1. McSorley’s Was Headquarters for the Fighting 69th Infantry During the 1863 Draft Riots

The 1863 Draft Riots rocked Manhattan, giving rise to the worst series of street riots in American history. The riots were racially charged: many young Irish immigrants argued against abolition as they would then be competing for working class jobs with freed slaves. To take back control of the city, President Abraham Lincoln had to send in militia and volunteer groups, which where diverted after the Battle of Gettysburg. The Fighting 69th Infantry used McSorley’s as their headquarters throughout this week of disturbances.