426

THE MARTYRS OF THE BALTIMORE MASSACRE.

first that was shed in that revolution in which the liberties of the American people were secured, moistened the green sward at Lexington; now, on the 19th of April, 1861, the blood of the citizen soldiery of Massachusetts was the first that was shed in defense of those liberties endangered by a malig nant internal foe. The slain at Lexington, in 1775, and the slain in Baltimore, in 1861, were regarded as equal martyrs; and with the hot indignation that burned in every loyal bosom was mingled a reverential recognition of the dignity and significance of that sacrifice, for thoughtful men read in it a prophecy of the purification and strengthening of the nation by the good providence of God.

Luther C. Ladd, a young mechanic of Lowell, only a little more than seventeen years of age; Addison O. Whitney, another young mechanic of Lowell, but twenty-one years of age; and Charles A. Taylor, a decorative painter, of Boston, who were killed outright,' and Sumner H. Needham, of Lawrence, a plasterer by trade, who was mortally wounded, were the slain of the New England troops in Baltimore. "I pray you, cause the bodies of our Massachusetts soldiers, dead in battle," telegraphed Governor Andrew to Mayor Brown, "to be immediately laid out, preserved in ice, and tenderly sent forward by express to me. All expenses will be paid by this Commonwealth." The Mayor promised acquiescence in the request; reminded the Governor that the Massachusetts troops were considered invaders of the soil of Maryland; told him that the wounded were 66 tenderly cared for," and said: "Baltimore will claim it as her right to pay all expenses incurred." The Governor thanked the Mayor for his kind attention to the wounded and dead, and then, with rebukeful words that will ever be remembered, he exclaimed: "I am overwhelmed with surprise that a peaceful march of American citizens over the highway to the defense of our common Capital, should be deemed aggressive to Baltimore. Through New York the march was triumphal."

1861.

LUTHER C. LADD.

It was several days before the bodies of the young martyrs reached Boston. On the 6th of May," those of Ladd and Whitney arrived at Lowell by a special train. The day was dark and stormy. All the mills of the city were stopped running, the stores were closed, and all business was suspended. The bodies were received by a great concourse of citizens and six military companies just organized for the war, and escorted to Huntington Hall, which was draped in black. There funeral services were held, during which, the Rev. W. R. Clark, of the Methodist Church, preached an impressive sermon before the authorities of the city and the people; and then the two bodies were laid in a vault

1 Ladd was pierced by several bullets, and Whitney by only one, which entered his breast and passed downwards in his body. It evidently came from a window above him.

2 All denominations engaged in the services. The Scriptures were read by the Rev. W. C. Himes. Episcopalian; the Rev. Dr. Cleaveland, Congregationalist, prayed: an original hymn was read by the Rev. J. J.

FUNERAL OF THE FIRST MARTYRS.

427

in the Lowell Cemetery. A little more than four years afterward, the remains of these "first martyrs" were laid beneath a beautiful monument of Concord granite, erected, to commemorate their history, in Merrimack Square, in Lowell. It was formally

dedicated on the 17th of June, 1865, in the presence of nearly twenty thousand people, who were addressed by the same chief magistrate of the Commonwealth who had besought the Mayor of Baltimore to send the bodies of the young men "tenderly " to him. In the mean time Maryland had disappointed the hopes of the conspirators, and dissipated the cloud that then hung over her like a pall. Baltimore had soon attested and vindicated its loyalty and attachment to the Union; and Maryland had not only spurned the traitors, but had purged her soil of the evil root of slavery,' for the perpetuation of which they had taken up

arms.

And more. At the conclusion of the consecrating ceremonies at the tomb of the young martyrs in Lowell, Lieutenant-Colonel Morris, of the staff of Governor Bradford, of Maryland, presented to Governor Andrew, as the representative of Massachusetts, a beautiful National banner, made of silk, and wrought by

MARTYRS' MONUMENT.2

Twiss, Universalist; the closing prayer was by the Rev. D. Mott, Baptist; and the benediction was pronounced by the Rev. F. Hinckley, Unitarian. Over the rostrum were displayed the words:

"APRIL 19, 1775; APRIL 19, 1861."

By the act of a Convention of the people in the autumn of 1862, and by the ratification of the Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, abolishing Slavery, by act of the Maryland General Assembly, February 3, 1865.

