USA > Maryland > Leading events of Maryland history; with topical analyses, references, and questions for original thought and research > Part 12
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In the course of this war no officers performed their duties with more spirit, devotion, and intelligence than those of Mary- land. At the battle of Palo Alto, Major Samuel Ringgold of Maryland, who commanded the artillery, was mortally wounded. His skill and bravery were of cardinal importance in winning victory for the Americans. Colonel William H. Watson of Maryland was killed while leading his regiment to the assault at Monterey. After the capture of Monterey, Captain Ran- dolph Ridgely, who had succeeded to Major Ringgold's com- mand, was killed by a fall from his horse. He served with distinguished skill and valor, and his death was regarded as a serious loss to the American army. Captain John Eager Howard, a grandson of the Revolutionary hero, won much honor for his courage and spirit. In this war Maryland's repu- tation for the personal gallantry and good conduct of her sol- diers was fully sustained.
TOPICS AND QUESTIONS
92. Introduction.
Increase of Maryland's commerce.
93. " The Monumental City."
Describe the monument to Washington erected in Baltimore.
What does the Battle Monument commemorate?
Why is Baltimore called the Monumental City?
94. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.
Formation of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company ; its plans. How far were the plans successful?
95. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
The citizens of Baltimore decide to connect the city with the Ohio river by means of a railroad ; wisdom of the plan.
Formation of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. The work begun by Charles Carroll ; his opinion of its importance. Steam used ; the engine of Peter Cooper, and the trial trip to Ellicott City. The road completed to the Ohio, 1852.
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PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS; THE MEXICAN WAR
96. Financial Distresses.
Failure of the Bank of Maryland.
Riots occur, and serious loss of property results ; the riots quelled by General Samuel Smith.
The heavy expenditures of Maryland for public improvements.
The credit of the state saved by George Peabody.
97. The First Telegraph Line.
Location of the first telegraph line.
98. Government Reforms.
What changes were made by the amendments to the Constitution in 1837?
What other changes were made?
What changes were made by the Constitution of 1851 ?
What was the general effect of all these changes?
99. The War with Mexico.
State the cause of the Mexican War.
Give an account of the services of Marylanders in this war.
QUESTIONS FOR ORIGINAL THOUGHT AND RESEARCH
1. Is it well to erect monuments to the memory of illustrious men? Give reasons for your answer. What is the largest monument in the world?
2. Name some other railroads in Maryland at the present time besides the Baltimore and Ohio. What is the route of each you have named ? Explain in detail how a railroad benefits the country through which it is built. Name four large cities along the line of the Baltimore and and Ohio railroad in Maryland.
3. State some of the advantages of the telegraph. Show how it strengthens the union of the states of our country. Express your opinion of the various changes made in the government of Maryland. as described in section 98.
REFERENCES
James' revision of McSherry's History of Maryland, pp. 305-338. If available, see Scharf's Maryland, Vol. III. For Constitutional changes, see Steiner's Institu- tions and Civil Government of Maryland, pp. 12-15. For a full account of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, see Dr. G. W. Ward's Early Development of the Chesa- peake and Ohio Canal Project, in the Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science, Seventeenth Series, ix, x, xi. For an account of the Mexican War, see Elson's History of the United States, pp. 523-533, or any good history of the nation.
CHAPTER V
SLAVERY AND THE CIVIL WAR
100. Introduction. - We have now reached the saddest part of our story - the time when the people of our country were to meet on the deadly battle-field, not to repel a foreign enemy, but in bloody strife with one another. War is always terrible, even when waged against a foreign nation, and in defense of home and country ; it is infinitely more terrible when a nation becomes divided in civil war, when relatives and friends are arrayed under opposing standards, and even brothers meet in deadly combat. It is therefore painful even to look back upon this unfortunate period of our history, and in studying about it we should try to free ourselves from all feeling of bitterness and prejudice. There is here simply a record of the most important points of Maryland's connection with the great struggle. The bitter feelings of anger and hatred that the war naturally excited are now practically all allayed, and our people are again united ; it should be our effort to perpetuate this friendly feeling in every possible way, to look back upon the wrongs and mistakes com- mitted by both sides in the great civil war with no other feel- ings than those of pity and regret, and to take care ourselves that no repetition of these sad occurrences ever be possible.
