Fort Marshall (Baltimore (Highlandtown and Canton neighborhoods), Maryland)
Baltimore (Highlandtown and Canton neighborhoods) · Maryland · American Civil War
History & Significance
Established in August 1861 after Lt. Col. Henry Brewerton was tasked with strengthening Baltimore's defenses, Fort Marshall was built on high ground called Snake Hill approximately one and a half miles east of the city center. The 7th Maine Infantry completed its four-pointed star earthwork design in fall 1861 and named it for Colonel Thomas H. Marshall, a Maine officer who died in Baltimore in October that year.
The fort initially mounted 33 heavy artillery pieces, increasing to 60 by war's end. Camp Emory, named for Union General Emory Upton, served as the exterior encampment.
Operating in concert with Fort McHenry across the harbor, Marshall anchored the eastern defensive line and protected the Union hospital at Patterson Park. As Baltimore harbored strong Confederate sympathizers following April 1861 riots, the fort's garrison conducted regular city patrols and armed demonstrations designed to enforce Union authority.
Soldiers guarded railroad lines, interdicted smuggled goods to the South, protected polling places during the 1864 elections, and served as training quarters for newly raised regiments. Despite occasional night raids, the fort never faced serious combat.
After 1866, buildings were salvaged and the site was gradually cleared; by 1869 it was described as abandoned earthworks. A German Redemptionist congregation purchased the property in 1872–1873 to build Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church, and the neighborhood developed into residential Highlandtown.
Key Facts
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Marshall
- https://www.northamericanforts.com/East/mdbalt.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimore_riot_of_1861
- https://highlandtown.com/about-highlandtown
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlandtown,_Baltimore
- https://www.loc.gov/item/2003656651/
- https://digital.lib.umd.edu/image?pid=umd:259822