The Confederate Army Of Manhattan

A group of Confederate’s attempted on November 25th 1864 to burn New York City.

The Civil War was in its last stages on November 25th 1864 when the “Confederate Army of Manhattan” planned to start fires around New York City. The scheme was hatched by Jacob Thompson. Eight southern sympathizers would slip into New York City coming down from Canada. On Friday night at about 8:45 they were going to start fires at the same time in nineteen hotels, P T Barnum’s museum and a theater. The idea being that all these fire would overwhelm the cities firefighter.

The fires either failed to start or were quickly brought under control. All of the Confederates got away save one. Robert Cobb Kennedy a Louisiana native, was caught in January 1865 traveling from Canada to the Confederate capital in Richmond, Virginia. He was found guilty after a trial and was executed at Fort Lafayette in New York on March 25th 1865.