Plug Uglies
Encyclopedia
The Plug Uglies were a street gang (though most often referred to as a political club) that operated in the westside of Baltimore, Maryland from 1854 to 1860. The Plug Uglies coalesced shortly after the creation of the Mount Vernon Hook-and-Ladder Company, a volunteer fire company whose truck house was on Biddle Street, between Pennsylvania Avenue and Ross Street (later Druid Hill). They were originally runners and rowdies affiliated with the Mount Vernon. Plug Ugly captains included John English and James Morgan. Other prominent members were Louis A. Carl, George Coulson, George "Howard" Davis, Henry Clay Gambrill, Alexander Levy, Erasmus "Ras" Levy, James Wardell, and Wesley Woodward. The gang associated with the emerging American Party (the Know Nothing
s) in Baltimore.
Like similar associations in Baltimore and other United States
cities during this period, the Plug Uglies' street influence made them useful to party politicians anxious to control the polls on Election Days. The Plug Uglies were the central figures in the first election riot
in Baltimore in October 1855. Together with the Rip Raps
, they were also actively involved in deadly rioting at the October 1856 municipal election in Baltimore and in similar violence at the Know-Nothing Riot
in Washington
in June 1857. At the Washington riot, the National Guard called out to quell the fighting, shot and killed ten citizens. Accounts of the Washington riot appeared in newspapers nationally and gained widespread notoriety for the Plug Uglies.
Besides election-day fighting, the gang was involved in several assassinations and shootings in Baltimore. Most notably, Plug Ugly Henry Gambrill was implicated in the murder of a Baltimore police officer in September 1858. Gambrill's trial, and the subsequent deadly violence relating to it, made the crime one of the most sensational of the era.
The violence of the Plug Uglies and other political clubs had an important impact on Baltimore. It was largely responsible for the creation of modern policing and a paid, professional fire department, as well as court and electoral reforms. These reforms, together with the election of a Reform municipal administration in October 1860 and then the Civil War
, led to the breaking up of the Plug Uglies.
's book Gangs of New York (1927) has led to a popular misconception that the Plug Uglies were a New York
gang. Historians and researchers, in locating the gang in New York, have followed Asbury, whose book blends fact and fiction. In Low Life (page 363), Luc Sante writes, "It is a compelling if somewhat ragtag book, cobbled from legend, memory, police records, the self-aggrandizements of aging crooks, popular journalism, and solid historical research. Tracing some of Asbury's wilder assertions became a sub-theme to my research, and indeed I was able to take a number of them back several stages before reaching a dead end."
Contrary to Asbury's assertion, there is no evidence of an organized gang called Plug Uglies operating in New York (see discussion page for this entry for a fuller description of this lack of evidence). Instead, the New York event to which the Plug Uglies are most often linked provides positive evidence that they were a Baltimore
gang. On July 4, 1857, large-scale rioting erupted in New York. City newspaper accounts in the days following universally describe the fighting as being between the Dead Rabbits
(an offshoot of the Roach Guards) and the Bowery Boys
(some of them also identified as the Atlantic Guard). In at least two newspapers (New York Tribune
and New York Times), these New York gangs are compared to the Baltimore Plug Uglies, whose name was fresh in the mind of the public because of the Know-Nothing Riot
in Washington
only a month earlier. According to the Tribune of July 6, 1857 (page 7), "The notoriety give [sic] to this Club of rowdies [Dead Rabbits] by these riots is destined to make them rivals--in point of unenviable reputation--of the 'Plug Uglies' of Baltimore, and renders a sketch of their rise and progress interesting." The description appeared under a sub-headline that read, "Plug Uglies Outdone". Asbury, who clearly read the newspaper accounts of these riots, inaccurately lumped the Baltimore Plug Uglies in with the infamous New York gangs of the Five Points
district. All later accounts of the Plug Uglies as a New York gang, including Martin Scorsese
's popular film Gangs of New York
(2002), trace back to Asbury. None offer any primary source evidence of Plug Uglies operating in New York. Asbury's source may well have been Matthew Hale Smith's Sunshine and Shadow in New York, which avers that "The Bowery Boys, Plug Uglies, and low New York patronize this place [the Bowery Theatre], and the plays are of the Dick Turpin and blood-and-thunder school." Like "Bowery Boy," "Plug-Ugly" soon became a generic term, and Smith's usage may simply reflect this.
