The New York Advance Regiments. The report of the Committee stated at length the amount and character of the important services which it rendered-gratuitously, so far as their own time and onerous labors were concerned. From it we learn that it assisted into the field, and stimulated to the advance of all the splendid regiments of New York Militia which responded to the call and were among the earliest to reach the Capital, viz.: the Seventy-First, Colonel Vosburgh; Sixth, Colonel Pinckney; Twelfth, Colonel Butterfield; Eighth, Colonel Lyons; Fifth, Colonel Schwarzwelder; Sixty-Ninth, Colonel Corcoran; Second, Colonel Tomkins; Ninth, Colonel Stiles; Seventy-Ninth, Colonel Cameron. All these regiments were standing organizations which had only to fill up their ranks and hurry forward to the Capital. They were accompanied by the Brooklyn (New York Militia) regiments, viz.: the Thirteenth, Colonel Smith; Twenty-Eighth, Colonel Bennett; and Fourteenth, Colonel Wood. To all of these the Committee acted as director and paymaster-general. The Ulster Twentieth Regiment of New York Militia completed the quota of the standing militia of the Empire State which quickly found their way to the seat of danger. The Massachusetts Eighth, Washington Safe. as stated, piloted the way to Annapolis, preserved the frigate Constitution from seizure, and landed to take possession of the railway depot and works preparatory to appropriating the road to Government uses. While the Eighth was prosecuting the work of relaying the track and repairing the bridges, the New York Seventh pushed on ahead, reaching the Junction (eighteen miles) | after thirty hours of most arduous tramping and railway repairing. From the Junction it passed to Washington by railroad-arriving at the Capital Thursday, April 18th, to glad den the hearts of all but the many traitors who lingered in the Departments, who infested every public place, who lurked everywhere throughout the city under the guise of citizens-creatures who stood ready to betray the Government to which they had sworn solemn allegiance. It was long before the authorities could purge the city of their malign presence. Indeed, the city never was free of the unnatural apostates. Reception of the New York Seventh. The reception extended to the gallant Seventh, was thus chronicled by one present: "At the depot they were received with the utmost enthusiasm. But their march down and up Pennsylvania avenue, past the hotels, the State and Treasury Departments, was a triumphal procession. The steps and balconies of the hotels, the windows of the private houses, the doorways of the stores, and even the roofs of many houses, were crowded with men, women and children, shouting, and waving handkerchiefs and flags. Many and brilliant have been the greetings they have received at home and abroad, but never have they been welcomed before with such heartfelt and grateful plaudits. "The regiment had been looked for day after day and hour after hour, until many had almost adopted the conclusion that the name was a myth, and their existence a very sham. But their appearance at last cheered every heart, and filled many an eye with warra tears of joy and thankfulness. Union men who had hung their heads, now walked erect, and the few Secessionists still in our midst who had been blatant in their sneers at the northern men who were invincible in peace and invisible in war,' now slunk away, lest their very presence should excite the loyal men to give them the punishment their treason deserved. Every honor the citizens could devise at the moment, was accorded to them. On their return from the Capitol, they met many ladies with rosettes in their bonnets, and gentlemen with rosettes in their button-holes, and many persons with small flags in their hands. "The regiment marched past the White House and then wheeling, passed through the west gate, and in front of the President's house. The gateway was thronged with ladies and gentlemen. Mrs. Lincoln sat at one of the open windows, accompanied by several other ladies. The President, accompanied by the Secretaries of State and of War, and surrounded by uniformed United States Army officers, stood upon the sidewalk near the steps, in the broiling sun, with his hat off, towering above the crowd, and here received the marching THE POSITION OF MARYLAND. 117 saluts of the Seventh. There was no speech | New York Seventy-first and Twelfth, and making. The Quartermaster reported the presence of the regiment, and the Colonel was presented to the President, but beyond this no further ceremony was used." Their arrival was rapidly succeeded by that of the Massachusetts Eighth, and the Governor Sprague's Rhode Islanders - the first influx of that tide of "Northern invaders" who were so soon to press over the Potomac and assure the permanent safety of the National Capital by an invasion of Virginia's "sacred soil." CHAPTER VI. MARYLAND IN THE THROES OF THE REVOLUTION. Maryland's Anomalous Position. into the Davis THE position of Mary-, rayed against Abolitionism, The State welcomed land, for the four weeks and cling to the South: and succeeding the attack on if she has not delegates Confederacy. the Massachusetts Sixth in the streets