City of Sedition: The History of New York City during the Civil War

by John Strausbaugh

WINNER OF THE FLETCHER PRATT AWARD FOR BEST NON-FICTION BOOK OF 2016

In a single definitive narrative, CITY OF SEDITION tells the spellbinding story of the huge-and hugely conflicted-role New York City played in the Civil War.

No city was more of a help to Abraham Lincoln and the Union war effort, or more of a hindrance. No city raised more men, money, and materiel for the war, and no city raised more hell against it. It was a city of patriots, war heroes, and abolitionists, but simultaneously a city of antiwar protest, draft resistance, and sedition.

Without his New York supporters, it's highly unlikely Lincoln would have made it to the White House. Yet, because of the city's vital and intimate business ties to the Cotton South, the majority of New Yorkers never voted for him and were openly hostile to him and his politics. Throughout the war New York City was a nest of antiwar "Copperheads" and a haven for deserters and draft dodgers. New Yorkers would react to Lincoln's wartime policies with the deadliest rioting in American history. The city's political leaders would create a bureaucracy solely devoted to helping New Yorkers evade service in Lincoln's army. Rampant war profiteering would create an entirely new class of New York millionaires, the "shoddy aristocracy." New York newspapers would be among the most vilely racist and vehemently antiwar in the country. Some editors would call on their readers to revolt and commit treason; a few New Yorkers would answer that call. They would assist Confederate terrorists in an attempt to burn their own city down, and collude with Lincoln's assassin.

Here in CITY OF SEDITION, a gallery of fascinating New Yorkers comes to life, the likes of Horace Greeley, Walt Whitman, Julia Ward Howe, Boss Tweed, Thomas Nast, Matthew Brady, and Herman Melville. This book follows the fortunes of these figures and chronicles how many New Yorkers seized the opportunities the conflict presented to amass capital, create new industries, and expand their markets, laying the foundation for the city's-and the nation's-growth.

Genres: History, Civil War, Nonfiction, New York, American History, American Civil War, War

423 pages, Hardcover

Published August 2, 2016

Reviews

[Porter Broyles · Rating 2 out of 5]

After having this book for a while, I had to return it to the library. I will not be checking it out again.

1. How well written is it?

This is a hard one to answer. Individually the stories and the individual pieces of the book are well written. The segments within a chapter flow.

Unfortunately, the book had no well-defined purpose except to write short excerpts about individuals who had (sometimes)-tenuous connections to NYC. The author does not attempt to provide context or to provide a theme, it is simply a barrage of short stories about the individuals associated with NYC.

While reading the book, I could not help but think that I was talking to some hyperactive person who barraged you with facts so fast that you could not digest them, but provided no context for those facts. That is what it is like to read this book.

2. How interesting is the subject?

If you have an interest in the Civil War, the city of NYC is one that could be fascinating. The city was a Copperhead haven and the home of one of the biggest civil rebellions of the war. I mean, Lincoln had to call troops back to defend the city at one point during the war.

3. Does the book offer novel insight into the subject or is it just regurgitating already known facts?

I would highly recommend that somebody pick up the book at their local library and read the first couple of chapters. The early chapters wherein the author talks about how NYC was THE hotbed for an illegal slave trade and the financial connection between the City and the South was very interesting. When I first started reading the book, I was very excited and enthusiastic about it. It seemed to be saying something new and novel.

Nevertheless, it failed in the end.

[Robert Melnyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on the history of New York City before, during, and right after the Civil War. While it focuses on New York City, it is also a very good overall history of the Civil War. Lots of interesting facts about the feelings of the people in the North, their relationship with the South, and how the war affected them. The general feeling is that the North favored Lincoln and beating the South, but that is not totally the case. There were many in the North, especially in New York City, who really wanted things to remain the same, for a number of reasons. Very interesting read if you are into history, especially Civil War history.

[Fran Hawthorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating, important, and disturbing book, especially timely in light of our current national conversation about slavery and racism.
Even before reading "City of Sedition," I knew about the New York City draft riot during the Civil War, and that antebellum New York had been a central player in the slave trade, but I didn't realize just how strong the pro-South sympathy was in this epitome of Yankee-dom.

Like any good historian, the author, John Strausbaugh, has done an impressive amount of research. Moreover, his narrative style is much more readable than most.

