President
Abraham Lincoln took the step of declaring martial law and suspending civil liberties, including
the right of habeas corpus, in Maryland after a riot and subsequent destruction of
transportation systems in April 1861. Lincoln had ordered a group of Massachusetts volunteers
south to protect Washington D.C., but in Baltimore they were attacked by an angry mob of
Southern sympathizers, leaving casualties on both sides. The governor of Maryland and mayor of
Baltimore then ordered the destruction of rail lines so that more Union troops could not enter
Baltimore. Soon after, Lincoln imposed martial law upon the state.
One reason
that Lincoln felt that this step was necessary was because Maryland was a crucial border state
between the North and the South. If Maryland seceded, the nation's capital of Washington D.C.
would be effectively surrounded by Confederate enemies. Lincoln also was concerned about the
protection of transportation routes and telegraph lines, which were vital to the Union army, as
it passed through Maryland to confront the South.
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