Lincoln's First Inaugural Address

[L Verge]

(08-23-2015 10:59 PM)Gene C Wrote:  

(08-23-2015 06:58 PM)L Verge Wrote:  In the case of Maryland, he also deceived them in the beginning by indicating that they would be compensated for manumitting their slaves and that they would not be asked to bear arms against their Southern brethren. Nearly forty years ago, an author researching the effects of the Civil War on Maryland told me that he had found more lingering hatred of Lincoln in Maryland than in many parts of the Deep South. I'm not sure that that feeling still exists, but broken promises can take a long time to heal.

I don't recall the time table of events, but in the case of Maryland, there was an attempt to assassinate Lincoln as he passed through Baltimore on the way to his inauguration by some political extremist of Maryland. Also, in the first days of the war, many of the Maryland brethren fired upon Union soldiers marching through Baltimore as they were on their way to protect Washington DC. And several railroad bridges and track were damaged and destroyed in an effort to keep Union soldiers from passing through Maryland. In addition, many Marylanders joined the Confederate army during the early days of the war and took up arms against their northern brethren. We've acknowledged that many in southern Maryland tried very hard to aid the Confederacy and harm the Union.

A significant part of the population of Maryland didn't have clean hands when it comes to claiming Lincoln deceived them and broke promises.

With the exception of the assassination plot - not attempt - in Baltimore in February of 1861 (which some historians doubt existed), the references that you make occurred after Lincoln's conciliatory First Inaugural Address. I hope some of you will read this article on the border states: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jala/2629860...w=fulltext

I do like the statement that the author makes about historians neglecting the role of the border states in shaping policy. The poor handling of Missouri had disastrous effects in many ways.