Chapter 629: The Fuse

Chapter 622 The Fuse

Colonel Barlow's concerns were not without reason. These Baltimore women who came to Fort McHenry in the name of condolences were not kind people.

These Baltimore women cried and screamed to the garrison of Fort McHenry, claiming that their husbands were innocent and the backbone of the family. Without their husbands, they could not even maintain basic life. They hoped that the garrison of Fort McHenry would cancel the military control over Baltimore and release their husbands, fathers and children.

The tears of the Baltimore women moved a few kind-hearted young garrisons and began to sympathize with their plight.

However, General Dix had already issued a strict order. How dare the garrison of Fort McHenry disobey the military order, cancel the military control over Baltimore, and release the slaveholders?

Seeing that the soft approach did not work, the women of the Baltimore Women's Federation decided to use a hard approach to give the garrison of Fort McHenry more strength.

A representative of the Baltimore Women's Federation stood in front of a cannon, pointed at the cannon and asked Lieutenant Colonel Barlow in a cold voice: "Lieutenant Colonel, why don't your cannons point to the Atlantic Ocean, not to the enemy, but to Baltimore City, to the American people? Are the people in Baltimore City your enemies?"

Lieutenant Colonel Barlow, who was still young and had limited experience, was speechless for a moment. He didn't know how to answer this sensitive and difficult question properly in front of everyone, especially when there were newspaper reporters present.

This is a political issue rather than a military issue, and it is not something that a small lieutenant colonel like him can answer clearly. Military enemies are easy to define, but political enemies are always difficult to define.

Why come to Fort McHenry on the outskirts of Baltimore to garrison? Why point the muzzle at the people of Baltimore who are also American people? Lieutenant Colonel Barlow himself was also very confused and bewildered by this.

"If you don't obey, you are our enemy, and I will definitely suppress you. The cannon you are pointing at is the first cannon I will fire." Dix walked to the front, stabilized the situation, and said ruthlessly.

Dix's words did not scare away the Baltimore women gathered in Fort McHenry. After all, few Baltimore women who dared to come to the Union Army's fort were timid.

Moreover, Dix's military control over Baltimore did seriously affect the normal production and life of the locals. The non-frontier areas of the United States have been peaceful for a long time. The last time Baltimore implemented military control was during the Second War of Independence in 1815.

Not to mention the opposition in Baltimore, even the local people who support abolition are not used to this kind of unfree life with travel restrictions everywhere, and oppose military control over Baltimore.

Collins, the chief photographer of the California Daily, seemed to have anticipated what was going to happen next. He had already assumed the bulky camera and was ready to capture the next scene.

The women of Baltimore did not leave. Seeing that the Union Army in Fort McHenry was unmoved by their persuasion, they started to swear and curse in Fort McHenry, and even had physical conflicts with the Union Army officers and soldiers.

General Dix, who was not in a good temper, was very angry at the behavior of these slave owners' wives. He ordered the arrest of the most troublesome people in the crowd, hoping to deter these unreasonable slave owners' wives.

The soldiers who received the order quickly locked their targets in the crowd and went forward to arrest several Baltimore women.

Unexpectedly, these Baltimore women took out explosives from their baskets or lifted their skirts and took the initiative to pounce on the Union Army soldiers who wanted to arrest them and detonated them.

Before Dix, Barlow, and the soldiers of Fort McHenry could react to what happened, more than a dozen of their companions went to see God, and another twenty or thirty people fell in a pool of blood and wailed while holding their broken bodies and arms. In addition, three or four precious cannons suffered varying degrees of damage in this sudden attack.

"This bunch of damn Dixie women!" Dix obviously didn't realize that these Baltimore women would play such a trick on him.

The messy scene in front of him and the painful wails of the wounded soldiers made Dix completely lose his mind. You know, among these soldiers who fell to the ground, dead or injured, many were his fellow villagers and even relatives and friends brought from New York.

