Civil War draft riot reimbursement check 1863 signed by NYC mayor George Opdyke For Sale

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Civil War draft riot reimbursement check 1863 signed by NYC mayor George Opdyke:
$400.00

OFFICIAL NEW YORKCITY CHECK TO COVER CIVIL WAR “RIOT DAMAGES”

MATTHEW T. BRENNAN (1821-1879).Brennan was New York City Comptroller from 1863 to 1867.

GEORGE OPDYKE (1805-1870).Opdyke served as the 76th Mayor of New York City from 1862 to 1864.

JAMES WATSON (1825-1871).Watson was the New York County Auditor until his death in a sleigh accident.

DS. 1 pg. 4” x 8”. December 7, 1863. NewYork. A partially printed document signed by numerous individuals, including “GeorgeOpdyke Mayor”, “Matthew T. Brennan Comptroller” and, onthe reverse, “James Watson County auditor”. This is a check for “RiotDamages To the County Treasury of New York at the Broadway Bank” for theamount of $15,000. The check is to “James Watson, County auditor For accountpay rolls. Field & staff officers, Non-Comd. Officers, privates, &c. 69thRegt. NY NY”. This check was issued in response to the infamous 1863 NewYork City Draft Riots. From July 13 to July 16, 1863, New York City sufferedmob violence by members of the white working class affiliated with theDemocratic Party and predominantly Irish over the introduction of a military draftduring the Civil War. Mobs ransacked or destroyed symbols of Republicangovernance or black life, including numerous public buildings, two Protestantchurches, the homes of abolitionists or notable Republicans, and the ColoredOrphan Asylum at 44th Street and 5th Avenue, which was burned to the ground.Officially, 120 were killed, though the number is likely higher (one estimateis 1200), and the riots only ended when President Abraham Lincoln divertedseveral regiments of militia and volunteer troops from the Battle of Gettysburgto regain control the city. This check also reveals the ironic financialculpability for the riots: Mayor George Opdyke, a Republican and ally ofAbraham Lincoln, was forced to write a check for riot damages to James Watson,the county auditor and a member of Tammany Hall, that had to be signed off byMatthew T. Brennan, New York City Comptroller and also a member of TammanyHall. The latter two remained in government for nearly a decade while Opdyke’sreputation was so tarnished, he did not run for re-election in 1863. There isno evidence that the 69th New York was involved in the draft riots,though the 9th was. New York City Civil War Draft records are heldby the New York City Municipal Archives. The check is in excellent condition.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

My name is Stuart Lutz and I am a full time dealer of autographs,letters, documents and historic manuscripts. I am a member of the Manuscript Society, theProfessional Autograph Dealers Association, the Antiquarian Booksellers Associationof America, the Appraisers Association of America (Certified in the field of Historic Documents), the Universal AutographCollectors Club (Registered Dealer #166) and the Ephemera Society. I am the historical document appraiser andauthenticator for the History Channel program Pawn Stars.

I guarantee the authenticity of this piece forever, and will gladlyrefund your money if it is ever proven not to be authentic (not many autograph dealers boast of that!). All itemsare issued with an invoice that states in writing at the bottom \"All autographsand historical papers are guaranteed authentic for life by me. If any piece is ever proven not to begenuine, I will gladly refund the full purchase price to the original buyer.\"

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Full payment is expected within five days, unless other previousarrangements have been made.

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