The New York Draft Riots

At the height of the Civil War, 145 years ago this week, the streets of New York City suddenly became a battleground. The Lincoln administration tried to implement a new draft to fill the ranks, and furious New Yorkers attacked federal buildings to prevent the authorities from selecting names.

The violence escalated with shocking speed, as mobs burned federal buildings, beat and lynched black New Yorkers, and skirmished with the New York Police and even the US Army.

It was said Lincoln shuddered when he heard the appalling news from New York. And by the time order was restored, hundreds of people had been injured or killed.

A gallery of vintage images tells the story of New York City's hellish week, the 1863 Draft Riots.

Image: detail from "Conflict Between the Military and Rioters in First Avenue," courtesy New York Public Library Digital Collections.