Severn Teackle Wallis, Henry M. Warfield, William G. Harrison, T. Parkin Scott, ex-members of the Maryland Legislature from Baltimore; George William Brown, Mayor of Baltimore; Charles Howard, (president,) and William H. Gatchell, of the Baltimore Police Commissioners; George P. Kane, ex-Marshal of Baltimore Police; Frank Key Howard, one of the editors of the Baltimore Exchange; Thomas W. Hall, Jr., editor of the Baltimore South; Robert Hull, merchant of Baltimore; Dr. Charles Macgill, of Hagerstown, Md.; William H. Winder, of Philadelphia, and B. L. Cutter. The Baltimore "State Prisoners" arrived home on the 28th and 29th of November, and received a deep, sincere, welcome-a cordial greeting with earnest spoken words-from those who knew that they were true and faithful to the constitution and the laws of the land. To prevent abuse of power in the future, General Wool issued a special order declaring that thereafter no person should be arrested within the limits of his department, except by his order, and in all such cases the charges against the accused party had to be sworn before a justice of the peace by the accuser.

After repeated orders from Washington to advance into Virginia, General McClellan, on the 26th of October, crossed the Potomac on a new pontoon bridge at Berlin, and moved on in the direction of Parcerville. Soon after, General Burnside crossed and took a position at Lovettsville. On the 6th, General McClellan's headquarters were at Rectortown, near Front Royal, and at midnight on the 7th, an order was received from President Lincoln to surrender the command of the army to General Burnsile, and to report himself immediately at Trenton, New Jersey. On the 14th Burnside organized the army in three grand divisions-the right composed of the 2d and 9th corps, to be commanded by Major General Sumner; the left, the 1st and 6th corps, assigned to Major General Franklin; the centre, the 3d and 5th corps, to Major General Hooker, while the 11th corps, under Major General Sigel, constituted the reserve. The army had continued to advance to Gordonsville with Lee retreating before it, but now Burnside designed to occupy the attention of the Confederates in front of Warrenton, while he should move rapidly with his main force to Fredericksburg and cross the Rappahannock at that point for a movement on Richmond. Lee discovered the movement, and while Burnside marched along the north bank of the Rappahannock to Falmouth, he proceeded along the south bank to Fredericksburg. Upon arriving at their places of destination, Lee occupied the range of hills on the south side of the Rappahannock, Burnside those on the north side. Between them was Fredericksburg. Under a heavy fire of artillery, Burnside succeeded in throwing two pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock on

with a colleague in the cabinet, who thought he knew better than any Pennsylvanian could, how, by arbitrary arrests, to break the back of the supposed (but actually non-existent) "secession movement" in Maryland.

Thomas W. Hall, Jr., afterwards entered the Confederate service and was distinguished for

gallant and meritorious conduct. He was captain and adjutant-general of Gregg's Texas brigade, (previously Hood's). Subsequently, in the winter of 1864-5, he was promoted to be major and assigned to special duty in the Confederate War Department.

TWO GREAT BATTLES.

525

the 11th of December, and on the 12th his army began the passage of the river. On the 13th Burnside made an assault upon the Confederate heights. in the rear of Fredericksburg, when "a slaughter, the most bloody and the most useless of the war," took place. General Jackson commanded on the right of the Confederate line, and General Longstreet on the left. On the Federal side, Franklin was on the left, Hooker occupied the centre, and Sumner the right. In this battle of Fredericksburg the Federals lost about fifteen thousand, killed and wounded, the Confederates about five thousand. On the Confederate side three rifle guns, under Lieutenant Plater, of the Chesapeake Maryland artillery, occupied a position near Hamilton's Crossing, in General Early's division, and "did excellent service." 1

On the next day, Captain Dement's 1st Maryland artillery was ordered to the front, and took post on the extreme right of the Confederate line, on the heights at Hamilton's Crossing, but was not engaged, as Burnside did not renew the assault; and during the night of the 14th withdrew his army to the north side of the Rappahannock. Whereupon the Confederate army went into winter quarters, the 1st Maryland on Dejarnette's farm, near Bowling Green.

