Baltimore and the Nineteenth of April, 1861: A Study of the War

The book offers a detailed, contemporaneous study of a border city's upheaval at the outbreak of civil conflict, documenting the transit of federal troops and the violent clash that followed, municipal deliberations and policing responses, efforts to protect bridges and rail lines, public meetings and correspondence with national authorities, the suspension of habeas corpus and arrests of officials, military occupation and fortification of strategic points, and a legal and political examination of slavery's constitutional compromises; a closing personal chapter reflects on incidents, civic responsibility, and the wartime experience of local institutions.