of Bal- with us now, she is in open defiance of Lincoln timore, was anomalous. Professing loyalty, and his Government, and will soon be with she still stood arrayed against the Govern- us even by revolution. The cause of Baltiment, and only ceased her opposition to the more is the cause of us all, from the Atlantic passage of troops over her soil when oppo- to the Rio Grande. Her hands must be held sition became useless. Governor Hicks was up, and triumph must be assured her." The at once anxious to preserve the peace and enthusiastic Vice-President had a basis of the "neutrality" of his State; and labored truth in his averments, as the "Safety Bill" earnestly, for a brief period, to restrain the introduced into the Legislature of the State transit through Maryland of the forces and soon showed. Doubtless that bill was persupplies requisite to render Washington safe fected under his own eyes. But, he literally -thus far submitting to the behests of the pro-Southern faction in the State. The Governor, and most of the men of influence in Maryland, were Unionists, but with such qualifications as rendered them, for a while, distrusted by the General Governmentdistrust eventually banished by the position afterwards assumed by Governor Hicks, of open and unqualified support of the Administration. - a As late as April 30th, Mr. Stephens proclaimed the safety of Maryland for the Southern cause, saying: "But, the best of all is that Maryland-gallant little Marylandright under the guns of Lincoln, and the threats of Blair to make it a Free State if the blood of the last white man has to be shed in accomplishing it--has resolved, to a man, to stand by the South. She will be ar counted the chickens before hatching.' Maryland was not with them to a man,' nor, indeed, would she be able to 'secede,' except by the miserable jugglery of a few revolutionists. The Vice-President's regard for "the cause" would not allow him to make a more correct statement than fell from his lips. It was wanted to "fire the Southern heart." The history of the thirty days succeeding April 17th would fill a volume. Doubtless it will be given to the world to interest the people of Maryland and all special students of causes and effects bearing on the great rebellion. But, for the general reader, a brief chapter will suffice, showing how the ship of State trimmed and veered to the gale ere she righted and rode out her destiny, se curely if not gallantly. "SIR: Having, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution of Maryland, summoned the Legislature of the State to assemble on Friday, the 26th instant, and Annapolis being the place in which, according to law, it must assemble; and having been credibly informed that you have taken military possession of the Annapolis and Elk Ridge Railroad, I deem it my duty to protest against this step; because, without at present assigning any other reason, I am informed that such occupation of said road will prevent the members of the Legislature from reaching this city. } "HEAD-QUARTERS U. S. MILITIA, ANNAPOLIS, MD., April 23d, 1861. [ "To His Excellency Thomas H. Hicks, Governor of Maryland: "You are credibly informed that I have taken possession of the Annapolis and Elk Ridge Railroad. It might have escaped your notice, but at the official meeting which was had between your Excellency and the Mayor of Annapolis, and the Committee of the Government and myself, as to the landing of my troops, it was expressly stated as the reason why I should not land, that my troops could not pass the railroad because the company had taken up the rails, and they were private property. It is difficult to see how it can be, that if my troops could not pass over the railroad one way, the members of the Legislature could pass the other way. I have taken possession for the purpose of preventing the execution of the threats of the mob, as officially represented to me by the master of transportation of the railroad in this city, that if my troops passed over the railroad, the railroad should be destroyed.' "If the Government of the State had taken possession of the road in any emergency, I should have long hesitated before entering upon it; but as I had the honor to inform your Excellency in regard to another insurrection against the laws of Maryland, I am here armed to maintain those laws, if your Excellency desires, and the peace of the United States, against all disorderly persons whatsoever. endeavoring to save and not to destroy; to obtain I am means of transportation, so that I can vacate the Capital prior to the sitting of the Legislature, and not be under the painful necessity of incumbering your beautiful city while the Legislature is in session. