American Bastille? Fort McHenry and Civil Liberty, 1861 - 1862

Fort McHenry was the key to holding Baltimore and Maryland in the Union during the Civil War. ""American Bastille? Fort McHenry and Civil Liberty, 1861 - 1862"" is a survey of the critical period April 1861 - May 1862 and the specific role Fort McHenry played in the events surrounding the suspension of habeas corpus, the imposition of martial law, the occupation of Baltimore, and the arrest and detention of 260 American citizens and foreign nationals, many, if not all, of whom would never be formally charged with or tried for a crime. While a massive strengthening program carried out at Fort McHenry transformed it into the hub of all Federal activity in and around Baltimore, at no time during the first fourteen months of the war did the prison structure at Fort McHenry evolve to operate adequately. The only truly efficient aspect about Fort McHenry's role as a prison is that it was faithfully supplied with occupants. Where residence is known, the majority of prisoners of state detained at Fort McHenry between May 1861 and May 1862 hailed from Baltimore. Freedom was precarious, and imprisonment was as simple as the will of an army officer, but obtaining release was much more difficult; six loyal merchant seamen were detained for almost two years. Abuses of authority occurred with fearful regularity at the lowest level of military administration. Each resident of Baltimore and Maryland held life, liberty and property at the will and pleasure of the army officers at Fort McHenry