Scope and arrangement
The collection consists of three manuscript logbooks compiled by numerous members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD), from February to April 1863, October to December 1865, and August to September 1866. Entries list daily activities, names of police officers, and capture life in New York City on the cusp of the Draft Riots, and just after the Civil War.
A few different hands, in script, record (primarily) the names and movements of commanding officers, and the daily roll calls of numerous platoons. Arrests and disturbances are briefly noted; a few lost children and a stolen bale of hay are among the incidents recorded.