Today in History:

10 Series I Volume II- Serial 2 - First Manassas

Page 10 OPERATIONS IN MD., PA., VA., AND W. VA. Chapter IX.

remainder. These alighted to march to the depot, and to prevent any difficulty the mayor himself at their head, and they thus proceeded on their route. Missiles were injured. Their assailants were fired upon, an din some instances with fatal effect. An intense and irrepressible feeling appeared to be at once aroused, and repeated conflicts between parties of citizens and the Massachusetts troops took place, several being killed on both sides.

The marshal, who had been on active duty at the Camden-street depot, and did not know that these troops were on their route or expected, hearing of this, hastened to meet them with a force of the police, and under their escort they reached the Washington depot, and after some delay the train finally started for Washington. Attempts were made to hinder it by placing obstructions on the track of the railroad, but by the interference of the police these were soon removed.

The city authorities were meanwhile informed that there had been another arrival of military, who were then at the Philadelphia depot. The marshal of police hastened to that point, and as it was impossible for them at that time to be taken through the streets without a general and bloody conflict, he protected them with a party of his police until they were sent back by the railroad company in the cars to Havre de Grace.

During the afternoon and night a large number of stragglers form some of the above detachments of troops sought the aid an protection of the police; they were safety cared for at the several station-houses, and were sent off in security by the earliest opportunity to Havre de Grace or Philadelphia on the cars.

The same night the board had a meeting, when the opinion was unanimously expressed that it was utterly impossible form the stage of the public mind that any more forces form other States could, by any probability, then pass through the city to Washington without a fierce and bloody conflict at every step of their progress,and that whatever might be the result, great loss of life and imminent danger to the safety of the city would necessarily ensue. The board were equally unanimous in their judgment that, as good citizens, it was their duty to the city, and to the State of Maryland, to adopt any measures whatsoever that might be necessary at such a juncture to prevent the immediate arrival in the city of further bodies of troops from the Eastern of Northern States, though the object of the latter might be solely to pass through the city. It was suggested that the most feasible, if not the most practicable, mode of thus scoping for a time the approach of such troops would be to obstruct the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore, and the Northern Central Railroad by disabling some of the bridges on both roads. His honor the mayor stated to be board that his excellency the governor, with whom he had a few minutes before been in consultation in the presence of several citizens, concurred in these views; they were likewise those of the board, and instructions were given for carrying them into effect. This was accordingly done. The injury thus done on the railroads amounted to but a few thousand dollars on each; subsequently, as has been stated, further and grater damage was done to other structures on the roads by parties in the country or others, but this was without the sanction or authority of the board, and they have no accurate information on the subject.

The absolute necessity of the measures thus determined upon by the governor, mayor, and police board is fully illustrated by the fact that early on Sunday morning reliable information reached the city of the


Page 10 OPERATIONS IN MD., PA., VA., AND W. VA. Chapter IX.