OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Benjamin Butler oversteps his authority and sends his Federal troops to seize the troublesome city of Baltimore.
Category: Maryland
Keep Your Rowdies in Baltimore
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Maryland legislators reject secession as President Lincoln controversially suspends the writ of habeas corpus in areas surrounding the state.
The Streets Became a Battleground
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: The first blood of the war is drawn when Federal troops traveling through Baltimore fire on a jeering mob, sparking mass unrest.
Early Turns Back on His Pursuers
Jubal Early’s Confederates return to the Shenandoah Valley after raiding around Washington, D.C. Federal forces stage a weak pursuit, and when they stop at Kernstown, Early decides to turn back and confront them.
The Washington Raid Ends
Following his unsuccessful attempt to capture Fort Stevens, Jubal Early leads his Confederate Army of the Valley away from the outskirts of Washington and back into Maryland. Federals stage a feeble pursuit as concerns about leaving the capital vulnerable persist.
The Battle of Fort Stevens
Jubal Early’s Confederate Army of the Valley spreads panic throughout Washington by reaching the capital’s suburbs and attacking a portion of the city’s defenses.