In the early hours of the Draft Riot of 1863, Steers was one of several senior officers to lead groups to confront rioters. That afternoon at about 1:00 pm, he and a small police squad made a desperate stand at 35th Street to try to halt the mob but were overwhelmed by the rioters' far larger numbers and his men fled in disorder.Asbury, Herbert. The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the New York Underworld. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1928. (pg. 121)
