Baltimore in the Civil War: The Pratt Street Riot and a City Occupied

by Harry A. Ezratty

On April 19, 1861, the first blood of the Civil War was spilled in the streets of Baltimore. En route to Camden Station, Union forces were confronted by angry Southern sympathizers, and at Pratt Street the crowd rushed the troops, who responded with lethal volleys. Four soldiers and twelve Baltimoreans were left dead. Marylanders unsuccessfully attempted to further cut ties with the North by sabotaging roads, bridges and telegraph lines. In response to the "Battle of Baltimore," Lincoln declared martial law and withheld habeas corpus in much of the state. Author Harry Ezratty skillfully narrates the events of that day and their impact on the rest of the war, when Baltimore became a city occupied.

Genres: Civil War, History, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 2010

Reviews

[Phillip Mclaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicely done recitation of the events around the Baltimore Riot April 1861

As a local this is a great little guide to walking the route from President Street Station to Camden Station. Background is thorough, accurate and not biased. Baltimore is not called mob town for no reason.
Missing in the historical context a few other riots but the argument is made.
Recommend if you are coming to town to follow the American Civil War and first casualty.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baltimore in the Civil War: The Pratt Street Riot and a City Occupied by Harry A. Ezratty. The first blood of the Civil War was spilled in the streets of Baltimore on April 19, 1861, not when the Confederates fired on Fort Sumter, Charleston, SC on April 12th. Union forces from Massachusetts in route to Camden Station from President Street Station were confronted by angry Southern sympathizers. On Pratt Street the crowd rushed the troops, fearing for their lives they started shooting. Four soldiers and twelve Baltimoreans were left dead. The book discusses the early events that lead too much of Maryland being under Military occupation for the remainder of the Civil War. One interesting fact I learned is that railroad steam engines were prohibited from the center of the city. Train cars needing to travel from North to South across the city were pulled by horses along tracks on Pratt Street. I enjoyed reading this book and learning about Baltimore’s and Maryland’s place in the Civil War story.

[robin upperman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the history of Baltimore that I did not know about. I had family there from Germany at the time. So know I want to know what their experience was at that time.i do know that one was a confederate sympathizer.

[Christine Middleton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative, but repetitive and not very engaging. Maybe someone with more interest in the civil war would enjoy it, but I think this could have been even shorter than it is.

[Lani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short book that covers the Baltimore Pratt Street Riot and its aftermath. The book describes the riot in pretty good detail including a lot of geographical references that helped me place exactly where everything happened. The author then goes into how Lincoln handled the growing rebellion in Baltimore by suspending habeas corpus. There's a rather random chapter about the history of habeas corpus and the Magna Carta, and while I understand the motivation behind including it, it seemed very out of place.

The book includes information about what happened to the major players after the Riot and the Civil War that I found particularly interesting including a chapter about Lincoln's appearances in Baltimore (dead and alive). And there is also an appendix that describes (or possibly quotes?) the historical markers that are located along the path of the riot along with a description of the location. Something of a walking tour of the event.

Short, but enjoyable read describing a piece of history that I find particularly interesting as I go past the landmarks every day.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book, well researched and well written. There was a riot in Baltimore in April 1861, right after the war was declared, and that was the site of the first blood shed. I always thought it happened at Fort Sumter, but no one on either side was injured then. The Baltimorians wanted to stop the passage of Federal troops through their town because the troops were headed toward the seceded Soouthernn states. The people of Baltimore were trying to stem the invasion from the North. If you want to look at it that way. Four Federal troops died during the riot which was known as the Pratt Street Riot, or the Battle of Baltimore.
The author, Harry A. Ezratty, includes period drawings of 1860's Baltimore and snapshots of how some areas look today. He also includes brief biographical sketches of some of the main players stating what happened to them after the war.
I highly recommend it to anyone who loves to read about little known facts of the Civil War.

[R. Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unless you're interested in the Civil War or the history of Baltimore, you will not enjoy this book. Fortunately the title is a dead giveaway about what to expect. It is well organized and researched, and appropriately short for its narrow scope. However, Ezratty lacks the strong or poetic voice necessary to make this book a pleasant read. You'll be happy you read this if it's your kinda thing, but you're going to have to force yourself to finish. Including some simple maps would have made some chapters, like the chapter on the Pratt Street Riot, significantly easier to understand.