<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<item xmlns="http://omeka.org/schemas/omeka-xml/v5" itemId="23" public="1" featured="0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://omeka.org/schemas/omeka-xml/v5 http://omeka.org/schemas/omeka-xml/v5/omeka-xml-5-0.xsd" uri="https://www.fssp.artinterp2.org/items/show/23?output=omeka-xml" accessDate="2026-06-08T04:00:12-06:00">
  <fileContainer>
    <file fileId="25">
      <src>https://www.fssp.artinterp2.org/files/original/e5ebe215310e1ab6f822bb78fc7c990c.pdf</src>
      <authentication>6ec81d5e5d309273b3dda265ea01f778</authentication>
    </file>
    <file fileId="26">
      <src>https://www.fssp.artinterp2.org/files/original/5001468daa531e4be76cf031c4ec4019.pdf</src>
      <authentication>0ed504837117c4f7434c125a5d950a9b</authentication>
    </file>
  </fileContainer>
  <collection collectionId="1">
    <elementSetContainer>
      <elementSet elementSetId="1">
        <name>Dublin Core</name>
        <description>The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.</description>
        <elementContainer>
          <element elementId="50">
            <name>Title</name>
            <description>A name given to the resource</description>
            <elementTextContainer>
              <elementText elementTextId="1">
                <text>Black Maryland and the Military</text>
              </elementText>
            </elementTextContainer>
          </element>
          <element elementId="41">
            <name>Description</name>
            <description>An account of the resource</description>
            <elementTextContainer>
              <elementText elementTextId="2">
                <text>This collection documents Black Marylanders' interactions with and contributions to the military during the Civil War.</text>
              </elementText>
            </elementTextContainer>
          </element>
          <element elementId="39">
            <name>Creator</name>
            <description>An entity primarily responsible for making the resource</description>
            <elementTextContainer>
              <elementText elementTextId="3">
                <text>The Freedmen and Southern Society Project</text>
              </elementText>
            </elementTextContainer>
          </element>
          <element elementId="48">
            <name>Source</name>
            <description>A related resource from which the described resource is derived</description>
            <elementTextContainer>
              <elementText elementTextId="4">
                <text>The National Archives</text>
              </elementText>
            </elementTextContainer>
          </element>
          <element elementId="40">
            <name>Date</name>
            <description>A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource</description>
            <elementTextContainer>
              <elementText elementTextId="5">
                <text>1860-1865</text>
              </elementText>
            </elementTextContainer>
          </element>
          <element elementId="37">
            <name>Contributor</name>
            <description>An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource</description>
            <elementTextContainer>
              <elementText elementTextId="6">
                <text>The Freedmen and Southern Society Project</text>
              </elementText>
            </elementTextContainer>
          </element>
          <element elementId="47">
            <name>Rights</name>
            <description>Information about rights held in and over the resource</description>
            <elementTextContainer>
              <elementText elementTextId="7">
                <text>Open access</text>
              </elementText>
            </elementTextContainer>
          </element>
          <element elementId="44">
            <name>Language</name>
            <description>A language of the resource</description>
            <elementTextContainer>
              <elementText elementTextId="8">
                <text>English</text>
              </elementText>
            </elementTextContainer>
          </element>
          <element elementId="38">
            <name>Coverage</name>
            <description>The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant</description>
            <elementTextContainer>
              <elementText elementTextId="9">
                <text>Maryland</text>
              </elementText>
            </elementTextContainer>
          </element>
        </elementContainer>
      </elementSet>
    </elementSetContainer>
  </collection>
  <itemType itemTypeId="1">
    <name>Text</name>
    <description>A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.</description>
    <elementContainer>
      <element elementId="1">
        <name>Text</name>
        <description>Any textual data included in the document</description>
        <elementTextContainer>
          <elementText elementTextId="137">
            <text>Governor of Maryland to President Lincoln&#13;
&#13;
&#13;
	State of Maryland Executive Department  Annapolis  March 16, 1864&#13;
Dear Sir   I feel it to be my duty to enclose to you a copy of a letter just received from the States Attorney of Prince Georges County in this state: and to invite your serious attention to its contents.&#13;
	It sets forth the particulars of an outrage committed by a detachment of Colored troops passing through that County, about a week ago, who forceably entered the County Jail, and set at liberty twenty one persons therein confined: the greater part of them on criminal charges, some already indicted and waiting trial, and one under conviction for a Capital crime and awaiting sentence.&#13;
	I am not disposed to trouble your Excellency with any comments upon such a proceeding, nor can I believe it to be necessary.&#13;
	I cannot for a moment suppose that such conduct will be tolerated by you, nor doubt that you will cause immediate inquiry to be made into the transaction and promptly punish those engaged in it.&#13;
	At a time like this, when the proximity of our armies brings into the State, large numbers of camp followers; and when many hundreds of our Slave population have left their homes, and are straggling through the State, dependant in a great degree for support upon what they can pilfer, our citizens are subject in more than an ordinary degree to depredations, and if a squad of Soldiers is permitted to pass through our County Towns, and forcibly deliver the Jails of their inmates, your Excellency can well imagine the result to be apprehended.&#13;
