The Dead Rabbits riot of 1857 was New York City's largest outbreak of gang violence between the Astor Place Riot of 1849 and the Draft Riots of 1863.
Key Facts
- Dates
- July 4–5, 1857
- Gang members involved
- 800–1,000 persons
- Additional looters
- Several hundred persons
- Primary factions
- Dead Rabbits vs. Bowery Boys
- Order restored by
- New York State Militia under Maj.-Gen. Sandford
- Location of looting
- The Bowery area, New York City
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A conflict between the city's Municipal and Metropolitan police forces left New York's law enforcement disorganized and unable to respond effectively. Rival gangs, the Dead Rabbits and the Bowery Boys, exploited this vacuum when a small-scale brawl between the two groups broke out on July 4, 1857.
Over two days, July 4–5, 1857, the initial brawl escalated into a citywide gang war involving 800 to 1,000 gang members, drawing additional criminals who used the disorder to loot the Bowery district. The violence represented the most serious civil disturbance in New York City since the Astor Place Riot of 1849.
Order was ultimately restored by the New York State Militia, supported by city police detachments under Major-General Charles W. Sandford. The riot exposed the dangers of the police institutional conflict and remained the city's worst episode of gang violence until the New York Draft Riots of 1863.