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
s) in Baltimore.
Like similar associations in Baltimore and other United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cities during this period, the Plug Uglies' street influence made them useful to party politicians anxious to control the polls on Election Days. The Plug Uglies were the central figures in the first election riot
Know-Nothing Riot of 1856
The Know-Nothing Riot of 1856, some of the worst rioting of the Know-Nothing era in the United States, occurred in Baltimore in the fall of 1856. Street tensions had escalated sharply over the preceding half-dozen years as neighborhood gangs, most of them operating out of local firehouses, became...
in Baltimore in October 1855. Together with the Rip Raps
Rip Raps
Rip Raps is a small 15 acre artificial island at the mouth of the harbor area known as Hampton Roads in the independent city of Hampton in southeastern Virginia in the United States.-History:...
, they were also actively involved in deadly rioting at the October 1856 municipal election in Baltimore and in similar violence at the Know-Nothing Riot
Know-Nothing Riot
The term "Know-Nothing Riot" has been used to refer to several political uprisings in United States of America during the latter half of the 19th century. These included riots in St. Louis in 1854, Washington, D.C. in 1857, and New Orleans in 1858....
in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in June 1857. At the Washington riot, the National Guard called out to quell the fighting, shot and killed ten citizens. Accounts of the Washington riot appeared in newspapers nationally and gained widespread notoriety for the Plug Uglies.
Besides election-day fighting, the gang was involved in several assassinations and shootings in Baltimore. Most notably, Plug Ugly Henry Gambrill was implicated in the murder of a Baltimore police officer in September 1858. Gambrill's trial, and the subsequent deadly violence relating to it, made the crime one of the most sensational of the era.
The violence of the Plug Uglies and other political clubs had an important impact on Baltimore. It was largely responsible for the creation of modern policing and a paid, professional fire department, as well as court and electoral reforms. These reforms, together with the election of a Reform municipal administration in October 1860 and then the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, led to the breaking up of the Plug Uglies.
Fallacy of the New York Plug Uglies
Herbert AsburyHerbert Asbury
Herbert Asbury was an American journalist and writer who is best known for his true crime books detailing crime during the 19th and early 20th century such as Gem of the Prairie, Barbary Coast: An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld and The Gangs of New York...
's book Gangs of New York (1927) has led to a popular misconception that the Plug Uglies were a New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
gang. Historians and researchers, in locating the gang in New York, have followed Asbury, whose book blends fact and fiction. In Low Life (page 363), Luc Sante writes, "It is a compelling if somewhat ragtag book, cobbled from legend, memory, police records, the self-aggrandizements of aging crooks, popular journalism, and solid historical research. Tracing some of Asbury's wilder assertions became a sub-theme to my research, and indeed I was able to take a number of them back several stages before reaching a dead end."
Contrary to Asbury's assertion, there is no evidence of an organized gang called Plug Uglies operating in New York (see discussion page for this entry for a fuller description of this lack of evidence). Instead, the New York event to which the Plug Uglies are most often linked provides positive evidence that they were a Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
gang. On July 4, 1857, large-scale rioting erupted in New York. City newspaper accounts in the days following universally describe the fighting as being between the Dead Rabbits
Dead Rabbits
The Dead Rabbits were a gang in New York City in the 1850s, and originally were a part of the Roach Guards. Daniel Cassidy claimed that the name has a second meaning rooted in Irish American vernacular of NYC in 1857 and that the word "Rabbit" is the phonetic corruption of the Irish word ráibéad,...
(an offshoot of the Roach Guards) and the Bowery Boys
Bowery Boys
The Bowery Boys were a nativist, anti-Catholic, and anti-Irish gang based north of the Five Points district of New York City in the mid-19th century. They were primarily stationed in the Bowery section of New York, which was, at the time, extended north of the Five Points...
