Maryland was a slave state when the Civil War began. And a border state. While it's known that brother fought against brother in the war, I have to think that it was even more common for Maryland citizens. This wasn't one brother in New York and one in Georgia... this was sometimes brothers from the same physical household. This makes studying Maryland when it comes to the Civil War rather difficult at times. There was a Confederate 1st MD Battalion. There was a Union 1st MD Potomac Home Brigade *and* a Union 1st MD Eastern Shore. I guess it didn't occur to them that someone would be sitting here 151 years later trying to sort out which soldiers from "1st Maryland" belong on which side! As if that wasn't bad enough, there were some clashes (Culp's Hill at Gettysburg comes to mind) where 1st MD fought 1st MD. 1st MD CSA had control of the breastworks at Culp's Hill on the night of 02 July and the next morning, a Union MD battery started cannon fire from Powers Hill. Brothers... cousins... friends... neighbors. Only this wasn't little boys "playing war" in the back yard. This was "no going back" and the brother didn't get up and go inside when the "game" was over.
Early in the war General B.F. Butler (Dem, Mass) brought his contigent of "trained" Mass. Volunteer troops into Baltimore to quell "riotous stirrings" and keep Maryland in the Union.
Very helpful, @Alexander , thank you. The list I'm working on (Gettysburg deaths) now has well over 10,000 names, their dates/stories/etc. but any time I can find a new name to add, it's like a treasure. Maybe this book will help! There aren't many rosters I haven't already read, but I'm missing a few hundred Confederate soldiers at this point. I'm sure some were from the Confederate MD troops.
