Baltimore and the Civil War

Abstract

This paper examines Baltimore at the start of the Civil War and argues that the events that took place in the city set the nation on a path that was more destructive than it would have been otherwise. Sources pertaining to the Baltimore Plot and the Pratt Street Riot include the personal manuscript of Samuel Morse Felton, the president of the Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore Railroad, as well as a first-hand account from Baltimore’s mayor during this time period. These sources are analyzed to reconstruct these events and assess their significance.