The monument is of Concord granite, and its entire hight twenty-seven feet six inches. The plan is cruciform, the larger arms measuring fifteen feet, and the shorter, twelve feet. It consists of a central shaft placed upon a plinth, with a high base, upon two sides of which, forming the longer arms, are two sarcophagi, having on each side, respectively, the names of the young martyrs. Inserted in the ends are raised laurel wreaths. The cornices of the sarcophagi are ornamented with thirteen raised stars each. Upon the other two sides of the base, forming the shorter arms, are two plinths, the same hight as the sarcophagi, with inscriptions. On the Merrimack Street side are the words:

"ADDISON O. WHITNEY, BORN IN WALDO, ME., OCT. 30, 1839; LUTHER C. LADD, BORN IN ALEXANDRIA, N. H., DEC. 22, 1843; MARCHED FROM LOWELL IN THE SIXTH M. V. M. TO THE DEFENSE OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL, AND FELL MORTALLY WOUNDED IN THE ATTACK ON THEIR REGIMENT WHILE PASSING THROUGH BALTIMORE, APRIL 19TH, 1861. THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS AND THE CITY OF LOWELL DEDICATE THIS MONUMENT TO THEIR MEMORY."

"APRIL 19, 1865."

On the Moody Street side are the following words:"NOTHING IS HERE FOR TEARS, NOTHING TO WAIL OR KNOCK THE BREAST; NO WEAKNESS, NO CONTEMPT, DISPRAISE OR BLAME; NOTHING BUT WELL AND FAIR, AND WHAT MAY QUIET US IN A DEATH SO NOBLE." "1861."

The horizontal lines are merged into the vertical ones by fluted trusses, with raised stars resting upon the four arms, and above these is a plinth, on two sides of which are bronzed medallions of the arms of Massachusetts and the city of Lowell. The engraving is from a photograph kindly sent to me by Major-General Butler.

This monument was dedicated on the 17th of June, 1865, with imposing ceremonies by the Masonic frater

428

THE MARTYRS' MONUMENT DEDICATED.

the loyal women of Baltimore for the purpose. It was of regimental size, and surmounted by a carved eagle holding thunderbolts in its talons, and an olive-branch in its beak. On the polished black-walnut staff was a silver plate, bearing an engraving of the arms of Maryland and of Massachusetts, and the words, "MARYLAND TO MASSACHUSETTS, APRIL 19, 1865. MAY THE UNION AND FRIENDSHIP OF THE FUTURE OBLITERATE THE ANGUISH OF THE PAST." This was the crowning evidence of the sorrow of true Marylanders for the wrongs inflicted on citizens of Massachusetts in their commercial capital, and a desire to obliterate the feelings occasioned by them. Only a few months after the occurrence, and when the Union men of the State had obtained partial control of the public affairs of the Commonwealth, the Legis

lature took steps" to "wipe out," as they expressed it, "the foul December, blot of the Baltimore riot;" and on the 5th of March, 1862, the

1861. General Assembly appropriated seven thousand dollars, to be

disbursed, under the direction of the Governor of Massachusetts, for the relief of the families of those who were then injured. To-day Massachusetts and Maryland cordially embrace each other as loving sisters in the great family of the Nation.

"Through New York the march [of Massachusetts troops] was triumphal," said Governor Andrew. It was so.. The patriotism of the people of that great city and of the State had been thoroughly aroused, as we have observed, by the attack on Fort Sumter; and now, when the National Government was struggling for life in the toils of the conspirators, with no ability to make its perils known to the loyal people, they put forth the strong arm of their power without stint. Already the Legislature had authorized the Governor to enroll thirty thousand troops for two years, instead of for three months, and appropriated three millions of dollars for war purposes. Now, the citizens of the metropolis, in concert with General Wool, performed services of incalculable value, which the General-in-chief afterward declared had been mainly instrumental in saving the Capital from seizure, and the Republic from ruin.' They heard the call of the President for seventyfive thousand men with profound satisfaction. On the same evening some gentlemen met at the house of an influential citizen, and resolved to take immediate measures for the support of the Government. On the following

1861.

day,' they invited, by a printed circular letter, other citizens to April 16, join them, for the purpose of making arrangements for a public meeting of men of all parties, "to sustain the Federal Government in the present crisis." The arrangements were made, and the

nity, a large number of military companies, and citizens, and the Otto (Singing) Club. Governor Andrew delivered an oration, after which Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas J. Morris presented the Maryland flag mentioned in the text. There was a collation at Huntington Hall, where toasts were given and speeches made. Among the speakers was Major-General Butler, whose military experience in Maryland, just after the riot in Baltimore, made him a deeply interested participant in the ceremonies. He paid a fine tribute to the volunteer soldiers, and to the Navy.

