Why Did The Baltimore Riots In North America?

As a result of the Baltimore riots, both Governor Hicks and Baltimore’s Mayor George Brown requested that Lincoln not send Federal troops through Baltimore as sentiments were too strong for the South. Lincoln agreed but other northern regiments were already en route to Washington. To insure that no more Union troops would enter Baltimore Mayor Brown ordered that the bridge over the Gunpowder Falls be burned, an order that was carried out immediately.

On the day of the Baltimore riots, April 19th, the Eighth Massachusetts Regiment of Volunteers under the command of General Benjamin F. Butler, a portly lawyer politician, departed New York City at 11:00 am headed by rail to Philadelphia arriving around 4 pm. The Seventh New York Regiment of Volunteers departed New York City at 5:30 pm. By the time both of these regiments arrived in Philadelphia, news had spread of the riots in Baltimore.

Samuel M. Felton, President of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad and J. Edgar Thomson, President of the Pennsylvania Railroad met with General Butler. They informed him that rebels had destroyed bridges over both the Bush and Gunpowder Rivers and it would be impossible for the regiment to proceed beyond the Susquehanna River by rail. They suggested two options to General Butler. He could travel to the Susquehanna River by rail and then march the
He wanted the Seventh NewYork and the Eighth Massachussets to proceed together on their trek to Washington as they could resist any rebel attack with a greater show of force. Colonel Marshall Lefferts, commander of the Seventh New York refused to join ranks with the Eighth Massachusetts. Butler tried to pull rank on the Colonel, but Lefferts refused to take orders from Butler as they had not yet been mustered into Federal service and he was still under the command of the governor of New