Six Days in April: Lincoln and the Union in Peril

197 Pages·2005·1.08 MB·English

by  Frank B. Marcotte

American History / Civil War
This is the story of two cities, Baltimore and Washington, at the outset of the Civil War.
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Before Lincoln could make his way to Washington for his inauguration, Southern states IIXX AAYYSS IINN PPRRIILL
began seceding; the rebellion was underway. On April 12, 1861, the South fired on Fort
Sumter. On April 15, President Lincoln ordered 75,000 troops from the Northern states to
assemble in Washington — but on their way to defend the capital, thousands of Baltimore
L U P
INCOLN AND THE NION IN ERIL
rough-necks attacked a Massachusetts regiment. Commanding the only rail and telegraph
links, this feisty port city with a reputation for mob rule held Washington incommunicado.
Now, five men battled for control of
Baltimore and for the state of Maryland.
For six long days these men — S
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Confederates and Union sympathizers,
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and somewhere in between — acted (and
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failed to act), strategized and maneu- Y
vered. In their hands lay the fate of the S
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Union: Abraham Lincoln, President of the N
United States; Thomas Hicks, Governor A
of Maryland; George Brown, Mayor of P
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Baltimore; George Kane, Baltimore Chief I
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of Police; and Benjamin Butler, General of :
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the military force dispatched to rescue I
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Washington. C
This historical account is rich in per- O
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sonal memoirs from eye-witnesses to the N
events including Clara Barton, who A
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became famous as a Civil War nurse, and
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conveys a pungent sense of life in the days
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when highways were dirt tracks and the H
elegance of Washington was still mostly E
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a vision for the future.
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The drama of these six days encapsu-
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lates the complexity of motives and of
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logistics, and the mixed and sometimes
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shifting loyalties, that characterized
much of the Civil War. P
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S D A
IX AYS IN PRIL

S D A
IX AYS IN PRIL
LINCOLN AND THE UNION IN PERIL
Frank Marcotte
Algora Publishing
New York
© 2005 by Algora Publishing.
All Rights Reserved
www.algora.com
No portion of this book (beyond what is permitted by
Sections 107 or 108 of the United States Copyright Act of 1976)
may be reproduced by any process, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form, or by any means, without the
express written permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 0-87586-313-2 (softcover)
ISBN: 0-87586-314-0 (hardcover)
ISBN: 0-87586-315-9 (ebook)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data —
Marcotte, Frank B., 1923-
Six days in April : Lincoln and the Union in peril / Frank B. Marcotte.
p. cm.
Summary: “This is a historical account including first-person views, of
the roles played by five men during six crucial days in 1861 who vied to control
the communication links to Washington. These events encapsulate the
complexity of motives and logistics, and the mixed shifting loyalties, that
characterized much of the Civil War.”
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-87586-313-2 (soft cover: alk. paper) — ISBN 0-87586-314-0 (hard
cover: alk. paper) — ISBN 0-87586-315-9 (ebook)
1. Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865. 2. Politicians—Maryland—Biography. 3.
Secession—Maryland. 4. Riots—Maryland—Baltimore—History—19th
century. 5. Baltimore (Md.)—History—Civil War, 1861-1865. 6. Washington
(D.C.)—History—Civil War, 1861-1865. 7. United States—Politics and
government—1861-1865. 8. Maryland—Politics and government—1861-1865. 9.
Maryland—History—Civil War, 1861-1865—Transportation. 10. United
States—History—Civil War, 1861-1865—Transportation. I. Title.
F189.B157M37 2005
973.7'09752—dc22
2005001420
Front Cover: Riot in Baltimore, Maryland. Secessionists in Baltimore,
Maryland, fire upon troops from the 6th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment
during a pro-secession riot in 1861. Date Created: ca. 1861-1865 © CORBIS
Printed in the United States
To my wife, who has contributed loving criticism and encouragement
in the sometimes dark days of writing.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1. TWO CITIES: BALTIMORE AND WASHINGTON 1
CHAPTER 2. FIVE MEN: LINCOLN, HICKS, BROWN, KANE,
AND BUTLER 9
THOMAS HICKS 17
GEORGE W. BROWN 22
GEORGE P. KANE 29
BENJAMIN F. BUTLER 35
CHAPTER 3. THE STRANGE ISOLATION OF WASHINGTON 39
THE BALTIMORE RIOT 40
Friday Morning, April 19, 1861 40
A MIDNIGHT MOB IN BALTIMORE 49
Friday Afternoon, April 19, 1861 49
WASHINGTON IS ISOLATED 64
Saturday, April 20, 1861 64
CHAPTER 4. MR. LINCOLN AND MAYOR BROWN 87
CHAPTER 5. BUTLER STYMIED AT ANNAPOLIS 103
CHAPTER 6. WASHINGTON IN DESPAIR 117
Tuesday, April 23, 1861 117
CHAPTER 7. THE MARCH FROM ANNAPOLIS TO WASHINGTON 125
PRIVATE THEODORE WINTHROP 125
Wednesday, April 24, 1861 125
CHAPTER 8. ARRIVAL IN WASHINGTON 133
ix
Table of Contents
EPILOGUE: BUTLER, HICKS, KANE, BROWN, AND LINCOLN
IN THE CONTINUATION OF THE CIVIL WAR 147
GENERAL BENJAMIN BUTLER 148
THOMAS HICKS 158
GEORGE P. KANE 161
GEORGE BROWN 164
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 169
THE AFTERWORD 179
BIBLIOGRAPHY 181
x
CHAPTER 1. TWO CITIES: BALTIMORE AND
WASHINGTON
The rebellion of the Southern states was underway. On Friday,
April 12, 1861 the South fired on Fort Sumter. On Monday, April 15,
President Lincoln ordered 75,000 troops from the Northern states to
assemble in Washington. On Friday, April 19, a Baltimore mob of
thousands attacked a Massachusetts regiment en route to the
defense of Washington.
The Massachusetts troops, the first to respond to Lincoln’s
call, lost four men and many others were wounded by the angry
hordes. In a spectacular midnight raid, Baltimore citizens burned all
the railroad bridges, cut telegraph wires, and stopped all mails en
route to the capital. They were determined that Northern troops
would not go through Baltimore on their way to protect
Washington.
All Washington’s connections to the North normally went
through Baltimore. Now, they were cut off. Without any military
force or the possibility of calling any in, the capital was helpless.
For six days Washington was threatened with capture. It was
isolated, an island in a sea of Southern states. On the Virginia
heights, across the Potomac River from Washington, Southern
1