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, "Your Excellency's obedient servant, "(Signed) B. F. BUTLER, "Brigadier-General." Annapolis was not vacated, nor the railway released from Government control. The outraged Legislature therefore assembled at Frederick, (April 26th,) when the Governor detailed the recent history of affairs in a message, from which we may quote: "Believing it to be the deGovernor Hicks' Hissign of the Administration to tory of Affairs. pass over our soil troops for the defense of the City of Washington, and fearing that the passage of such troops would excite our people and provoke a collision, I labored earnestly to induce the President to forego his purpose. I waited upon him in person, and urged the impor tance of my request. I subsequently communicated with him and his Cabinet by special dispatches, entreating an abandonment of his designs. To all my requests I could get but the reply that Washington was threatened with attack; that the Government had resolved to defend it; that there was no other way of obtaining troops than by passing them over the soil of Maryland, and that the military necessity of the case rendered it impossible for the Government to abandon its plans, much as it desired to avoid the dangers of a collision. * * * On Sunday morning last I discovered that a detachment of troops, under command of Brigadier-General Benjamin F. Butler, had reached Annapolis in a steamer, and had taken possession of the practice-ship Constitution, which, during that day, they succeeded in getting outside of the harbor of Annapolis, where she now lies. After getting the ship off, the steamer lay outside the harbor, and was joined by another steamer having on board the Seventh Regiment, from New York city. Brigadier-General Butler addressed me, asking for permission to land his forces. It will be seen from the correspondence herewith submitted, that I refused my consent. The Mayor of Annapolis also protested. But both steamers soon afterwards landed and put off their troops. Subsequently other large bodies of troops reached here in transports, and were landed. I was PUBLIC INDIGNATION AGAINST THE "SAFETY ACT." notified that the troops were Governor Hicks' Histo be marched to Washington. tory of Affairs. They desired to go without obstruction from our people, but they had orders to go to Washington, and were determined to obey those orders. In furtherance of their designs, they took military possession of the Annapolis and Elk Ridge Railroad, in regard to which act I forwarded to Brigadier-General Butler the protest, and receiv ed the reply here with submitted. On Wednesday morning the two detachments landed, and took up 119 our soil from being polluted with the blood of brethren." The Public Safety Act. Extraordinary pressure was brought to bear on the Legislature, to induce it to assume the front of revolution, either by ordering a Convention or by itself adopting an Ordinance of Secession. Neither step was taken; but the Governor's "honest and earnest conviction" of neutrality was embodied in an act providing for the public safety, ap "full power and authority to provide for the better organization, arming and regulation of the militia." They were clothed with almost supreme authority, being empowered to remove or appoint any officer above the rank of Captain, giving their commission in the name and under the great seal of the State the line of march for Washington. The people of Annapolis, though greatly exasperated, acting un-pointing a Board of Seven, who were to have der counsel of the most prudent citizens, refrained from molesting or obstructing the passage of troops through the city. Seriously impressed with the condition of affairs, and anxious to avoid a repetition of events similar to those which had transpired in Baltimore, I deemed it my duty to make another appeal at Washington. Accordingly, I sent a special messenger with a dispatch to the Administration, advising that no more troops be sent through Maryland; that the troops at Annapolis be sent elsewhere, and urging that a truce be offered with a view of a peaceful settlement of existing difficulties by mediation. I suggested that Lord Lyons, the British Minister, be requested to act as mediator between the contending parties. The result of the mission will be seen from the correspondence herewith submitted. These events have satisfied me that the War Department has concluded to make Annapolis the point for landing troops, and has resolved to open and maintain communication between this place and Washington. "I honestly and most earnestly entertain the conviction that the only safety of Maryland lies in preserving a neutral position between our brethren of to adopt any measures, or pursue any course to provide for the safety, peace and defense of the State-to fill all vacancies in their own Board, &c., &c. The oath of office was prescribed. Instead of swearing fealty to the General Government, the Board was swear not to proscribe any officer "for his po. litical opinion." The act named the gentlemen to constitute the Board, comprising six rank Secessionists and Governor Hicks. This insidious scheme was more fully interpreted by the report of the Committee on Federal Relations, which arraigned the General Government in charges of acts of tyranny and subjugation, and resolving that a committee should wait upon the authorities at Washington to learn what course the President intend The Public Indignation at the Act. the North and of the South. We have violated no right of either section. We have been loyal to the Union. The unhappy contest between the two sec-ed to pursue, &c. Governor Hicks thus found tions has not been commenced or encouraged by himself