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More military developments on Wednesday night/Thursday morning:
Black refugees were pouring into places like the arsenals and armories, where Army and police units were trying to assemble to coordinate their actions. Some were turned away. Others were let in or provided escort to safer areas, but this only complicated the coordination of a response. So on Wednesday, the miltary and police were mainly reacting to events while they gathered forces. Gen. Sandford showed little inclination to use his guardsmen as anything other than facilities protection, and expected the police to deal with the rioters.
A report came in that afternoon that a store on Broadway near 33rd had a cache of muskets. A force of soldiers of the 9th Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry ("Hawkin's Zouaves"), veterans of Antietam and Fredericksburg who had been mustered out in May 1863, were formed under the command of a Col. Meyer and send to retrieve the weapons. When they arrived, they found a mob gathering. The soldiers moved in and seized the muskets. Col. Meyer commandeered a cart, loading the muskets on it and withdrawing before the mob grew larger.
As evening approached, a mob gathered on 1st Ave, between 18th and 19th. A force under Cols. Winston and Edward Jardine was sent in. Col. Jardine had commanded the 89th New York at Antietam. The force deployed its howitzers on 19th Street and the infantry formed lines, with citizen volunteers as reinforcement. The threat from the howitzers quickly cleared the streets, but they began taking fire from rooftops. The howitzers fired, clearing the streets of anyone left, but the hail from the rooftops continued. As Col. Jardine was preparing to assault the buildings, he was wounded. Two other officers of Duryee's Zoauves (5th NYVI) were killed. Col. Winston ordered a withdrawal.
Gen. Brown organized a two-company force of 150 regulars under Capt. Henry F. Putnam, commander of Company F, 12th U.S. Infantry, and Capt. Shelby (unknown which unit), along with two field pieces. They went back to 19th Street, dispersed the mob, and recovered the soldiers' bodies. It was estimated that 15 soldiers and 25 rioters were killed in these engagements.
The Sixty-fifth Regiment New York National Guard began arriving around 5 p.m. A battery of four howitzers of the Eighth New York National Guard had been attached. As the regiment debarked at the New York docks, a gathering mob threatened two black cooks with the artillery battery. The regiment was headquartered at Centre Market and deployed companies to various government buildings.
As Wednesday turned into Thursday, the Seventh Regiment New York National Guard also arrived from Maryland, having left all personal gear behind. The commander reported that the men had not slept in a tent or changed their underwear in 11 days. Crossing from Amboy, NJ, the regiment landed in the darkness of Thursday morning at Canal Street, and began marching up Broadway to MG Wool's headquarters, and then to the regimental armory.
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