The Civil War in Maryland Reconsidered

The deeply researched and tightly written essays in this volume provide new information and insights on the role of a crucial border state in the Civil War. Fearing that the state might secede in 1861, the Lincoln administration and Unionist Marylanders—black as well as white—managed to prevent this outcome and to make an important contribution to ultimate Northern victory. The Civil War in Maryland Reconsidered helps us understand how and why this happened. ~James M. McPherson, author of "Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era"

A superb collection – Ranging widely across political, social, and military subjects, these essays illuminate the story of the Civil War in Maryland, a critical border state. Based on in-depth research, each provides an informed, intelligent approach to a vital topic. All interested in the Civil War and its impact should consult it. ~William J. Cooper, author of "The Lost Founding Father: John Quincy Adams and the Transformation of American Politics"

In The Civil War in Maryland Reconsidered, some of our best younger scholars skillfully reexamine an important subject that had become a bit stale, with the help of a fresh introduction by some of their best older colleagues. The new look from multiple generations' perspectives yields exciting insights on a state as torn as the nation itself. No fancier of the American Union's fall and rebirth can afford to miss the revelations. ~William W. Freehling, author of "The South Vs. The South: How Southern Anti-Confederates Shaped the Course of the Civil War"

A geographic lynchpin whose defection might well have triggered a third and fatal wave of Southern secession, the Border State of Maryland holds a unique place in Civil War history. It was a hotbed of both pro-slavery sentiment and anti-slavery action; a site of riots and threats against the president-elect and the army, a laboratory for executive power (or overreach), a pool for both Union and Confederate volunteers, and the site of a bloody battle that transformed the conflict into a war against slavery. Now we have a single volume that brings these varied and crucial stories together—written by some of the best scholars in the field, and ably edited by Charles W. Mitchell and the great Jean Baker. Anyone interested in secession, emancipation, military history, and civil liberties will need to own this book, as both a reference tool and the source of new insight and interpretation from a roster of fine historians. ~Harold Holzer, Winner of the Lincoln Prize and author of "Lincoln and the Power of the Press"

The Civil War In Maryland Reconsidered couldn’t be timelier. While arguments over Confederate memorials continue to divide communities, this rich collection by leading historians slays persistent and inaccurate notions promulgated by lost cause mythology, a curious but disturbing relic that has long outlived its 19th century roots in false memories and white supremacy. Fresh, new research and keen interpretations recenter Maryland voices long silenced and ignored—Black and white Union soldiers, pro-Union political, legal, and business elites, free Blacks and enslaved people, and women—illuminating the fact that the majority of its citizens supported the United States in direct opposition to its slaveholding sister states. These extraordinary essays give life to subjugated truths about Maryland’s place in the annals of the Civil War, challenging the false and tired iconographic image of Maryland as nobly enduring federal military occupation while its heart lay with the Confederacy. No more myths. No more odes to Confederate heroes. Reconsidered is a new standard for interrogating the history and memory of the Civil War. ~Kate Clifford Larson, author of "Bound For the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero"

Charles Mitchell and Jean Baker have collected in this volume a stimulating array of essays examining anew and with a fresh eye the Civil War era in Maryland. From the gore of combat depicted in Gardner's photographs, to the impact of Dred Scott on Free Blacks and the Maryland legal system; from the heroic efforts of the women of Baltimore in support of both sides; to the fortunes of black families such as Charity Folks in Annapolis and the Plummers in Prince George's County; from the analysis of pro-Union sentiment and secessionist reaction, to Civil Rights and the debate over habeas corpus, this volume will attract a wide readership and makes a lasting contribution to understanding the impact of the Civil War on Maryland. ~Edward Papenfuse, Retired Maryland State Archivist and Commissioner of Land Patents

“This collection of fourteen essays provides a synthesis of recent scholarship on Maryland in the Civil War era, resulting in a wide-ranging, one-volume overview of this important and unique border state experience. . . . The essays examining the experiences of women and Black people offer a refreshing new view of Maryland's story.” ~Journal of American History