101. Negro Slavery. - Very early in the history of our coun- try slaves were introduced, and gradually came to be held throughout the land. As the population increased and the con- dition of the various sections of the country became fixed, the people of the North engaged largely in commerce and manufac-
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turing, while those of the South were occupied almost entirely with agriculture. To the people of the North slavery was of little or no use, and gradually the institution was abolished; in the South, on the other hand, slave labor was very valuable, and slavery was therefore re- tained.
102. The Maryland Coloniza- tion Society. - There were, how- ever, many people in the South who favored the gradual eman- cipation of the slaves, and efforts to accomplish this end were made, particularly in Maryland. No state made greater efforts to improve the condition of the negro. In 1790 there were 8,043 free negroes in the state; by 1860 there were 83,718, only 3,470 less than the slave popula- tion. The proportion of slaves to free negroes had been re- duced from 12.81 to 1.04.
Early in the century the Amer- Confederate Monument, Baltimore Erected by the Maryland Daughters of the Confederacy From a photograph ican Colonization Society was formed for the purpose of plant- ing colonies of free negroes in Africa. A similar organization was formed in Maryland in January, 1831, called "The Maryland State Colonization So- ciety." Soon afterward a colony was sent out to Liberia, a piece of territory on the western coast of Africa. The follow- ing is a resolution adopted by the Society : "That the Mary-
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
land State Colonization Society look forward to the extirpation of slavery in Maryland, by proper and gradual efforts addressed to the understanding and experience of the people of the state, as the peculiar object of their labors." This they thought could best be accomplished by colonization, and it is worth not- ing that the use of intoxicating liquors was forbidden, both to the employees of the Society and to the emigrants. The Soci- ety was liberally aided by the state, and succeeded in establish- ing a prosperous colony, which was known as " Maryland in Liberia." This colony was given a republican form of gov- ernment, and finally granted independence. It was afterward united by treaty with Liberia, and became known as Maryland county.
103. The Controversy over Slavery between the North and South. - The regulation of slavery was not, however, left to the states to manage in their own way. A party arose in the North called Abolitionists, who declared that slavery was a great moral wrong and ought to be abolished by the national govern- ment. Other things occurred, also, to anger the people of the South, and to check the emancipation movements already in progress.
The increase of national territory was closely connected with the slavery question. At the close of the Revolutionary War our territory extended to the Mississippi; as time went on it gradually extended across the continent to the Pacific. A party was formed in the North, called the Republican, for the purpose of prohibiting slavery in the territories, on the ground that it was morally wrong. The people of the South, supported by a decision of the United States Supreme Court, claimed the right to take their slaves with them wherever they pleased, just as they could take any other property. So here were the elements of a fatal quarrel. In 1860 the Republican party nominated
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SLAVERY AND THE CIVIL WAR
Abraham Lincoln for the presidency, and he was elected. It was the election of Lincoln that precipitated the Civil War.
104. States' Rights ; Secession of Southern States. - From the time when the Federal Union was formed there had been much difference of opinion about the powers that belonged to the general government and those which were retained by the states. Many persons believed that a state had the right to
Abraham Lincoln
From a photograph
Jefferson Davis From a photograph
" secede," or withdraw from the Union into which it had entered, while others thought that once in the Union a state was obliged to remain there. In the early history of the United States threats of secession were often heard both from Northern and Southern states. The right to secede was now claimed and actually exercised.
Many of the Southern leaders declared that the interests of the South were no longer safe in the Union after the election of
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
Lincoln, and shortly after that event South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas seceded from the Union. Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, although they remained in the Union for the time, did not think the Federal government had the right to use force against a seceding state, and when compelled to choose they joined the South.
These states organized a new government, called the Con- federate States of America, and Jefferson Davis was elected president. The result was the Civil War, between the North and the South, the greatest war of modern times.
