Abstract
"Today the literature on Maryland's Civil War is vast and scattered. Given its location surrounding Washington, its unique proportion of enslaved and freeborn African Americans, and its circumstances as the site of significant Civil War battles, the state has always attracted historians. Original documents, in archives throughout the nation and in private collections, tell the story of the conflict, as do a number of secondary sources. This book of essays brings together new scholarship based on these sources, hence the title "The Civil War in Maryland Reconsidered." Contributors afford new insights on familiar subjects, along with the development of previously unexplored topics. Included in the volume are two types of essays, first those based primarily on previously unused material and framed by new methods such as Edward Papenfuse's analysis of the correspondence and reports of the British consul in Baltimore.
Papenfuse's startling conclusion posits efforts to establish a British protectorate in Maryland, along with the continuing clandestine contacts of the British with the South. Jessica Millward employs new sources in her analysis of how gender shaped the experience of Maryland's enslaved women during the period. Robert Cook, working within the framework of memory studies, explores the construction and evolution of Maryland's Civil War memories from 1865 to the present day when the subject has entered contemporary politics. Relying on primary material and employing modern methodologies of sensory and emotional history, Brian Michael Jordan goes beyond the familiar descriptions of the battle of Antietam to investigate the reaction of soldiers and civilians to the carnage.
Jonathan White investigates a critical episode in the state's history: the contentious process in which the soldiers' vote played a significant role in freeing Maryland's slaves in 1864, even as pro-slavery advocates in the state legislature fought to preserve the institution. Timothy Orr, relying on public records, focuses on the recruitment of Union regiments in Baltimore, a city of divided loyalties; his conclusion speaks to the relationship of the federal, state, and city governments during the war. In her discussion of the legacy of Dred Scott, Martha Jones focuses on the Baltimore courts where blacks continued to assert their rights. Jones's study reveals a previously overlooked aspect of the Dred Scott decision after Maryland's high courts gave blacks standing to sue in state courts. The second type of essay in "The Civil War in Maryland Reconsidered" provides comprehensive overviews and synthesis to critical episodes in the state's Civil War history.