1 Speech of General Scott before the Union Defense Committee of New York, November 8, 1861. See the published Reports, Resolutions, and Documents of that Committee.

2 The following is a copy of the circular:-"SIR: At a meeting held at the house of R. II. McCurdy, Esq.. you were appointed member of a Committee to make arrangements for a public meeting of citizens, of all parties, to sustain the Federal Government in the present crisis. You are earnestly requested to attend a meeting of said Committee, for the above-named purpose, at the rooms of the Chamber of Commerce, corner of William and Cedar Streets."

UNION DEFENSE COMMITTEE IN NEW YORK.

429 great meeting at Union Square, already mentioned,' was held on the 20th of April, when a Committee of Safety was appointed. It was composed of some of the most distinguished citizens of New York, of all parties. They organized that evening, with the title of THE UNION DEFENSE COMMITTEE.*

Intelligence had already gone over the land of the attack on the Massachusetts troops in the streets of Baltimore, and the isolation and perils of the Capital; and the first business of the Committee was to facilitate the equipment and outfit of regiments of volunteer militia, and their dispatch to the seat of Government. So zealously and efficiently did they work, that within ten days from the time when the President made his call for troops, no less than eight thousand well-equipped and fully armed men had gone to the field from the city of New York. Already, before the organization of the Committee, the celebrated Seventh Regiment of the National Guard of New York, Colonel Marshall Lefferts, had left for Washington City; and on the day after the great meeting (Sunday, the 21st), three other regiments had followed, namely, the Sixth, Colonel Pinckney; the Twelfth, Colonel Butterfield; and the Seventy-first, Colonel Vosburg.

Major-General Wool, next in rank to the General-in-chief, and the Commander of the Eastern Department, which comprised the whole country eastward of the Mississippi River, was then at his home and head-quarters at Troy, New York. When he heard of the affair at Baltimore, he hastened to Albany, the State capital, to confer with Governor Morgan. While he was there, the Governor received an electrograph, urging him to send troops forward to Washington as speedily as possible. At the same time he received an offer of the regiment of Colonel Ellsworth, whose skillfully executed and picturesque Zouave tactics had lately excited the attention and admiration of the country. These volunteers were accepted, and the Governor determined to push forward troops as fast as possible. General Wool at once issued orders to Colonel Tompkins, the United States Quartermaster at New York, to furnish all needful transportation; and Major Eaton, the Commissary of Subsistence, was directed to issue thirty days' rations to each soldier that might be ordered to Washington.

a April 20, 1861.

Governor Morgan went to New York on the evening of the 20th, and was followed by General Wool on the 22d. The veteran made his headquarters at the St. Nicholas Hotel, and there he was waited upon by the Union Defense Committee on the 23d, when a plan of operations for the

I See page 354.

2 The Committee was composed of the following citizens:-John A. Dix, Chairman; Simeon Draper, Vice-Chairman; William M. Evarts, Secretary; Theodore Dehon, Treasurer; Moses Taylor, Richard M. Blatchford, Edwards Pierrepont, Alexander T. Stewart, Samuel Sloane, John Jacob Astor, Jr.. John J. Cisco, James S. Wadsworth, Isaac Bell, James Boorman, Charles H. Marshall, Robert H. McCurdy, Moses H. Grinnell, Royal Phelps, William E. Dodge, Greene C. Bronson, Hamilton Fish, William F. Havemeyer. Charles H. Russell, James T. Brady, Rudolph A. Witthaus, Abiel A. Low, Prosper M. Wetmore, A. C. Richards, and the Mayor, Controller, and Presidents of the two Boards of the Common Council of the City of New York. The Committee had rooms at No. 30 Pine Street, open all day, and at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, open in the evening. The original and specific duties assigned to the Committee, by the great meeting that created it, were, "to represent the citizens in the collection of funds, and the transaction of such other business, in aid of the movements of the Government, as the public interests may require."