105. The Position of Maryland. - How did Maryland stand in the terrible struggle now about to begin ? No other state occupied a more difficult position. As a Southern state, with a large population of slaves, and bound to the South by count- less ties, social, political, and commercial, Maryland naturally sympathized with the South. Yet at the same time, as in all the border states, there was the greatest difference of opinion among her people. Many people were in favor of seceding from the Union and joining the Confederacy, while others were strongly attached to the Union and regarded the action of the South as treason and rebellion. Still others favored the cause of the South, but thought that prudence should restrain the state from taking that side; for Maryland was separated from the Southern states by the Potomac, while on the north she lay exposed, and her bay and rivers invited attack by the Federal fleets. More important still, the Federal capital was situated within the geographical bounds of the state. Hence the na- tional government was certain to make the greatest efforts to prevent Maryland from taking the side of the South. Fearful suffering and perhaps ruin awaited a union with the South, and hence many Southern sympathizers were unwilling that the
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SLAVERY AND THE CIVIL WAR
state should thus endanger herself. There were still others who did not believe in the right of secession, but who thought the Federal government had no right to use force to prevent a state from seceding, while some believed in the right but did not think the conditions were such as to demand its exercise. Under these circumstances there was some effort to assume a neutral attitude, but it soon became plain that such a thing was
U. S. Grant From a photograph
Robert E. Lee From a photograph
impossible. The considerations of prudence, aided by the strong arm of the Federal government, prevailed, and Maryland remained in the Union.
106. The War for the Union. - In April, 1861, hostilities commenced with the bombardment and capture of Fort Sum- ter, in Charleston harbor, by the Confederates. President Lincoln immediately issued a call for seventy-five thousand men to "put down the rebellion," and the call was promptly and
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
enthusiastically answered by the Northern states. The struggle which ensued between the armies of the two sections of our unhappy country was of the most desperate and terrible char- acter. The record of the various campaigns and battles belongs to the history of the United States, and forms no part of our own narrative. General Robert E. Lee, the commander-in-chief of the Southern army, was in the end obliged to surrender to General U. S. Grant, in command of the Federal armies, and the war thus came to an end with victory for the North. We have now to note the more important points of Maryland's con- nection with the great conflict.
107. First Bloodshed of the War. - A body of Northern troops, the Sixth Massachusetts regiment, passed through Baltimore on the 19th of April, 1861, on the way to Washington. A terrible riot ensued. An excited mob surrounded the soldiers, began pelting them with stones and other missiles, and injured several. In return, the soldiers fired a number of times upon the crowd of angry people, and many persons were killed and wounded on both sides. A serious conflict was averted only by the bravery and energy of the mayor and the marshal of police, who finally, at great risk to themselves, managed to keep back the mob.1
The greatest excitement now prevailed in Baltimore city. It was known that other bodies of troops were on their way south, and it seemed evident that they could not pass through Balti- more without a bloody conflict. To prevent this the bridges to the north and east of the city were destroyed, and by request of the governor of Maryland and the mayor of Baltimore city the president ordered that troops on the way to Washington should not approach Baltimore.
1 As an evidence of the present good feeling, it is worth knowing that the Sixth Massa- chusetts regiment received a splendid ovation in Baltimore in 1898, when passing through the city at the beginning of the Spanish-American War.
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SLAVERY AND THE CIVIL WAR
108. Maryland occupied by Federal Troops ; Acts of Oppres- sion. - Maryland, though she remained in the Union and was called a " loyal" state, was in many respects treated like a con- quered province. In May General B. F. Butler seized Fed- eral Hill by night, and batteries were erected overlooking the city. Soldiers were soon stationed at im- portant points all over the state, and the civil authorities were obliged to take second place.
The unfortunate re- sults of a substitution of military for civil rule, of the reign of force instead of law, were now to be seen. In May Mr. John Mer- ryman of Baltimore county was arrested by the military authorities on a charge of treason, and imprisoned in Fort McHenry. Chief Jus- Statue of Roger B. Taney, Washington Place, Baltimore From a photograph tice Taney,1 of the Su- preme Court of the United States, issued, at the request of the prisoner, a writ of habeas corpus. This famous writ is regarded as one of the
1 Chief Justice Taney was a native of Calvert county, Maryland. He was a man of high character and profound legal knowledge. Before becoming chief justice he served in Maryland as delegate and senator in the Assembly, as attorney-general of Maryland, as attorney-general of the United States, and as secretary of the treasury of the United States. In 1836 he was appointed chief justice of the Supreme Court by President Jackson.