His signature characteristic is the way he provides short biographies for basically every person he mentions. This can be annoying (do we need to know the entire life story of a soldier who contributed very little to the war and never appears again in the book?), and it constantly interrupts the narrative flow.
On the plus side: It brings these people of 150 years ago vividly to life and provides a broader context beyond this battle and that argument.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting, but not as good as I had hoped. It is basically an accounting of individual New Yorkers and their various involvements before, during, and after the Civil War. It covered all of the basics, and I found a few interesting nuggets here and there, but I was expecting more of a critical analysis/overview of the political and economic tensions that simmered and boiled over in New York during the Civil War. There was a little of that, but most of the narrative was along the lines of "John Jones, born in 1833, lived on 10th Street and served in the 11th New York Infantry..." Interesting, but not deep enough. New York City provided the greatest support and greatest agita for Lincoln throughout the war - but I didn't feel that tension come alive while I was reading. Also, I find it hard to take a book seriously when it uses words like hooligan and ballyhoo in a serious context.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, this book was frustrating for me. I tried several times to get into it.. but it just wasn't possible.. I got to page 94 and decided it wasn't worth it.

I feel like it basically told me very little about New York City and also was just about people who sometimes had very loose conections to NYC. I feel like the writer just followed some of the people's stories not really tying them back to the city or giving me any real clue as to what it had to do with the City. I did learn that NYC was divided on slavery and really, that was the most important detail. To me it was like little blurbs about some influential people of the time and very jumpy.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I judged the book by it's cover. Not gonna lie. It sort of reminded me of Devil in the White City. I expected it to be more of a story-driven timeline, but instead it's more of a recitation of facts. My fault.

That being said, it's still well-researched and full of information. I tend to think of New York City as extremely progressive and it was shocking to hear how opposite that was during the Civil War.

It can be very dryly told at times, but worth working through. The first few chapters are the hardest, but the payout comes later once the book gets rolling.

While not what I was expecting, it was still a good read that changed my impression about this critical time in our history.

[Becky Loader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strausbaugh writes non-fiction like fiction. His portrait of New York City is stark and realistic. I never cease to be appalled at the treatment of the Irish during their peak immigration to the U.S. due to the potato famine. Lots of detail and good storytelling based on fact.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A contemporary book about significant events in U.S. history can be a challenge to present to a mass audience. Every reader will have a different base of knowledge about the time period before they begin reading. The author was thorough in a way that should inform any reader without the expectation they already have a particular level of knowledge of the subject matter. You do not need to be a history scholar to enjoy City of Sedition. You only need to have an interest in New York City during the Civil War. City of Sedition awoke many history lessons that have been dormant in my memory for years.

The nineteenth century New York City in John Strausbaugh's book is in many ways similar to the NYC we think of today. It is ethnically diverse and it houses the financial capital of the country. It is home to many millionaire tycoons, and was home to a major port in the country at a time when cotton was one of the country's biggest exports.

Therein lies the NY problem with the Civil War. Many New Yorkers had a vested interest in the profitability of cotton fields in the south. At the other extreme, many New Yorkers dealing with poverty and unemployment were frightened by the perceived threat of newly emancipated slaves suddenly entering the workforce. New York had a very complicated relationship with the south, and especially with President Lincoln.

The book is divided into three parts: Before, During, and After the Civil War. The "Before" chapters are where many historical figures are introduced. There are many brief introductions of historical figures that will provide context as they are mentioned later in the book, some names you'll immediately recognize and some may be new to you. This section became tedious for me. There were names that I recognized and that maintained my interest more easily than reading so many introductions of names and backgrounds for pols in the Tammany Hall machine, or journalists, or buglers, or cousins of Herman Melville. I considered keeping a spreadsheet at one point, but I wasn't sure I'd ever finish with such bookkeeping involved. I decided not to take remembering the cast of characters so seriously and just let myself enjoy the book without being too hard on myself if I lost track of the names. I recommend other readers do the same and just consult the index if you reach a point of distraction. The action picks up in Section Two, which begins with Lincoln's inauguration and war! war!! war!!!

I enjoyed Part two, as it was more of what I expected to read and I am happy to say that I enjoyed it as much as I hoped I would. At times it was humbling to learn things that I should really know already, as an educated American citizen living in the Washington, DC metropolitan area where many streets and buildings are named after some of the historical figures in this book. It took me a little longer than expected to finish, not because it's super heavy reading, but because I wanted to take my time and truly understand the situation in the country at that time. I am very glad I did and I am very happy that I read it. Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy for review.

