Richmond Bread Riots
Background
Once the Civil War began and the Confederate Army needed men as well as money to supply their men, life for civilians became increasingly harder. By 1863, the population in Richmond, Virginia had increased by about 10,000 people. Due to overcrowding, the inflation that came as a product of Union blockades, and the Impressment Act (which was passed by the Confederate Congress and allowed the government to seize food, fuel, and slaves to support the army), rent prices and the cost of necessities soared. This affected everyone living in Richmond, but the working class was hit hardest. Most of the men had been called off to war, so women were doing their best to provide for their families, but the conditions made it near impossible.
After a particularly harsh winter in 1863, which blocked transport into Richmond due to heavy snowfall, a group of women decided to demand a meeting with Virginia governor John L. Letcher in order to inform him of the hardships people were going through on April 1, 1863. On April 2, the group of women, who were led by Mary Jackson and Minerva Meredith, marched to the governor’s mansion, but were turned away. Angered, the women moved out of Capitol Square and headed toward Richmond’s business district, while attracting many other women and boys as followers. |
The Riot
The mob eventually grew to encompass thousands of working class people who were starving and desperate. They began breaking windows and smashing the doors of various stores, stealing bacon, ham, bread, flour, shoes, jewelry, clothing, and other goods. A letter from a Richmond woman to a friend describes the scene as eye-opening.*
"A Richmond woman described the scene in a letter written to a friend on April 2, 1863:" ""Something very sad has just happened in Richmond - something that makes me ashamed of all my jeremiads over the loss of the petty comforts and conveniences of life . . . She was a pale, emaciated girl, not more than eighteen . . . mere skeleton of an arm . . .'This is all that's left of me' she said. 'It seems real funny, don't it? . . . We are starving . . .we are going to the bakeries and each of us take a loaf of bread. That is little enough for the government to give us after they have taken all our men.'" Some merchants tried to protect their goods, but were overpowered. The mob only grew, ravaging the city and chanting “Bread or blood!” and “We celebrate our right to live! We are starving!” The mayor of Richmond, Joseph Mayo, hastily appeared on Mayo Street, where the mob was at the time, to read them the Riot Act, but he was steadily ignored. Governor Letcher arrived soon after, followed by Jefferson Davis himself. The woman from the primary source says that the city battalion was summoned and ordered the women to go home, but the mob held steady, even though many of the rioters were arrested. The woman also says that Generals Elze and Winder wanted to use troops to put the mob down, but James Seddon (the Secretary of War) refused to. She then says that Jefferson Davis spoke to the mob with “great kindness and sympathy”, so that the women went home with their food with no resistance. *to read the letter in its entirety, click here. |
illustration of the Richmond Bread Riot that appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper on May 3, 1863
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After the Riot
After the riot occurred, James Seddon forbade the press from publishing anything about the incident. He feared that news would get out to the Union, and they would use it as propaganda against the Confederacy to lower the spirits of southern civilians. However, his efforts were futile, as the New York Times ran an article about the bread riot on April 8, thanks to the reports of Union war prisoners in Richmond.
Bread riots did not only occur in Richmond. Civilians all over the South were starving and suffering from the war, and they found that the only way to call attention to their plight was to protest. As the transportation situation became worse and Union armies occupied more and more Southern land, the conditions only worsened, causing many civilians to just want an end to the war. These riots made the war much more difficult for the Confederacy, as the army’s reliance on locals as allies could not be counted on anymore, and the government had to fight battles against both the Union and its own people. The high morale that the Confederacy shared at the start of the Civil War was rapidly dwindling, and the Confederate cause became weaker and weaker.
Bread riots did not only occur in Richmond. Civilians all over the South were starving and suffering from the war, and they found that the only way to call attention to their plight was to protest. As the transportation situation became worse and Union armies occupied more and more Southern land, the conditions only worsened, causing many civilians to just want an end to the war. These riots made the war much more difficult for the Confederacy, as the army’s reliance on locals as allies could not be counted on anymore, and the government had to fight battles against both the Union and its own people. The high morale that the Confederacy shared at the start of the Civil War was rapidly dwindling, and the Confederate cause became weaker and weaker.