“Women and Children Are Still Standing in the Streets, Demanding Food”: The Richmond Bread Riot

Background: On April 2, 1863, a large and largely female crowd protested severe wartime food shortages by taking the food they needed from stores in Richmond, the capitol of the Confederacy. This description of the Richmond “bread riot” was written by a friend to Sara Rice Pryor, wife of Confederate Army officer Roger A. Pryor.

The crowd now rapidly increased, and numbered, I am sure, more than a thousand women and children. It grew and grew until it reached the dignity of a mob—a bread riot. They impressed all the light carts they met, and marched along silently and in order. They marched through Cary Street and Main, visiting the stores of the speculators and emptying them of their contents. Governor Letcher sent the mayor to read the Riot Act, and as this had no effect he threatened to fire on the crowd. The city battalion then came up. The women fell back with frightened eyes, but did not obey the order to disperse. The President then appeared, ascended a dray, and addressed them. It is said he was received at first with hisses from the boys, but after he had spoken for some time with great kindness and sympathy, the women quietly moved on, taking their food with them. General Elzey and General Winder wished to call troops from the camps to “suppress the women,” but [Secretary of War] Seddon, wise man, declined to issue the order. While I write women and children are still standing in the streets, demanding food, and the government is issuing to them rations of rice.

This is a frightful state of things. I am telling you of it because not one word has been said in the newspapers about it. All will be changed, Judge Campbell tells me, if we can win a battle or two (but, oh, at what a price!), and regain the control of our railroads. Your General has been magnificent. He has fed Lee’s army all winter—I wish he could feed our starving women and children.

Source: Sara Rice Pryor, Reminiscences of Peace and War (New York: Macmillan Company, 1904), 237-239.