First Blood In The Streets of Baltimore

First Blood In The Streets of Baltimore

By Gary Baker

Since the earliest days of the American colonies there had been significant political, religious, social and economic differences between the northern and southern regions of the United States. Throughout the early 1800's these differences had grown greater and greater causing a schism to develop between these two regions. Tensions between the two regions came to a head at 4:30 A.M. on April 12, 1861 when South Carolina militia under the command of General Pierre G. T. Beauregard opened fire on Fort Sumter, strategically located on an artificial island at the entrance to Charleston harbor. (1) After a thirty-four hour bombardment, Major Robert Anderson, U.S. Army, the commander of the Sumter garrison, agreed to surrender the Fort to General Beauregard. Present at the surrender ceremonies, held at noon on the 14th, were all of the eighty-four soldiers and forty-three laborers under Major Anderson's command. Remarkably all of Anderson's men had survived the bombardment with only minor injures. Ironically two of his men were tragically killed during the surrender ceremonies when a gun exploded. (2)

On April 15th newly elected President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to serve for three months in order to quash the Southern rebellion. Two days later, in response to Lincoln's call to arms, the 700 uniformed and armed members of the 6th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, under the command of Colonel Edward F. Jones, left Boston for Washington amid the cheers of a jubilant crowd. In order to reach Washington, the 6th Massachusetts would have to pass through pro-southern Baltimore.

By 1860 Baltimore, Maryland, due to it's excellent deep water harbor and it's central location, had become the terminus for five separate railroads. Though these major arteries of steel, which connected much of the nation terminated at Baltimore, not one passed through the city. Due to local ordinances trains were not permitted to actually pass through town. The Northern Central Railroad for instance terminated at Bolton Hill station in northern Baltimore. The Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore terminated at President Street on the east side of town. And the Baltimore and Ohio stopped at the Camden Street Station on the southern edge of the city. This created numerous difficulties in moving cargo and passengers from one rail line to another. Depending on where passengers arrived in Baltimore, and what their destinations were, their options as to how they might reach the station of the railroad that was to carry them past Baltimore varied. In some cases the stations were close enough to walk from one to another. They could of course hire a carriage, and in some cases they simply remained in their cars while the cars were disconnected from the engine, hitched to a team of horses, and pulled through the city along rails laid specifically for that purpose. One such connection existed between the depots of the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore line at President Street, and the Baltimore & Ohio depot near Camden Street..

While the 6th Massachusetts was making it's way toward Philadelphia on the 18th, four companies of the 25th Pennsylvania Volunteers, commanded by Major J.C. Pemberton, along with two companies of U.S. Artillery bound for Fort McHenry in Baltimore, left Harrisburg for Washington, D.C. by way of the North Central Railroad. Because of comments which had been made by the Northern press about forcibly keeping Maryland in the Union, local government officials thought it prudent to keep word of the pending arrival of Federal troops in Baltimore quiet. Despite their best efforts, word quickly spread that troops were coming, and crowds gathered at the Calvert and Bolton stations before the expected time of arrival of the Pennsylvania soldiers.

When the 25th Pennsylvania reached Bolton Station around 2:00 P.M., the streets were clogged. The soldiers dismounted their cars at the intersection of Cathedral and Howard Streets. formed up into column, and began their march toward Mount Clare Station, where fifteen freight cars awaited them. (3) The crowd greeted the soldiers with jeers, and hurrahs for President Davis and South Carolina. Before the situation got out of hand the Baltimore City Police arrived and formed two lines through which the troops marched while the mob pelted them with paving stones and bricks. Nickolas Biddle, a colored servant of Captain James Wren of the Washington Artillery of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, was struck in the head with a paving stone (4) becoming the first casualty of the regiment.

All along the route the crowd jostled and shoved the troops despite the efforts of the police, who managed to keep the demonstration from exploding into a full scale attack on the soldiers. When the column reached Mount Clare the troops quickly boarded their train, while some members of the mob climbed on top of the cars, yelling and shouting, and others in the crowd pelted the rail cars with stones, bottles, and bricks.

That night a meeting was held at the Taylor Building on Fayette Street, by the State-Rights Convention. During the meeting very strong opinions were expressed concerning the passage of Federal troops through Maryland to suppress Maryland's sister states to the south. Many citizens saw the passage of troops through the state as a violation of the state's sovereignty. (5) Fired by exclamations in the Northern press that Maryland must be held at all cost, many of Maryland's citizens saw the passage of Federal troops through Maryland as an attempt by the government to occupy the state.