[Jim McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book full of interesting facts and historical background.

[Shelly♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

New York City has been an influential city throughout our Nation's history. In this book the author pulls out the threads of 19th century history that correlate with events related to the Civil War. Included in the narrative are stories of the slave trade, economic links to the South, city leaders and their politics, interesting characters of the war and more. The time frame cover is pre Civil War through U.S. Grant's administration.

I found a lot of new information that I didn't know about New York City in this book. As a student of the Civil War, bits and pieces of the New York story are retold as part of the story of certain regiments and officers. Certainly the 1863 draft riots are often mentioned as a post-Gettysburg narrative. Dan Sickles, Horace Greeley, Mathew Brady, Thomas Meagher and other are familiar names. The author interweaves some of the more widely known storylines with other lesser known details to try and give readers a broad based view of the ever changing climate of New York during the war.

While I enjoyed it, it read more like a series of blog posts than an actual book, disjointed in places as he abruptly changed topics without lead in or formatting adjustments. There was definitely a main thread that wove its way through the book, but often rabbit trails that really had nothing to do with the Civil War. He always kept the backdrop of Civil War events, but seemed not as well versed in these and maybe how they played into the entire fabric of the war. I loved the wide variety of fact in this book, but nothing was covered with any real depth. With the wide scope of topics and characters and the War itself, it would be difficult to do.

Overall a good book, but not epic.

[Richard Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

City of Sedition attempts to portray New York City in the years around the Civil War. It does a good job of setting the stage for how the populace felt about the different political stances, elections, and day to day life. There is a lot of information in here that surprised and entertained me. But, the book also has a few faults. It has a tendency to assume the reader has some sort of understanding of who the major players in New York at the time were. It may give a sentence or two to explain who they are, but it is in the best interest of the reader to know who the following people are. Lincoln, Grant, Melville, Whitman, Barnum, Lind, and a few others. The book also seems to focus on the years building to the war and following the war, but almost overlooks the years of the war itself.

Overall the book is interesting and easy to read. But, it is probably better suited for people who already have interest in Civil War era New York.

[John Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

New York City was a very mixed city during the American Civil War. There were many abolishionists but a large part of the city supported the Southern cause. The poor immigrants especially Irish feared that freed slaves would take their jobs and many businessmen depended on the cotton. This book does an admirable job telling the tale of the city, including the devastating draft riots and largely ineffective plans to burn down the city. A!though, I don't mind the battle history, it didn't seem to be related directly to what was happening in NYC at the time. Overall, a good book for anyone into the history of the American Civil War era.

[Davina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really engaging history of the Civil War as told through the experience of New York and New Yorkers. I also appreciated that it was a book that pulled no punches around Lincoln, honestly examining his rampant civil rights abuses and just how few Americans at the time supported him. Strausbaugh did a masterful job all around of putting many famous figures like Walt Whitman or John Wilkes Booth on a more human scale. Fans of Civil War histories would probably find this treads a lot of familiar ground but otherwise I would definitely recommend this book.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a unique perspective on the decades leading up to, and during, the Civil War - New York City, the hotbed of immigrants, muckraker journalists, tycoons, Southern sympathizers and Copperheads (hey, all that cotton had to be made into shirts somewhere!). The first part before the War was superb. The second part devolves into standard Civil War narrative with less focus on NYC itself.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible (& often humorous!) account of NYC during the Civil War. Strausbaugh sets the stage, introduces major players, and paves the way into Reconstruction. A highly enjoyable and eye-opening read, packed with information and entertaining anecdotes. Strausbaugh reminds readers that the issue of slavery, North vs. South is not nearly as clean cut as some history accounts might have us believe.

[Johns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by an insightful New Yorker who is on his game, this encyclopedic book details the material influence his city had on the financing and populating of the Union ranks for the War between the States. The writer vividly tells the stories of the many historical figures that hovered around the NYC bright flame like so many compulsive moths. Much instructive biographical info here about so many pivotal nineteenth century historical figures.

