Theater

In January 1861, a New York newspaper editor asserted that the “Union and secession biases of the various sections are demonstrated in the theatres.” Maggie Mitchell, a popular Bowery actress, had been caught “catering to the depraved tastes of Southern ruffians with ‘secession songs.’” Secession and war put entertainers into an unenviable position. The editor proclaimed Mitchell outlawed “in all loyal communities for some time to come, and we advise her to remain among the rebels with whom she sympathizes” (“Amusements” n.p.). Mitchell did not heed his advice and a scant year later returned to the New York stage with her signature “shadow dance.” Flush with cash created by wartime industry and hungry for distraction, New Yorkers made her a star. No paper mentioned her earlier transgression.