On this day, September 5, in 1863

A group of white women in Mobile, Alabama staged a bread riot, forcing their way into bakeries and shops in protest of the shortages and high prices of food in the Southern Civil War era. While the citizens of Mobile overwhelmingly supported the confederate cause, there was also a significant amount of resistance, usually taking the form of draft evasion and bread riots. This resistance was generally carried out by poor and working class people, who felt the brunt of the weight when military needs diverted food from the city. Unfortunately, as often happens, the people's anger was misdirected at the city's merchants rather than the elite classes.