These damn Dixies, both men and women, are hopeless.

"Load ammunition!" This was the first order Dix gave after he reacted from the attack.

The soldiers of the New York State Militia and the New Jersey Militia around Dix quickly loaded the Springfield m1842 rifles in their hands after hearing Dix's concise and clear order.

After completing the loading, these flustered northern militiamen raised their guns and pointed them at the Baltimore women who had already been frightened and at a loss, and had not yet reacted from the shock.

"Free fire!" Dix gave the order to shoot coldly. At this moment, he had already regarded these restless Baltimore women as enemies.

The news that Dix's troops shot and killed Baltimore women at Fort McHenry quickly spread throughout Baltimore.

Many Baltimore residents who had chosen to endure under the bayonets of the Union Army chose to join the armed groups that resisted the Union Army. They attacked the Union Army's patrols, burned the Stars and Stripes, which symbolized the federal government, and held high the Stars and Stripes, which symbolized the Confederate States regime.

Under the strong resistance of the Baltimore people, Dix's military control over Baltimore was in name only.

Dix's two infantry regiments had difficulty in effectively controlling Baltimore, a city with a population of more than 100,000 and densely armed resistance. He had to withdraw the troops originally stationed in the city to conduct military control over Baltimore to Fort McHenry to reduce personnel losses and maintain deterrence against Baltimore, while calling Washington for reinforcements.

But soon, Dix discovered that the telegraph line of Fort McHenry had been cut off.

The telegraph line of Fort McHenry, which was originally in normal use, was suddenly cut off, which made Dix realize that everything that happened today was not accidental, but premeditated. These Dixies are so shameless that they actually pushed women out as shields.

Dix climbed the tower of Fort McHenry and saw the Baltimoreans rushing towards Fort McHenry like a tide.

These angry Baltimoreans held all kinds of guns, and even pushed more than a dozen cannons, shouting slogans such as capturing Fort McHenry and rescuing people in Baltimore. Looking at the posture, it seems that Fort McHenry is going to be attacked.

Not long after, the letter sent by the mayor of Baltimore, Max, confirmed his guess.

Max's words in the letter were very harsh. Rather than saying it was a letter, it was an ultimatum to Dix.

Max asked Dix and his New York State Militia and New Jersey Militia to surrender, otherwise Fort McHenry would become the anger of the Northern Army.

Dix tore up Max's letter and drove Max's messenger out of Fort McHenry, showing his attitude.

Fortunately, Fort McHenry is a military fortress built by the sea, and its contact with the outside world has not been completely cut off. Before the sea route was completely cut off, Dix asked Lieutenant Colonel Barlow and three signalmen to take off their military uniforms and put on civilian clothes, take a speedboat with a letter for help, and go to Washington to report the emergency in Baltimore.

The current situation in Baltimore is no longer something that can be controlled by two militias.

Collins boarded Garrett's private yacht with his camera and film.

On the calm sea of ​​Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Collins stared at Fort McHenry not far away and asked, "Can this mob in Baltimore take Fort McHenry?"

"The armed groups in Baltimore are divided, without a strong leader, and lack heavy weapons. It is difficult to capture Fort McHenry. Besides, even if they take Fort McHenry, what can they do?" Garrett was not optimistic that the hastily assembled armed groups in Baltimore could capture Fort McHenry.

Fort McHenry is a coastal defense fortress carefully built by the federal government. Not to mention the civilian armed groups in Baltimore, even the British army would have a hard time taking down the heavily guarded Fort McHenry in a short period of time.

"Yes, if Fort McHenry falls, it will not be just two militias waiting for the people of Baltimore." Collins sighed.

"I'll take you to New York, and you'll take the train back to California from New York. The governor is still waiting for your photo." Garrett said with his hands behind his back.

"The governor is eager to get these photos. Is he looking for a reason not to side with the North?" Collins asked tentatively.

The war between the North and the South is a foregone conclusion. Now the only uncertainty is the West.