	I would therefore most respectfully suggest, that it is due to the safety of our citizens, as well as to the credit of the Government that such an outrage as is detailed in the enclosed letter should not only be promptly punished, but that some such order should be immediately passed as will prevent its recurrence, and hold the officers in command of such troops to a strict accountability.&#13;
	I submit the subject for your Excellencys consideration, in confidence that you will apply the proper remedy   I have the honor to be with great respect Your Obdt Servant&#13;
				       signed   H. W. Bradford&#13;
&#13;
&#13;
&#13;
[Enclosure]  		   				      Upper Marlboro' [Md.], 15" March 1864&#13;
Sir.  My having been confined to a sick bed for the past week will be my apology for not having before called your attention, officially, to the following circumstance:--&#13;
	On the afternoon of the 8th inst. a large number of negro troops, from Birney's Camp at Benedict, arrived at this place, under the command of one Lt. Col Perkins and other white officers and took possession of the Court House for quarters.  The next morning a squad of the negroes was sent into the County Jail, of which they had previously demanded the keys, and set at liberty 21 of the prisoners--leaving only one person behind, a white man charged with Larceny--  of those released, one was a white man brought here recently from Washington under a Requisition from your Excellency.  Eleven were confined on various criminal charges, some being already under indictment and awaiting trial.  The charges varied from Arson to Larceny, abducting slaves &amp;c.  one of the negroes released was actually under conviction of Arson--his sentence having been respited by the Court until April Term&#13;
	As soon as our Sheriff reached the village, he hastened after the military who had started for Annapolis.  The Lt. Col. had stated that his orders were only to take out the able bodied negroes &amp;c. and that the Jailer was responsible for the escape of the others.  yet all of them were released by a large armed squad, and at the very point of the bayonet.  Still the sheriff followed on to Queene Anne, hoping to have restored at least the women &amp; boys &amp;c.&#13;
	But he met with no success, was roughly treated, and even threatened with personal violence.&#13;
	The occurrence of so unprecedented an outrage within 18 miles of the National Capital, ought not probably to pass unnoticed   I had thought of communicating the facts to Mr. Johnson of the Senate, and to our member in the House of Representatives--But upon reflection, I supposed I should best discharge myself of my duty in the premises by placing you in possession of the facts, and leaving the whole matter to your superior experience and discretion&#13;
	Your Excellency will not fail to observe that the practical working of this affair is to invite the negroes to the perpetration of any crime and to offer practical protection and indemnity to them.  It seems imposible that this man could have acted under orders   Very Respectfully Yr Obt Servt&#13;
					     (Signed)   Edward W. Belt&#13;
One of the negro women released and taken along by them was under indictment for attempting to posin a white family&#13;
	The troops and prisoners went from here to Annapolis&#13;
&#13;
&#13;
A. W. Bradford to Abraham Lincoln, 16 March 1864, enclosing Edward W. Belt to Gov. Bradford, 15 March 1864, M-94 1864, Letters Received, ser. 2343, Middle Dept. and 8th Army Corps, RG 393 Pt. 1  [C-4140].</text>
          </elementText>
        </elementTextContainer>
      </element>
    </elementContainer>
  </itemType>
  <elementSetContainer>
    <elementSet elementSetId="1">
      <name>Dublin Core</name>
      <description>The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.</description>
      <elementContainer>
        <element elementId="50">
          <name>Title</name>
          <description>A name given to the resource</description>
          <elementTextContainer>
            <elementText elementTextId="133">
              <text>Maryland Governor Augustus Bradford complains to Lincoln about the liberation of enslaved prisoners from jail in Prince George's County</text>
            </elementText>
          </elementTextContainer>
        </element>
        <element elementId="41">
          <name>Description</name>
          <description>An account of the resource</description>
          <elementTextContainer>
            <elementText elementTextId="134">
              <text>A.W. Bradford to Lincoln complains that a troop of colored soldiers committed an outrage in Prince Georges County by freeing prisoners from the county jail. Bradford asks Lincoln to have those guilty of this outraged punished and orders issued to prevent a recurrence. Ensclosed letter relates that Black troops under the command of Lt. Perkins released the prisoners from the county jail. BiIt concludes his letter by stating: ’’Your excellency will not fail to observe that the practical working of this affair is to invite the Negroes to the perpetration of any crime and to offer practical protection and indemnity to them.”</text>
            </elementText>
          </elementTextContainer>
        </element>
        <element elementId="40">
          <name>Date</name>
          <description>A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource</description>
          <elementTextContainer>
            <elementText elementTextId="135">
              <text>3/16/1864</text>
            </elementText>
          </elementTextContainer>
        </element>
        <element elementId="38">
          <name>Coverage</name>
          <description>The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant</description>
          <elementTextContainer>
            <elementText elementTextId="136">
              <text>Prince George's County, MD</text>
            </elementText>
          </elementTextContainer>
        </element>
      </elementContainer>
    </elementSet>
  </elementSetContainer>
  <tagContainer>
    <tag tagId="4">
      <name>bureaucracy</name>
    </tag>
    <tag tagId="2">
      <name>family</name>
    </tag>
    <tag tagId="23">
      <name>incarceration</name>
    </tag>
    <tag tagId="39">
      <name>local officials</name>
    </tag>
    <tag tagId="26">
      <name>slavery</name>
    </tag>
    <tag tagId="38">
      <name>white opposition to recruitment</name>
    </tag>
    <tag tagId="1">
      <name>women</name>
    </tag>
  </tagContainer>
</item>
