 During the American Civil War, Draper received a high-paying patronage appointment as Collector of the Port of New York.He was also appointed as an agent of the federal government responsible to receive, store, and dispose of cotton captured in the Confederate States of America.The results of a post-war investigation indicated that Draper used this post to recover from financial setbacks he had during the Panic of 1857 by diverting some of the proceeds of the sale of captured cotton to his personal use.