virtually superseded, and the reign us, although we have suffered from it in part. The of the revolutionists about to commence. impending war has not come by any act or any wish of ours. We have done all we could to avert it. We have hoped that Maryland and other Border Slave States, by their conservative position and love for the Union, might have acted as mediators between the extremes of both sections, and thus have prevented the terrible evils of a prolonged civil war. Entertaining these views, I cannot counsel Maryland to take sides against the General Government until it shall commit outrages on us which would justify us in resisting its authority. As a consequence, I can give no other counsel than that we shall array ourselves for Union and peace, and thus preserve But the people came to the rescue; and, by their loudly and menacingly uttered protests, fairly scared the conspirators from their game. A very large meeting of the leading citizens of Baltimore convened Saturday evening, May 4th, to publicly express the general indignation felt at the effort to subvert the State Government. Resolutions were passed as follows: "Resolved, That the Convention, in the name of the order-loving people of Baltimore, do solemnly protest against the attempt now making in the Legis lature of Maryland, to inaugurate a military despot- | troops in camp at Harrisburg, Chambersburg ism, by the enactment of the bill to create a Com- and York, could be thrown forward at any mittee of Public Safety, which, under a profession moment to Cockeysville and Hagerstown. of providing for the protection, safety, peace and The occupation of the railroad from Phitadefense of the State, would, if enacted into a law, delphia to the Susquehanna, completed the Union cordon by which revolution in Maryland was slowly but most surely pressed into its hiding-places. May 9th, the Baltimoreans were surprised to learn that their city had confer on an irresponsible body powers which are unconstitutional and tyrannical in principle, and which, by withdrawing from the citizen all guaranties now enjoyed for his individual security, must endanger the public peace, and in the event of the enactment of that bill, we shall esteem it our duty to avail ourselves of all constitutional remedies for defeating its execution, and vindicating public liberty. 66 Resolved, secondly, That the measures enacted and enacting by the Legislature, are indications of a purpose on the part of a majority thereof to precipitate Maryland into a struggle with the Constitutional authorities of the Union, and to effect by indirect action a result which they acknowledge they are unable to accomplish by direct legislation on the subject, and that we deprecate any effort to change the relations at present existing between the Union and this State, by any authority whatsoever." A committee was appointed to proceed to Frederick. At Frederick the feeling aroused was anything but promising of peace to the Legislators. A "Home Guard" was organized, composed of some of the best citizens of the place. To the Guard the ladies sented a United States flag. Reverdy Johnson acted as spokesman for the donors, and pre delivered, to a large crowd, a masterly oration, sustaining the cause of the Union. General Scott was on the qui vive, too, to inaugurate a checkmate for any further treason contemplated, and to open the railway routes to the North. At noon of May 5th, the New York Eighth, and, later in the day, the Massachusetts Sixth, appeared, unannounced, at the Relay House Station, at the junction of the Baltimore and Ohio Occupation of the Relay House Station. with the Washington and Baltimore railway. This occupation, executed under command of General Butler, commanded all communication between Harper's Ferry, Frederick and Baltimore, and menaced the latter city.* The *General Butler's order of May 8th, detailed the circumstances of the occupation, giving the assigned position of the several camps. He also related several incidents illustrative of the devilish spirit which possessed those in Maryland imbued with the seces again become a highway "Through Baltimore." for the Northern troops. lay off the Point, with shotted guns and open city, both by the vessel of war and Fort McHenry-then strongly garrisoned. The entire debarkation was made in order and quiet. The Mayor, with his two hundred special police, was in attendance as soon as he was made aware of the landing; but, his services were not required-the United States officers showed that they were quite able to "keep the peace" themselves. The entire detachment took cars for the Relay House and the Capital. The Maryland Legislature continued in session, during these movements of the General Government to forestall any act of treason and revolution which might be attempted. Thwarted in their effort to subvert the State Executive, the Legislators were powerless for harm, and contented themselves with preaching treason wher they had not the power or sion virus. One of the Massachusetts men was poi soned by strychnine mixed in cakes, which a peddler was allowed to sell to the soldiers. The miscreant escaped, and all communication with unauthorized persons was immediately cut off. |