BALTIMORE. 



55 



BALTIMORE is the principal city of Mary- 

 land, having in 1860 a population of 212,418. 

 It is situated on a small bay or estuary which 

 extends about two and a half miles inland from 

 the north side of Patapsco river, about twelve 

 miles from its entrance into Chesapeake Bay. 

 It is about two hundred miles by ship channel 

 from the ocean, and thirty-eight miles by rail- 

 road northeast from Washington, and ninety- 

 eight miles southwest from Philadelphia. Its cen- 

 tral position and admirable situation has made 

 it a place of large trade with the Northern and 

 Southern States. Possessing slaves like the 

 Southern States, the citizens were nevertheless 

 quiet spectators of the agitations in the extreme 

 North and South. A handful of votes were 

 cast in favor of Mr. Lincoln for President, but 

 the sentiment of the people assimilated rather 

 with that of Virginia, on the South, than with 

 Pennsylvania, on the North. 



A public meeting was held on the evening of 

 the 19th of December to listen to an address 

 from A. H. Handy, the Commissioner sent to 

 Maryland by the State of Mississippi. His view 

 of the object of the seceding States was thus 

 presented to the meeting : " Secession is dot in- 

 tended to break up the present Government, 

 but to perpetuate it. Our plan is for the South- 

 ern States to withdraw from the Union for the 

 present, to allow amendments to the Constitu- 

 tion to be made, guaranteeing our just rights ; 

 and if the Northern States will not make these 

 amendments, by which these rights shall be 

 secured to us, then we must secure them the 

 best way we can. This question of slavery must 

 be settled now or never. Many remedies have 

 failed, we must try amputation to bring it to 

 a healthy state. "We must have amendments 

 to the Constitution, and if we cannot get them 

 we must set up for ourselves." This was fol- 

 lowed in a few days by movements for a 

 Union meeting. At the preliminary meeting, 

 for completing the arrangements, Archibald 

 Sterling, upon taking the chair, made this pithy 

 address : " Gentlemen, I thank you for the 

 honor you have done me. I cannot hesitate 

 when my countrymen call on me at such a time 

 as this, for I hold every thing I possess, prop- 

 erty, family, and life, of slight value when 

 compared with country ; and I consider the 

 maintenance of its Union as our only safeguard." 

 The meeting which ensued upon the completion 

 of these arrangements, was one of the most 

 impressive and influential assemblages convened 

 in Baltimore for political purposes. The Union 

 and Major Anderson were greatly cheered, and 

 the word " secession " appeared to be very re- 

 pugnant to the feelings of the assemblage. 



The following, one of a large number of reso- 

 lutions passed, is expressive of the position of 

 those present : 



fiesolted, That the present condition of our country 

 demands of all who love her a spirit of fairness, of 

 candor, of conciliation, of concession, and of self- 

 sacrifice ; and that we hail with thankful and hopeful 

 hearts the patriotic efforts now being made in Con- 

 gress for the settlement, as we trust forever, of the 



dangerous questions at issue, on some constitutional, 

 just, and equitable principle ; and that such of our 

 statesmen and States, whether of the North or of the 

 South, as may contribute most to this holy end, will 

 challenge the highest place in the affections of our 

 country ; and those who may refuse to lend their aid 

 to this holy purpose may justly expect, as they will be 

 sure to receive, the condemnation and reprobation of 

 the present, as well as of future ages. 



The city, however, remained an inactive 

 spectator of the progress of events, until the 

 attack upon Fort Sumter. The excitement then 

 aroused was most intense, and efforts were 

 made by the friends of the seceded States to 

 turn it to their benefit, and even, if possible, 

 secure the secession of Maryland. 



Through Baltimore passed the only line of 

 railway from the North and East to "Washing- 

 ton. New England, New York, New Jersey, 

 and Eastern Pennsylvania, in response to the 

 President's proclamation, might arm every man 

 for the defence of "Washington ; but, as the only 

 line of communication by land was through 

 Baltimore and Maryland, an obstruction here 

 might delay their progress until forces from the 

 South seized the National city. Apprehensions 

 of disturbance upon the passage of troops 

 through the city for "Washington were excited. 

 On the 18th of April the Marshal of Police is- 

 sued his orders to cause a vigilant eye to be 

 kept on all persons attempting to incite riot or 

 disorder, and to have them followed and arrest- 

 ed. He also received from the officers of the 

 " State-Right Association " the most solemn 

 pledge that no demonstration would be made 

 against the Federal troops expected to pass 

 through the city. He said, " the peace of Bal- 

 timore will be maintained at all hazards." 



The Mayor of the city issued a proclamation 

 invoking all good citizens to uphold and main- 

 tain the peace and good order of the city, and 

 to refrain from the expression of sentiments 

 that might have an irritating effect. 



On the 19th, a body of troops from the North 

 were expected to arrive by the Philadelphia 

 and Baltimore Railroad. At the depot a crowd 

 of two or three thousand persons gathered. 

 Soon after 11 o'clock in the forenoon, the train 

 from Philadelphia, comprising twenty-nine cars, 

 arrived. "Without disembarking the soldiers 

 from the train, horses were attached to the 

 several cars, which were drawn along Pratt 

 street to the Camden station. Six cars were 

 permitted to pass without any particular disturb- 

 ance except hooting and yelling. The horses 

 attached to the ^venth car becoming restive, 

 were detached, and the car moved without 

 their aid nearly to Gay street, where a body of 

 laborers were engaged in repairing the bed of 

 the street, and for this purpose removing the 

 cobble stones. 



Some thirty or forty men assembled at thia 

 point, having followed the car from the depot, 

 and with cheers for President Davis and the 

 Southern Confederacy, hurled bitter taunts at 

 the Northern Black Republicans, as they termed 

 them. The troops remained in perfect silence. 