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
greatest safeguards of personal liberty. When a person is arrested and imprisoned, he may apply to a court of justice and obtain a writ of habeas corpus. This is an order from the court, commanding the prisoner to be brought before the court, and cause for his detention shown. If there is not sufficient evidence to justify his being held for trial, the judge is bound to set him free. The general in command refused to obey the writ of Justice Taney, and when a United States marshal at- tempted to arrest him for contempt of court, the latter was kept out of the fort and not allowed to perform his duty. The general declared that he had been authorized by the presi- dent to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. The chief justice then filed in the Supreme Court an opinion in the case, declar -. ing that under the Federal Constitution Congress alone has the power to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. No attention was paid by the government to this decision, however, and the pris- oner was held in confinement. The General Assembly of Mary- land then in session declared, " We deem the writ of habeas corpus the great safeguard of personal liberty; and we view with alarm and indignation the exercise of despotic power that has dared to suspend it."
The military authorities assumed full control. In Baltimore a provost-marshal was appointed, and the commissioners of police were seized and imprisoned. They were first imprisoned in Fort Lafayette, New York, and afterward in Fort Warren, Boston harbor. In their case, as in that of Mr. Merryman, the writ of habeas corpus was disobeyed by the military authorities. The legislature protested against these things, and adjourned to meet in September. Before that time the members from Balti- more county and Baltimore city, together with the mayor of Baltimore city, were arrested by order of the secretary of war and sent to Fort Warren. There they were kept in confine-
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SLAVERY AND THE CIVIL WAR
ment for more than a year, without any public charge being preferred against them. All suspected persons were arrested. Some took advantage of the occasion to denounce their personal enemies, and both men and women were seized and imprisoned without any chance to defend themselves. Judge Carmichael, of Queen Anne's county, was arrested while presiding over court, dragged from the bench by soldiers, and severely wounded.
Some of these acts were doubtless necessary for the protec- tion of Federal interests, while others were simply abuses of power. But all alike will serve to show the misfortunes that are sure to follow war and the rule of force, and their lesson to us is that every possible ef- fort should be made to adjust difficul- ties in a peaceable, orderly, and lawful manner before resorting to any kind of violence. It is for us to regret such things in the past, and to prevent them in the future.
109. Maryland Troops in the War ; Invasions of the State. - Thousands of Maryland men fought on both sides during the war, and their record fully sustained the reputation of Maryland soldiers. When the president issued his call for volunteers, there was a prompt response in Mary- land, and the troops so raised were formed into a regiment under Colonel John R. Kenly. By the close of the war nearly fifty thousand men of Maryland had served in the Federal armies. These, however, were not all serving voluntarily. Vol- unteers came forward too slowly for the Federal government,
John R. Kenly From a photograph in the rooms of the Grand Army Club of Maryland
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
and after a time a conscription, or draft, was resorted to: that is, men were forcibly put into the army. Throughout the war the Maryland soldiers acquitted themselves creditably.
Those who fought under the banner of the South were of course volunteers, and in most cases it was an undertaking of great difficulty and danger for them to reach the Southern lines. Notwith- standing this fact many thousands of Marylanders did join the armies of the South and fought with courage and de- votion throughout the war. Most of these soldiers fought with the forces of other states, and so left no record as an organization, but a small com- mand was organized, including infantry, cavalry, and artillery ; this was called the Maryland Line, and was under the com- Bradley T. Johnson mand of Colonel Bradley T. Johnson. From a photograph in the Mary- land Line Confederate Sol- diers' Home The Maryland troops under Colonel Johnson were with General "Stonewall" Jackson in his remarkably brilliant cam- paign in the Shenandoah valley, and served with distinction.
