City. county seat of
Anne Arundel county, and capital of the
State of Maryland: on the
Severn River, 20 miles south by east of
Baltimore: is the seat of the
United States Naval Academy and of St. John's College; population in 1890, 7,604; 1900, 8,402.
Puritan refugees from
Massachusetts, led by
Durand, a ruling elder, settled on the site of
Annapolis in 1649, and, in imitation of
Roger Williams, called the place
Providence.
The next year a commissioner of Lord Baltimore organized there the county of
Anne Arundel, so named in compliment to
Lady Baltimore, and
Providence was called
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Anne Arundel Town.
A few years later it again bore the name of
Providence, and became the seat of Protestant influence and of a Protestant government, disputing the legislative authority with the
Roman Catholic government at the ancient capital, St. Mary's. In 1694 the latter was abandoned as the capital of the province, and the seat of government was established on the
Severn.
The village was finally incorporated a city, and named
Annapolis, in honor of Queen Anne.
It has remained the permanent political capital of
Maryland.
It was distinguished for the refinement and wealth of its inhabitants and extensive commerce, being a port of entry long before the foundations of
Baltimore were laid.
On the morning of Oct. 15, 1774, a vessel owned by
Anthony Stewart, of
Annapolis, entered the port with seventeen packages of tea among her cargo, assigned to
Stewart.
When this became known, and that
Stewart had paid the duty on the tea, the people gathered, and resolved that the plant should not be landed.
Another meeting was appointed, and the people declared that ship and her cargo should be burned.
Stewart disclaimed all intention to violate non-importation agreements, but the people were inexorable.
They had gathered in large numbers from the surrounding country.
Charles Carroll and others, fearing mob violence, advised
Stewart to burn the vessel and cargo with his own hands, which he did. The vessel was run ashore and destroyed, when the people cheered and dispersed.
This was the last attempt at importation of tea into the
English-American colonies.
On April 14, 1755,
General Braddock and
Commodore Keppel, with
Governors Shirley, of
Massachusetts;
De Lancey, of New York;
Morris, of
Pennsylvania;
Sharpe.
of
Maryland, and
Dinwiddie.
of
Virginia.
held a congress at
Annapolis.
Braddock had lately arrived as commander-in-chief of the
British forces in
America.
Under his instructions, he first of all directed the attention of the government to the necessity of raising a revenue in
America.
He expressed astonishment that no such fund was already established.
The governors told him of their strifes with their respective assemblies, and assured
Braddock that no such fund could ever be established in the colonies without the aid of Parliament.
The Congress then resolved unanimously that it was the opinion of its members that it should be proposed to his Majesty's \ministers to “find out some method of compelling” the colonists to establish such a public fund, and for assessing the several governments in proportion to their respective abilities.
At once all the crown officers in
America sent voluminous letters to
England, urging such a measure upon the government.
On July 26, 1775, a convention assembled at
Annapolis, and formed a temporary government, which, recognizing the Continental Congress as invested with a general supervision of public affairs, managed its own internal affairs through a provincial Committee of Safety and subordinate executive committees, appointed in every county, parish, or hundred.
It directed the enrolment of forty companies of minute-men, authorized the emission of over $500,000 in bills of credit, and extended the franchise to all freemen having a visible estate of £ 210, without any distinction as to religious belief.
The convention fully resolved to sustain
Massachusetts, and meet force by force if necessary.
Gen. B. F. Butler was in
Philadelphia on April 19, 1861, when he first heard of the assault on
Massachusetts troop in
Baltimore.
He had orders to go to
Washington through
Baltimore.
It was evident that he could not do so without trouble, and he took counsel with (
Gen. Robert Patterson, the commander of the Department of Washington.
He also consulted
Commodore Dupont, commander of the navy-yard there, and it was agreed that the troops under
General Butler should go from
Perryville, on the
Susquehanna, to
Annapolis, by water, and thence across
Maryland, seizing and holding
Annapolis Junction by the way.
Butler laid before his officers a plan which contemplated seizing and holding
Annapolis as a means of communication, and to make a forced march with a part of his troops from that port to
Washington.
He wrote to the governor of
Massachusetts to send the
Boston Light Artillery to
Annapolis, and the next morning he proceeded with his troops to
Perryville, embarked in the powerful steam ferry-boat
Maryland.
and
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166]
at a little past midnight reached
Annapolis.
The town and Naval Aeademy were in the hands of the
Confederates, and were all lighted up in expectation of the arrival of a body of Confederates, by water, from
Baltimore, to assist them in seizing the venerable and venerated frigate
Constitution, lying there, and adding her to the Confederate navy.
The arrival of these troops was just in time to save her. Many of
Butler's troops were seamen at home, and these assisted in getting the
Constitution to a place of safety beyond the bar.
Governor Hicks was at
Annapolis, and advised
Butler not to land Northern troops.
“They are not
Northern troops,” said
Butler.
“They are a part of the whole militia of the
United States, obeying the call of the
President.”
This was the root of the matter — the idea of nationality as opposed to State supremacy.
He called on the governor and the mayor of
Annapolis.
To their remonstrances against his landing and marching through
Maryland,
Butler replied that the orders and demands of his government were imperative, and that he should land and march on the capital as speedily as possible.
He assured them that peaceable citizens should be unmolested and the laws of
Maryland be respected.
On the 22d the New York 7th Regiment,
Colonel Lefferts, arrived at
Annapolis on a steamer.
All the troops were landed and quartered at the
Naval Aeademy.
The Confederates, meanwhile, had torn up the railway, taken the locomotives to pieces, and hidden them.
Terrible stories reached
Butler of a great force of Confederates at
Annapolis Junction.
He did not believe them, and moved on, after taking formal military possession of
Annapolis and the railway to
Annapolis Junction. Two
Massachusetts companies seized the railway station, in which they found a disabled locomotive concealed.
“Does any one know anything about this machine?”
inquired
Butler.
“Our shop made that engine, general.”
said
Charles Homans, of the Beverly Light Guard. “I guess I can put her in order and run her.”
“Do it,” said the general: and it was soon done, for that regiment was full of engineers and mechanics.
It was a remarkable regiment.
Theodore Winthrop said that if the words were given, “Poets, to the front!”
or, “Painters, present arms!”
or, “Sculptors, charge bayonets!”
there would be ample responses.
The hidden rails were hunted up and found in thickets, ravines, and bottoms of streams, and the road was soon in such a condition that the troops moved on, on the morning of the 24th, at the rate of about one mile an hour, laying the track anew and building bridges, Skirmishers went ahead and scouts on the thanks.
The distance to the
Junction from
Annapolis was 20 miles. They saw none of the terrible
Marylanders they had been warned against.
The troops reached
Annapolis Junction on the morning of the 25th, when the 7th Regiment went on to
Washington and the
Massachusetts regiment remained to hold the railroads.
Other troops arrived at
Annapolis, and
General Scott ordered
Butler to remain there, hold the town and road, and superintend the forwarding of troops to
Washington.
The Department of Annapolis was created, which embraced the country 20 miles on each side of the railway to within 4 miles of the capital.
The 7th Regiment were the first troops that reached
Washington after the tragedy at
Baltimore a week before.
See
Baltimore. 
