United States Civil War Soldier. He was one of the first four casualties of that war. After the Union surrender of Fort Sumter on April 13, 1861, and the following secession of eleven Southern states, President Abraham Lincoln put out a call for Union volunteers to defend Washington, DC. Among the troops who responded to that call was the Sixth Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, who soon boarded trains to take them to the national capital. Upon arriving in Baltimore on April 19 (the eighty-sixth anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord), the troops needed to transfer from one railroad station to another. This was done by horse-drawn railcars because the use of steam locomotives within the city limits had been prohibited. The soldiers were met by angry, pro-secessionist crowds who eventually blocked the tracks and forced the soldiers to continue on foot. At first, the crowds hurled bricks and other objects at the soldiers, but then gunshots were heard coming from the crowd. The Union troops returned fire, and when the smoke cleared, twelve civilians and four soldiers lay dead. The dead soldiers were Taylor, Addison Whitney (of Lowell), Luther Ladd (of Lowell), and Sumner Needham (of Lawrence). A mural of the event can be seen at the Massachusetts State House.
United States Civil War Soldier. He was one of the first four casualties of that war. After the Union surrender of Fort Sumter on April 13, 1861, and the following secession of eleven Southern states, President Abraham Lincoln put out a call for Union volunteers to defend Washington, DC. Among the troops who responded to that call was the Sixth Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, who soon boarded trains to take them to the national capital. Upon arriving in Baltimore on April 19 (the eighty-sixth anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord), the troops needed to transfer from one railroad station to another. This was done by horse-drawn railcars because the use of steam locomotives within the city limits had been prohibited. The soldiers were met by angry, pro-secessionist crowds who eventually blocked the tracks and forced the soldiers to continue on foot. At first, the crowds hurled bricks and other objects at the soldiers, but then gunshots were heard coming from the crowd. The Union troops returned fire, and when the smoke cleared, twelve civilians and four soldiers lay dead. The dead soldiers were Taylor, Addison Whitney (of Lowell), Luther Ladd (of Lowell), and Sumner Needham (of Lawrence). A mural of the event can be seen at the Massachusetts State House.
Bio by: Eric Thomsen
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