Perry Hall: The Civil War and its Aftermath
by David Marks
Historian, Perry Hall Improvement Association
By the middle of the Nineteenth Century, Baltimore County had become a microcosm of
America--sharply divided over slavery, yet reluctant to sever the Union and plunge into a
catastrophic war. The county was polarized by the issue; businesses and leading
politicians defended the institution as necessary for the county's economy, while
religious leaders undertook a moralistic crusade to banish it forever. Perry Hall was at
the center of the struggle.
The early Methodist Church was active in the effort to abolish slavery. Although Perry
Hall landowners like Harry Dorsey Gough were strong supporters of Methodism throughout the
region, they did not share the fervent antislavery passions of their religious leaders.
In 1798, eight landowners controlled over three hundred of the slaves in eastern
Baltimore County. Harry Dorsey Gough, proprietor of Perry Hall Mansion, owned fifty-one
slaves, while Charles Ridgely, another Perry Hall landholder, owned nearly two hundred
slaves. Both of these men were prominent Methodists, and each contributed either land or
funds for Camp Chapel Church in Perry Hall. Historians believe that Gough and Ridgely
treated their slaves decently, which might explain how they were able to reconcile their
contradictory Methodist and slave holding beliefs. This underscores Baltimore County's
dilemma in the 1860's: people found slavery ideologically repugnant, but economically
necessary.
Evidence suggests that as the Civil War approached, the number of freed slaves in
Baltimore County was increasing, while the institution of slavery was losing its economic
viability. The county was industrializing, and in places like Perry Hall, large farms were
being replaced by smaller lots tilled by European immigrants, not slaves. With the death
of Charles Ridgely and the dispersion of the Gough family, their holdings were divided up,
and many have suggested that the later Gough family became active opponents of slavery.
Baltimore County was reluctant to settle the issue of slavery, with most voters
basically preferring incremental, slow changes. While vocal minorities sympathized with
either the South or the North, most residents simply wanted the Union restored. In the
Presidential election of 1860, county voters chose John Bell, a Constitutional Unionist
whose platform rested on "the Constitution, the Union, and enforcement of the
laws." The winner of the election, Republican antislavery candidate Abraham Lincoln,
received only 37 votes out of 7,179 cast.
Baltimore County generally avoided conflict during the Civil War, although it was the
site of numerous troop movements by both sides. Union troops, for example, were stationed
at Back and Gunpowder River bridges, while other units protected the railroad lines near
Perry Hall in Cowenton.
Permeating the entire conflict, however, was a passionless feel to the war, with
residents preferring only to end the conflict, not immediately settle the issue of slavery
or dismantle the United States. Although Maryland remained in the Union, it routinely fell
short of its quota of troops for the federal cause. While President Lincoln wanted 10,000
state militia to take active duty, less than twenty percent of that number reported for
service. In an average month in 1864, for example, only 95 men from northeastern Baltimore
County were drafted.
One of the few troop movements through Perry Hall occurred in 1864, when Major Harry
Gilmor led a Confederate unit from Harford County to Towson. Gilmor's troops had disabled
the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore railroad line. They ransacked a railroad car
near Magnolia and captured a Union battalion led by General William Buel Franklin. The
Confederate unit then headed south, encountering little resistance along the way. They
traveled down Philadelphia Road, then turned east and moved along Joppa Road. On the way,
they passed by Camp Chapel Church, the log cabins near Cowenton Avenue, and the village
taking shape near Belair Road. When Gilmor's troops reached Towson, they galloped into
town expecting resistance. None was found; the Confederates marched to Ady's Hotel, set
their feet up on the tables, and enjoyed a round of ale!
The Civil War ended the domination of the county by large landowners and wealthy
agricultural interests. Industrialization and immigration changed places like Perry Hall,
where the Gough plantation was carved up into smaller farms and lots. "Perry
Hall," that antebellum estate of the colonial era, became a thriving center of
commerce, activity, and change, although it would retain a small-town identity until well
after the Second World War.
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