Green’s Dictionary of Slang

an argument, a row, a set-to; thus as v. , to argue, to make a disturbance; row-dowing n., arguing.

1821–6		‘Bill Truck’ Man o’ War’s Man (1843) 335: All this row-dowing and tantarerying is all mere fudge and flummery.
1838		Morn. Herald (NY) 21 Aug. 4/1: It is now said that the row-de-dow between Vestris’ servants and some Americans took place at the Catskill Mansion House.
1841		Comic Almanack Oct. 284: A indyan Bow Wow is the same thing ass a inglish Row de Dow.
1848		J.R. Lowell Biglow Papers (1880) 69: I do believe thet holdin’ slaves / Comes nat’ral tu a President, / Let ’lone the rowdedow it saves.
1869		Wkly Standard (Raleigh, NC) 20 Oct. 2/1: We suppose row-de-dow means to kick up a prosperous old muss.
1871		H.B. Stowe Sam Lawson’s Oldtown Fireside Stories (1881) 194: Since the gret fuss and row-de-dow about it, it’s kind o’ died out.
1883		‘’Arry on His Critics and Champions’ in Punch 14 Apr. 180/1: Rowdedow is the mark of true dashers, all game ’uns who’re fly to wot’s wot.
1885		Referee 9 Mar. in Ware (1909) 211/2: With regard to the Prince and Princess’s visit to Ireland, the ‘row-de-dow’ – that is, we believe, the Hibernian term for it – which took place, etc.
1893		Globe Repub. (Dodge City, KS) 31 Mar. 7/1: Because of the row-de-dow over the ‘billion dollar congress’ the people [...] called in a democratic congress.
1904		Godwin’s Wkly (Salt lake City, UT) 8 Oct. 6/2: The Duchess and Duke in all the glory of their court robes have a most undical row-de-dow.