Existing comment:
1861:
When the Civil War erupted in April 1861, Maryland was bitterly divided between North and South. On April 19, 1861, a bloody riot in Baltimore left four Union soldiers and nine Baltimoreans dead. To maintain control of Baltimore, and by extension Maryland, Fort McHenry's cannons were aimed at the city. To suppress pro-Confederate sentiment, Union forces shut down newspapers, monitored telegraph lines, imposed martial law and arrested anyone suspected of being pro-Southern.
Although bloodless, the swift, decisive measures taken at Fort McHenry secured the city for the Union Cause. With Fort McHenry in Union hands, Maryland, and the rest of the South, remained as stars in the flag snapping over the ramparts.
"The loss of Baltimore would have been the loss of Maryland; the loss of Maryland would have been the loss of the national capital, and perhaps, if not probably, the loss of the Union cause."
-- Union Maj. Gen. John Dix, 1861
A Victory Greater than Gettysburg: Fort McHenry in Union Hands 1861-1865 |