In consequence of the distrust and want of harmony among the superior officers of the Army of the Potomac, and the demoralization of the troops after the battle of Fredericksburg, General Burnside at his request was relieved from his command, and General Hooker appointed in his stead. He assumed command on the 26th of January, 1863, and on the 2d and 3d of May, fought the battle of Chancellorsville, in which he was defeated with dreadful loss. The Confederates, under Lee, gained a great victory, but this was more than counterbalanced by the death of General "Stonewall" Jackson, who was mortally wounded, by the fire of his own men, in his attack on Howard's corps, and died the 10th of May. His loss was irreparable, and was deeply felt throughout the South.

At the battle of Chancellorsville, the 1st Maryland Confederate artillery and the Chesapeake artillery defended an important position in front of Sedgwick's corps, and did such service as to elicit the especial notice and commendation of Major General Early. The 1st Maryland, on the following day (3d of May), held an important position on the right of Marye's Hill. Both companies lost heavily in killed and wounded in this series of engage

ments.

1 General Early's Report of the Army of Northern Virginia, ii, pp. 472, 537, 583.

CHAPTER XLVI.

WHILE the armies were thus honorably contending on fields of battle, General Schenck and his congenial provost-marshal, William S. Fish, found a safer sphere of distinction in tyrannizing over the unarmed inhabitants of Baltimore. Fish, who had been lieutenant-colonel in the 1st Connecticut cavalry, was a brutal ruffian and debauchee, and from his accession to office on January 21, 1863, every imaginable insult and outrage were heaped upon the people, until the time when his career found its proper close in the Albany penitentiary. His earliest exploits were upon the churches. A congregation of the Methodist Episcopal denomination worshipped at the Assembly Rooms, corner of Lombard and Hanover streets. On Sunday, February 8th, on entering the rooms, the members found two large flags prominently displayed, which give offence to a number of the congregation and they left the services. The matter having been brought to the notice of the military authorities, Fish served the following order on the pastor:

"I understand that considerable disgust is excited in view of a class of persons who assembled at your rooms in consequence of the American flag, being displayed there. You will hereafter cause constantly to be displayed there in a conspicuous position at the end of the hall, a large-sized American flag, until further orders."

This bit of petty tyranny was followed in a few days by another of a similar nature. The Rev. Dr. Dashiell, of Strawbridge Chapel, Biddle street, on proceeding to his church on a Sunday morning, found that a large flag had been suspended in front of the building. Upon removing it, he was arrested and detained by the military authorities. At the Chatsworth Methodist Church, on the corner of Pine and Franklin streets, a crowd of men, during service, fastened a flag over the door, so as to compel the congregation on emerging from the church to walk under it. As the flag was raised for the purpose of creating a disturbance, the congregation paid no attention to it, but Fish sent a note to the trustees, saying:

"I understand that rather than worship God under the shadow of the American flag, you have in consequence of the order for you to display in the building where you hold your service our glorious flag, concluded not to hold such worship at the place you have been accustomed to have it, and have chosen some other place for no other purpose than evading this order; therefore you will, under these circumstances, cause to be conspicuously displayed in the public building or buildings where you meet to-morrow (15th of February), the American fiag, as in accordance with the first order to Mr. Gooch. I understand that the congregation, of which you are the trustees, are to meet in two places; the regulations mentioned above will have reference to each place."

MILITARY TYRANNY IN BALTIMORE.

527

In reply to General Schenck, one of the trustees observed among other reasons that they entertained no objection to worship under the American flag, but they did object to an order which applied to their church alone.

The Rev. Dr. Dashiell having refused to sign a paper apologizing for taking down the flag at Strawbridge Chapel, was committed to Fort McHenry, where he remained until he signed a paper prepared by Fish, to the effect that he would conduct himself as a loyal citizen.

Some little excitement was also caused at this time by the following order which was served on all the music dealers and publishers in the city:

"Headquarters Middle Department, Eighth Army Corps,

Office of the Provost Marshai, Baltimore, March 7, 1863. §

"Publishers of Music, Baltimore City.

"GENTLEMEN:- -The publication or sale of secession music is considered by the commanding general and the Department at Washington an evil, incendiary, and not for the public good. You are therefore hereby ordered to discontinue such sales until further orders. Also, to send to this office any such music you may have on hand at present. "R. C. SCHENCK, Major General.

