First Blood of the Civil War - Myersville, MD
Posted by: 
bluesnote
N 39° 31.508 W 077° 36.057
18S E 276438 N 4378284
One of many interpretive signs at the South Mountain Welcome Center along I-70 westbound.
Waymark Code: WM160F7
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 04/07/2022
Views: 3
The sign says, "The Pratt Street Riot
The Civil War broke out on April 12, 1861 with the firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor. Abraham Lincoln, barely six weeks into his presidency, responded with a call for 75,000 volunteers to put down the rebellion. Those destined for Washington had to first pass through Baltimore.
On April 18, a Pennsylvania regiment was pelted with rocks as it marched from one railroad station to another. By the next day the city was a powder keg waiting to explode.
On April 19 the 6th Massachusetts Volunteer Militia was attacked by a mob on Pratt Street and opened fire, killing a dozen civilians before reaching the safety of Camden Station. Four soldiers died and scores were injured and left behind in the confusion.
The so-called Pratt Street Riot confirmed Northern suspicions that Baltimore was disloyal. Succeeding waves of Union troops treated it that way, occupied the strategically vital border city over the next four years.
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