Worse 1863 New York Draft Riots

Was it possible for the 1863 New York draft Riots to have been worse? OTL they killed unknown thousands were probably the worst act of civil unrest in American history.

So could they have lasted longer and could they have been bloodier? If so what effect would the alteration have on the War and America in General?

Couple possibles ways I think they might have turned worse.

1) The Colored Orphans Asylum being occupied when the Irish Mob attacks it. If the orphans had not been evacuated its all too likely the mob would have killed them all.

2) According to my memory at one point the Rioters had seized one of the main armories of the city. Over ten thousand rifles were stored on premises. Fortunately a fire broke out soon enough while the rioters were still assembling the weapons. If the fire had not occurred the rioters would have been a lot heavier armed.

3) The Six Ward OTL mostly stayed quiet. If the Irish here had started going at it the port itself could have been at risk.
 
I think that if the weapons had been taken by the Irish the final stand-off between Union forces and the mob will be much bloodier for both sides. However if the orphans were massacred by the Irish I think in years to come public-opinion over the Irish is going to be a lot more sour, maybe even turning to hatred in a lot of cases.
 

Art

Monthly Donor
Giving a mob weapons doesn't make it any less of a mob. These were seasoned soldiers from the Army of the Potomac, just come from the Battle of Gettysburg! Although in Forstchen's Gettysburg trilogy, the draft riots are worse, since the soldiers don't get there until later. But a mob up against an army is almost always doomed unless they outnumber them by AT LEAST 10-1. Look up the Nika uprising in the days of the Emperor Justintinian.
 

Deleted member 14881

Quick question would the union care about the ex slaves?
 
Your best bet of making the worse(last longer) is diverting the troops that suppressed them.

A southern victory in the Gettysburg campaign would do that, obviously. Or some incompetent bearucrat deciding to sent a half-trained regiment or two from New York, New Jersey or somewhere nearby up against the rioters might also help make it worse...
 
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