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First Blood of the Civi War
The Pratt Street Riot
The Civil War broke out on April 12, 1861 with the firing on For Sumter in Charleston harbor. Abraham Lincoln, barely six weeks into his presidency, responded with a call for 75,000 volunteers to put down the rebellion. Those destined for Washington had to first pass through Baltimore.
On April 19, the 6th Massachusetts Volunteer Militia was attacked by a mob on Pratt Street and opened fire, killing a dozen civilians before reaching the safety of Camden Station. Four soldiers died and scores were injured and left behind the confusion.
To so-called Pratt Street Riot confirmed Northern suspicions that Baltimore was disloyal. Succeeding waves of Union troops treated it that way, occupying the strategically vital border city over the next four years.
"The mob grew bolder. Stones flew thick and fast. Rioters rushed at the soldiers and attempted to snatch their muskets... Men fell on both sides."
-- From the memoir of George W. Brown, Baltimore's mayor in 1861
Rallying Cries for Opposite Camps:
The titles of these popular prints speak volumes. For southerners, Baltimore's Pratt Street Riot symbolized northern aggression and an oppressive federal government.
Northerners, especially New Englanders, linked the 6th Massachusetts militia to their noble forebears who came to the defense of the country in 1776.
Brother Against Brother:
The Shriver family of Union Mills, some 40 miles from Baltimore, was torn apart by heard-felt loyalties. David K. Shriver (right) joined the Union Army, his cousin Mark O. Shriver (far right), the Confederate.
Joining the Fight:
Many in Baltimore were strongly Unionist perhaps none more so that free African Americans. Beginning in 1863, the city furnished recruits for three regiments of US Colored Troops -- including 16 slaves freed from a Pratt Street slave pen. Among the most notable to serve was Baltimore-born Christian Fleetwood, a college educated free man who became one of 14 US Colored Troops awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery.
Secession:
South Carolina's state legislature passed a secession ordinance upon learning that Abraham Lincoln had won the presidency. Minutes later, a Charleston printer published the broadside.
Civil War Baltimore
Our House Divided:
Civil War Baltimore provides us with a look at the strategically important major American city, (third largest in 1860) in a state that did not secede but was at times administered by the US Army. After the Pratt Street Riot, federal troops moved in and for the next four years Baltimoreans who supported the South lived under the watchful eyes of a military commander and his provost marshal.
While the city's business ties to the South withered and died, Baltimoreans cared for tens of thousands from both sides and served as a major transportation hub and supply depot for the Union Army. In Baltimore, you will discover ho the story unfolded, and feel its lingering aftermath.
The Union Must Hold:
On April 21, 1861, two days after Baltimore exploded in violence, a group of Fell's Point shopkeepers expressed their loyalty to the Union by posing for a photograph with the American flag. Union troops would soon embrace the "Star Spangled Banner," born in Baltimore during the War of 1812, as their anthem.
Occupying the High Ground:
On the night of May 13, 1861, less than a month after the Pratt Street Riot, General Benjamin F. Butler marched in beneath a violent thunderstorm and stationed his Union soldiers on Federal Hill. Butler was quickly relieved for impetuousness, but Union guns could now reach any part of the city. |