At Front Royal, on the Shenandoah, the Maryland regiments of Colonels Johnson and Kenly met on the field of battle. The most determined bravery was shown by both sides, but the victory was with the Confederates, and Kenly and his men were finally defeated and captured. When the prisoners were standing in line next morning friends and relatives recognized each other, and greetings and hand-shakings were exchanged between those who a few hours before had been seeking each other's lives. Such occurrences are not extraordinary in civil war.
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SLAVERY AND THE CIVIL WAR
In September, 1862, the Confederate general, Lee, invaded Maryland and occupied Frederick. There he issued an address, inviting the people of Maryland to enroll themselves under the standard of the Confederacy. But few responded, for the sen- timent of the people in the west of the state was largely in favor of the North, Chambersburg Vork · N Z Susquehanna. R. while many who PE N NS A T. A Y Gettysburg . Patapsco R. would willingly have given sympathy or M Sharpsburg R. Antietam R. Harpers Frederick Monocacy aid were restrained by "SOUTH MT. Potomac Bull Ferry City Winchester BALTIMOREZ 1 considerations of pru- Strasbur Balls Bluff Run sher8 Shenandoah R. ANNAPOLIS dence. Lee was at- Fairfax C. H .. WASHINGTON S tacked by the Union ledar Cr. X Front Rappaha Royal Pat Manassas Je. tom R. army under General North · · Branch B Culpepper I McClellan at South CEDAR MTU Fredericksburg Rapidan R. Chancellorsville Mountain, and de- WILDERNESS Spottsylvania Mattapony R. KE C. H. North Anna feated. On the 17th R South Annu White. Housem Pamunkey of September the ar- R isons Landina Wworktown Confederate Fortifications Cold Harbor BAY York R. mies of Lee and Mc- R. Chicka hominy R. 2 Clellan met on the James +Alexandriaf Appomattox C. H/WRICHMOND % field of Antietam, and Lynchburg Big Bethel mattox Petersburg James in the terrible battle Monroe ahannock" R. Ft. that followed more Williamsburg I Norfolk than twenty-five thou- A sand men were killed and wounded. Although the Confederates were outnumbered two to one, Lee managed to hold his ground, and on the next night withdrew his army into Virginia.
In June, 1863, General Lee again entered Maryland. Private property was respected, but the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, being in the service of the Federal government, was destroyed from Harper's Ferry to Cumberland. Lee was defeated at
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LEADING EVENTS OF MARYLAND HISTORY
View of Frederick From a photograph
Gettysburg, in Pennsylva- nia, and again retreated into Virginia. During the great battle of Gettysburg, which lasted three days, the Confederate regiment of Marylanders under Colonel James R. Herbert made a splendid charge, in which three men out of five were killed or wounded.
Maryland was again in- vaded in 1864, by General Early. The Federal gen- eral, Lew Wallace, was de- feated on the Monocacy river, near Frederick, and the citizens of Frederick and Hagerstown were obliged to raise large sums of money to prevent the destruction of the towns. General Early threatened Baltimore and Washington, and had hopes of taking the latter; but finding it too strong for him to attack, he crossed the Po- tomac again into Virginia.
On April 9, 1865, General Lee surrendered to Gen- eral Grant, and in another month the war was over.
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SLAVERY AND THE CIVIL WAR
110. Maryland Aids the Stricken South. - At the close of the war the Southern people were left in a fearful condition. Nearly every industry had been paralyzed, the destruction of prop- erty had been immense, and thou- sands of widows and orphans were nearly destitute. This condition aroused the greatest compassion in the hearts of the people of Maryland. A "Southern Relief Association " was formed by the women of Baltimore, who opened a fair in 1866. From this fair the proceeds were more than $160,- 000, and this sum was distributed to the Southern states. Mr. George Peabody, whose services to the state have already been mentioned (see Sec. 96), gave $2,000,000 for Monument to Maryland Dead at Antietam From a photograph the purpose of founding and maintaining schools in the South.
In January, 1867, $100,000 was appropriated by the General Assembly of Maryland for the relief of the destitute people of the South.
TOPICS AND QUESTIONS
100. Introduction.
Explain the peculiar horrors of civil war.
What is the proper attitude toward the American Civil War?
101. Negro Slavery.
Explain why the institution of slavery was abolished in the North but retained in the South.
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