(some of them also identified as the Atlantic Guard). In at least two newspapers (New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
and New York Times), these New York gangs are compared to the Baltimore Plug Uglies, whose name was fresh in the mind of the public because of the Know-Nothing Riot
Know-Nothing Riot
The term "Know-Nothing Riot" has been used to refer to several political uprisings in United States of America during the latter half of the 19th century. These included riots in St. Louis in 1854, Washington, D.C. in 1857, and New Orleans in 1858....
in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
only a month earlier. According to the Tribune of July 6, 1857 (page 7), "The notoriety give [sic] to this Club of rowdies [Dead Rabbits] by these riots is destined to make them rivals--in point of unenviable reputation--of the 'Plug Uglies' of Baltimore, and renders a sketch of their rise and progress interesting." The description appeared under a sub-headline that read, "Plug Uglies Outdone". Asbury, who clearly read the newspaper accounts of these riots, inaccurately lumped the Baltimore Plug Uglies in with the infamous New York gangs of the Five Points
Five Points, Manhattan
Five Points was a neighborhood in central lower Manhattan in New York City. The neighborhood was generally defined as being bound by Centre Street in the west, The Bowery in the east, Canal Street in the north and Park Row in the south...
district. All later accounts of the Plug Uglies as a New York gang, including Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
's popular film Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York is a 2002 historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan. The film was inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 nonfiction book, The Gangs of New...
(2002), trace back to Asbury. None offer any primary source evidence of Plug Uglies operating in New York. Asbury's source may well have been Matthew Hale Smith's Sunshine and Shadow in New York, which avers that "The Bowery Boys, Plug Uglies, and low New York patronize this place [the Bowery Theatre], and the plays are of the Dick Turpin and blood-and-thunder school." Like "Bowery Boy," "Plug-Ugly" soon became a generic term, and Smith's usage may simply reflect this.
Further reading
- Haskins, James., Street Gangs, New York: Hastings House, 1974.
- Kobler, John., Capone: The Life and World of Al Capone. New York: J.P. Putnam's Sons, 1971.
- Peterson, Virgil., The Mob: 200 Years of Organized Crime in New York. Ottawa, Illinois: Green Hill, 1983.
- Sifakis, Carl. The Encyclopedia of American Crime (3rd ed.). New York: Facts on File Inc., 2005.
- Tracy Matthew Melton, Hanging Henry Gambrill: The Violent Career of Baltimore's Plug Uglies, 1854-1860 (2005). The story of the Plug Uglies.
- Tyler Anbinder, Five Points: The 19th Century New York City Neighborhood That Invented Tap Dance, Stole Elections, and Became the World's Most Notorious Slum (2001). A rich and well-researched description of the neighborhood named by Asbury as the home of the Plug Uglies. Anbinder finds no Plug Uglies there.
- Herbert Asbury, Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld (1927). The source of the original fallacy of the New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
Plug Uglies. A good, but not reliable, read. - Luc Sante, Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York (1991). An excellent account that largely corrects Asbury on points.
- Martin ScorseseMartin ScorseseMartin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
(director), Film Gangs of New YorkGangs of New YorkGangs of New York is a 2002 historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan. The film was inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 nonfiction book, The Gangs of New...
(2002). - Plug Uglies!!! (Baltimore, 1856) song sheet. Shows the Plug Uglies as a Baltimore gang. The politicians referenced in the song include Henry Winter DavisHenry Winter DavisHenry Winter Davis was a United States Representative from the 4th and 3rd congressional districts of Maryland, well known as one of the Radical Republicans during the Civil War.-Early life and career:...
, William Pinkney WhyteWilliam Pinkney WhyteWilliam Pinkney Whyte , a member of the United States Democratic Party, was a politician who served the State of Maryland as a State Delegate, the State Comptroller, a United States Senator, the 35th Governor, the Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, and the State Attorney General.-Early life and...
, and William P. Preston, all prominent BaltimoreBaltimoreBaltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
figures. View this song sheet at the American Memory site at the Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
website http://www.loc.gov/index.html (keyword search "Plug Uglies"). - New York (Daily) Herald, July 6, 1857, page 7. Describes the Plug Uglies as a Baltimore gang.
- New York (Daily) Times, July 7, 1857, page 1. Describes the Plug Uglies as a Baltimore gang.
External links
- Gangs of New York, Herbert Asbury official website
- The Legend of Old Smoke Morrissey by John William Tuohy