the Images of America series of local American histories from Arcadia Publishers.