Description
Book Synopsis Before the Civil War, George Proctor Kane had been a businessman, thespian, political appointee, philanthropist and militiaman. During the war, as Baltimore''s chief of police, he harbored the divided loyalties familiar to the border states--Southern in his sentiments yet Northern in his allegiances. As the city''s top lawman, he sought to reform Baltimore''s Mobtown image. He ensured that President-elect Lincoln, passing through on the way to his inauguration, was not assassinated. He protected Union troops marching to defend Washington, D.C. He was eventually imprisoned as a Southern sympathizer, denied habeas corpus as his captors transferred him from prison to prison. This book recounts Kane''s enigmatic public life before and during the Civil War, his Confederate activities after prison and his return to serve as mayor of Baltimore.
Trade Review[A]…nuanced, expansive, and multi-layered picture of Civil War-era duty and loyalty…[a] thoughtful study…offers significant insights and observations into Baltimore's turbulent antebellum social and political history."—
Civil War Books and Authors"An impressive and unreservedly recommended contribution to personal, community, and academic library American Civil War History & Biography collections and American Civil War curriculum studies lists"—
Midwest Book ReviewTable of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Illustrations viii
- Introduction
- 1. Kane's Formative Years
- 2. Kane's Early Career
- 3. Kane's Connection to Baltimore Theatres and the John Wilkes Booth Family
- 4. Baltimore Militias
- 5. The Hibernian Society of Baltimore
- 6. Baltimore Fire Departments
- 7. Gangs of Baltimore and the Baltimore Elections
- 8. Baltimore Police
- 9. Slavery in Maryland and Baltimore
- 10. The Baltimore Plot
- 11. The Baltimore Riot
- 12. Kane's Arrest
- 13. Fort McHenry
- 14. Forts Hamilton, Lafayette and Columbus
- 15. Fort Warren
- 16. Kane's Confederate Activity After Release from Prison
- 17. Return to Baltimore
- 18. A Late Turn as Mayor
- Epilogue
- Appendix
- Chapter Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
