About four o’clock P. M. the rioters, perfectly frenzied with liquor, roamed about in every direction attacking people miscellaneously, and burning every building in which they saw a policeman take refuge.
The police suffered severely in these attacks of the first day, seventeen of them having been badly wounded; many of them so much injured that they were carried to hospitals.
The city was particularly unsuited to resist a riot at the time when the ringleaders of this one chose to begin it, as nearly every regiment in New York had been sent to the defence of Pennsylvania. The militia, however, were called out, by order of General Wool.
The First and Third cavalry, which had been ordered to parade at the funeral of Colonel Zook, were sent forthwith to the Seventh avenue arsenal.
Lieutenant-Colonel Missing, with a portion of his force, was ordered to the upper arsenal.
One hundred citizens of the Sixth ward reported themselves in readiness to General Sandford, for such duty as he might assign them to, and were sent by him to the arsenal in White street.
The authorities at the Brooklyn Navy Yard were notified of the disturbances, and a large force of United States Marines, besides a considerable number of soldiers of the regular army, were ordered into instant service.
General Sandford issued the following order, calling a meeting at the Seventh regiment armory, at eight o’clock in the evening of the 13th, to concert measures for the protection of the city:
Headquarters, First Division N. Y. S. M., }
New York, July 13, 1863. }