[Charles Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating aspect of the Civil War that has not been well detailed before this book. There are a lot of names and characters to follow, as well a lot of confusing and often confusing political threads. But, in the end, Mr. Strausbaugh gives us a fascinating narrative with many little-known facts.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book about NYC during the Civil War, the decades before and decades after. Great cast of characters. Well written. NYC was pro-South and pro-Union, pro-slave and abolitionist, for the cotton trade and for the blockade. What else to expect of our greatest city?

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty disappointing book. Less a history of New York during the Civil War and more of a history of the Civil War with lots and lots of asides about New Yorkers.

[Noel]

Very detailed, excellent resource - but not a casual read. I skimmed through a bit of it.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars rounded up.

[Marlies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting although difficult to keep the many historic personages straight!

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good history of New York during the war many worked to help the south

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a good book. Took a while to read and it was at times a very dry read. Seemed to stray from the New York City aspect at times.

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

City of Sedition: the History of New York City During the Civil War covers New York City and why exactly the city was so conflicted during the Civil War. Because it WAS conflicted; it may have been in the North, but it was far from steadfastly loyal to the Union.

The text is well-researched and written in a way that is interesting, and of course there’s a good dose of information about the Civil War within its pages. However, this book has a lot of biographies, so it makes it difficult to follow along. They flow one into the other so we’re hearing one person’s story but since they’re connected to this person, we’re now hearing THAT person’s story, until of course a THIRD person comes up, and so on and so forth. It also jumps around a bit, like it details about Daniel Sickles murdering his wife’s lover and being acquitted for it by reason of temporary insanity and taking her back, thus earning the condemnation of the public he didn’t get for slaughtering Keyes, then suddenly I’m being told about Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. Then from Brown and Cook’s execution to Fernando Wood running for mayor again before transitioning to a George Opdyke biography. It’s just kind of all over the place.

Other than that, though, if you’re interested in little bite-sized bits of information about a few decades before, during, and after the war with ties back to New York City, this will be the book for you. As for me—I quite enjoyed it!!

[Bobsie67 · Rating 3 out of 5]

As other readers have noted, this book is more about short biographies of various NYC "characters" who lived in, or passed through, NYC before, during, and after the civil war era. Indeed, some of the "characters" mentioned were indeed guilty of seditious acts, but many just somehow profited from slavery or the civil war. NYC has always been an independent-minded, political hotbed where corruption has sometimes run quite rampant, as this book testifies. Many of the individuals mentioned did indeed have larger than life-big-city personalities, and so are interesting to write about. If you're a civil war buff, then perhaps lots of this material will not be new to you; nevertheless, for those readers who want to learn how NYC was more aligned with the South than the North, then this book will satisfy. I found the writing clear and engaging.

[Diane Depew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled whether to rate this book 3 or 4 stars, but settled on 3. While it was an interesting read and well researched and documented; it was only partially about what happened in New York City during the Civil War. The author also spent a lot of page space of following the activities of prominent residents and associates of the city - sometimes straying into history that wasn’t relevant to the purpose of the book. On the other hand, the author left out critical details of the 1863 draft riots and definitely should have included more details of those events. In the end, I would recommend the book, as it has valuable insights into the city’s pro-Southern, Anti- republican personality during the war.

[Marc Daley · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Those who can't remember the past are doomed to repeat it."

While President Trump has used harsh language to describe his feelings toward countries with a heavy black population, reading this book emphasized a lot worse words that came from the mouths of supposed leaders. It was a different time back then, but Strausbaugh does an excellent job of portraying the inferno of a city that served more as a haven for exiles from the Civil War but saw its fair share of strife. I didn't realize that there was as much opposition to abolition during that time in the North, but considering the revenue generated from the South, it wasn't that surprising.

[Greg Guma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A myth-busting dive into New York’s complex relationship with slavery, racism and the south in the mid-19th century, John Strausbaugh’s narrative history follows an ecclectic group of New Yorkers, from Horace Greeley and Walt Whitman to military rogues like Dan Sickles and David Farragut, and puts a fresh spin on key events like the 1863 draft riots. It also underlines the sad reality that know-nothing nativism and white supremacy go much deeper than we like to acknowedge.

[Sandra Oldfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I loved this book. It is packed with interesting stories from before during and after the civil war that happened in NYC. All I knew about New York before reading this books was its role in the Cooper Union speech that propelled Lincoln to the presidency, the 1863 summer draft riots and Lincoln's and Grants huge funerals through the city. This book tells a story that is much more rich than those events. Highly recommend it to civil war fans.