During the existence of this Committee, which continued about a year, it disbursed almost a million of dollars, which the Corporation of New York had appropriated for war purposes, and placed at its disposal. It assisted in the organization, equipment, &c., of forty-nine regiments, or about forty thousand men. For military purposes, it spent, of the city fund, nearly seven hundred and fifty-nine thousand dollars, and for the relief of soldiers' families, two hundred and thirty thousand dollars.

430

GENERAL WOOL AND UNION DEFENSE COMMITTEE.

salvation of the Capital was arranged between them. No communication could be made to the Government, as we have observed. The General-inchief could not speak to a single regiment outside of the District of Columbia; and General Wool was compelled, in order to act in conformity to the demands of the crisis and desires of the loyal people, to assume great responsibilities. He did so, saying:-"I shall probably be the only victim; but, under the circumstances, I am prepared to make the sacrifice, if thereby the Capital may be saved." Day and night he labored with the tireless energy of a strong man of forty years, until the work was accomplished. Ships were chartered, supplies were furnished, and troops were forwarded to Washington with extraordinary dispatch, by way of Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River. The transports were convoyed by armed steamers to shield them from pirates; and one of them-the Quaker City-was ordered to Hampton Roads, to prevent the insurgents transporting heavy guns from the Gosport Navy Yard with which to attack Fortress Monroe, the military key to Virginia. To that immensely important military work, Wool sent gun-carriages, ammunition, and provisions, that it might be held, and command the chief waters of Virginia. A dozen State Governors applied to him, as the superior military officer that could be reached, for advice and for munitions of war, and he assisted in arming no less than nine States.' In reply to Governor Yates, of Illinois, asking for five thousand muskets and a complement of ammunition, he directed him to send a judicious officer, with four or five companies, to take possession of the Arsenal at St. Louis, which he believed to be in danger of seizure by the secessionists of Missouri. He also telegraphed to Frank P. Blair, of St. Louis (afterward a major-general in the National Army), to assist in the matter. By judicious management, twenty-one thousand stand of small arms, two field-pieces, and one hundred and ten thousand rounds of ammunition were transferred from St. Louis to Illinois. Wool also ordered heavy cannon, carriages, et cætera, to Cairo, Illinois, which speedily became a place of great interest, in a military point of view. He authorized the Governors of New Hampshire and Massachusetts to put the coast defenses within the borders of their respective States in good order, and approved of other measures proposed for the defense of the seaport towns supposed to be in danger from the pirate vessels of the "Confederacy," then known to be afloat. He also took the responsibility of sending forward to Washington Colonel Ellsworth's Zouave Regiment, composed principally of New York firemen, who were restrained, for the moment, by official State authority."

1 General Wool ordered the following ordnance and ordnance stores to be issued to the Governors of the following States:-PENNSYLVANIA, 16,000 muskets, 640.000 cartridges. 150.000 caps, 3.080 muskets for six Ohio regiments, and 117,889 cartridges for the same. Ошо, 10,000 muskets and 400,000 cartridges, and 5,000 muskets from Illinois. INDIANA, 5,000 muskets and 200,000 cartridges, with caps. ILLINOIS, 200,000 cartridges. MASSACHUSETTS, 4,000 stand of arms. NEW HAMPSHIRE, 2,000 muskets and 20,000 cartridges. VERMONT. 800 rifles. NEW JERSEY, 2,880 muskets with ammunition. In addition to these, he ordered the issue of 10,000 muskets and 400,000 cartridges to General Patterson, then in command in Pennsylvania; 16,000 muskets to General Sandford, of New York, and forty rifles to General Welch.

2 While General Wool was reviewing this regiment, when on its march to embark for Washington, an order was received from the Governor of the State, acting under authority of law, forbidding their embarkation, unless the regiment, which was of maximum number, should be reduced to seventy-seven men to a company. No part of the regiment would go without the remainder, and, fortunately for the public good. General Wool took the responsibility of ordering them forward as a whole. They were escorted to the water by five thousand firemen.