By order,

W. Y. FISH, Lieut. Col. and Provost Chief, Middle Department 8th Army Corps.

This order was complied with, and a large quantity of music sheets, of the kind indicated, sent to the marshal's office. This, however, did not seem to gratify the military authorities, and on the 11th all the music dealers were summoned by Fish to appear at his office, who demanded the surrender of all the copper-plates of the various pieces of music, the sale or publication of which had been prohibited. Upon this order being complied with, they were compelled to sign the following "parole," to effect their release:

“We,

"Headquarters Middle Department, Eighth Army Corps,

Office Provost Marshal, Baltimore, March 11th, 1863. § hereby make solemn oath and give our parole of honor that we will, in every respect, demean ourselves as true, loyal and law-abiding citizens of the United States, neither doing ourselves, aiding or abetting or countenancing any act prejudicial to the good of the United States, and its civil and military laws. Furthermore, that we will not correspond with any parties in the States now in rebellion, neither by word, letter or sign, unless under the proper military supervision; and that we will not attempt to trade ourselves, or be interested in any commercial transactions, directly or indirectly, in which goods, wares or merchandise are sent or carried into, or designed to be carried into any of the States above mentioned, nor attempt to go into any of those now in rebellion."

"National" melodies or those of strictly "loyal" sentiments, were alone allowed on sale, and in consequence, many Southern war songs are now excessively rare, and only to be found in the portfolios of curious collectors, together with the envelopes, songs, placards, writing paper, etc. A similar onslaught was also made on the photographers, by the following order: "Headquarters Middle Department, Eighth Army Corps,

Office Provost Marshal, Baltimore, March 11th, 1863. § "Detective Pontier is hereby ordered to proceed to any photographist, or dealer in pictures in this city, and seize all pictures of rebel generals and statesmen which they are

publicly or privately exposing for sale, as they have been repeatedly requested not to display such pictures for sale, and furthermore ordered by Marshal Van Nostrand not to sell such pictures; and the sale of such pictures is hereby forbidden hereafter, unless by special permission of the military authorities.

"Per order of Major General

"W. S. FISH, Lieutenant Colonel and Provost Marshal."

"R. C. SCHENCK.

At the same time that the sale of these articles was forbidden in Baltimore, they were freely exposed for sale in the Northern cities and New England Villages, the "copperhead" element of the North, not being deemed of sufficient importance to cause a prohibition of these pictures there. Under this order a number of seizures and arrests were made. Confederate songs and broadsides, and pamphlets of a "disloyal " character were obliged to be privately printed, as a great number were. Red and white (without the blue), being forbidden colors, all sorts of schemes were employed to use them without drawing down the vengeance of Fish and his agents. A contemporary writer giving an account of the usurpations practiced by the military authorities at this period in Baltitimore, says:

"The authors or agents of these wrongs did not pretend to respect the forms of law, nor did they generally condescend to prefer, even informally, any specific charges against those whom they thus thrust into prison. Nor was it merely in its overthrow of the laws and Constitution of the State, that the Union' party aided and abetted the Federal government. They equally countenanced and apologised for the insolent and barbarous treatment to which individual citizens were subjected. Brutal outrages, such as had never disgraced the soil of Maryland, and acts of petty tyrrany which any man would, a twelve month before, have been ashamed to order or execute, were perpetrated without eliciting a word of public remonstrance or denunciation from the Union' party. Persons were dragged from their homes upon the mere order of some contemptible underling of the government. The houses of citizens were invaded and ransacked in the search for arms, papers and flags; and oftentimes without even the pretext of an excuse for the outrage, being vouchsafed to the occupants. Newspapers were denied the privilege of passing through the mails, and were finally suppressed by the arrest of their editors. Men and women were stopped on the streets and ordered to strip from their persons ribbons or scarfs, of which the colors were obnoxious. Nurses were borne off to the station-house for carrying in their arms babies wearing red and white socks. Free speech became an act of treason, which the government agents punished when they chose; and persons of both sexes and of all ages were over and over again arrested for some casual remark which was disrespectful to the government, and was, therefore, deemed to be 'disloyal.' Even the unconscious utterances of the drunken reveller were noted by the active agents of Mr. Lincoln, and numbers of men were arrested for having, in their cups, said something that savored of respect for Mr. Jefferson Davis or 'Stonewall' Jackson. In the shameless race for pre-eminence in servility to the all-powerful dictator, spies and policemen had not the foremost place; for the Judge upon the bench of the Criminal Court, and the State's Attorney, gravely asserted when a man was on trial before them, that it was illegal and treasonable to drink the health of Mr. Jefferson Davis. And the counsel who denied the ridiculous proposition, was sent, for months, to Fort Lafayette, by the provost-marshal. All this time the 'Union' party hounded on the government officials to acts of increased severity.