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Confederate Plot to Burn New YorkJefferson Davis' Desperate Ploy to Force Union Capitulation
Unable to resist the Union war machine, Jefferson Davis devised a covert operation to fracture the alliance of Northern states and preserve Southern independence.
Colonel Jacob Thompson to Head Confederate PlotDavis’ unconventional attempt to persuade the Union to cease hostilities and recognize Confederate independence was conceived in the spring of 1864. Execution of the bold plan was assigned to Colonel Jacob Thompson, former aide to General P.G.T. Beauregard as well as pre-war Mississippi congressman and Secretary of Interior for the James Buchanan administration. Confederate Agents Infiltrate United StatesThompson was responsible for inserting eight Confederate officers into New York City via Toronto, Canada. The infiltrators were ordered to set a series of diversionary fires while Copperheads (Northerners desiring an immediate halt to the Civil War) seized federal buildings, municipal offices and police departments. Major General John Adams Dix, Army commander in New York, was to be arrested and imprisoned. Similar exercises were to be carried out in other key Union cities of the Northeast. Following successful execution of the planned uprisings, “rogue” delegates would assemble to form a confederacy of states willing to negotiate with Davis’ government. The operation was to be conducted on November 8th, Election Day. Federal Authorities Discover Confederate PlotFive days prior to the planned “revolution”, Federal intelligence agents uncovered the plot. Several thousand Union troops were rushed to New York from Virginia and naval gunboats deployed to protect vital facilities. The Copperheads became wary, forcing the operation to be postponed until the troops left the city. A week after the election, Union General William Sherman began his “March to the Sea” through Georgia. When word of Sherman's campaign reached the city, nearly all of the Copperheads involved withdrew their support, believing the effort now to be futile. Two of the eight Confederate operatives fled the city, returning to Canada. Sherman's March Alters Confederate StrategyThe six remaining Confederate agents, emboldened by Sherman’s ruin of Atlanta, determined a new course of action. With the original federal and municipal objectives now under heavy guard, the conspirators chose to sow destruction upon the city by other means. They concluded that New York’s numerous hotel buildings would make ideal ignition points for an immense conflagration that they hoped would consume the entire city. Rooms within various hotel buildings were pre-booked, with each agent receiving a target list of four hotels. The amended plan was scheduled for November 25th. Confederate Arsonists Ignite FiresIn the evening of the 25th, armed with their carpetbags containing vials of “Greek fire” (an incendiary combination of chemicals), the six would-be arsonists set out for their various destinations about the city. Upon arrival, the men closed all windows and doors to conceal their activity as they heaped the flammable contents of the room into a pile and soaked it with the Greek fire. Panic Grips New York CitySoon after, guests and staff from the targeted hotels discovered smoke permeating the hallways, causing fire alarms to ring throughout the city. Audiences attending productions in adjoining theaters were whipped into panic as cries of “fire!” echoed through the night. Police attempted to restore order to a city gripped by fear as firefighters frantically raced through the streets in response to the flurry of alarms. The Confederate Plot FailsOnly half of the planned twenty-four fires were successfully initiated, and those were extinguished before they could spread beyond their point of origin. By closing the room’s doors and windows, the arsonists unwittingly starved the smoldering fires of oxygen, preventing their full ignition. In an incredible stroke of luck, no lives were lost and there were no serious injuries. Only one Confederate agent was apprehended, to be executed four months later after being convicted of spying and arson. References "New York Is Worth Twenty Richmonds", Nat Brandt, American Heritage Magazine, October 1971
The copyright of the article Confederate Plot to Burn New York in US Civil War is owned by Andrew C. Rappold. Permission to republish Confederate Plot to Burn New York in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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