[Non-Sequitur]

On April 27, 1861, about a week after the Fort Sumter surrender, President Lincoln ordered Winfield Scott, then head of the nation's military, to arrest anyone between Washington and Philadelphia suspected of subversive acts or speech, and his order specifically authorized suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. Scott passed the order down the line, and Southern sympathizers in Maryland were rounded up in batches.

In batches, huh? How many are in a batch?

At least, unlike your southron brothers, are honest enough to admit that Lincoln's suspension was very localized and you aren't claiming it was illegal. It's a start.

Now, look the rest of this up and read about it like I did. Thanks.

Apparently you didn't read enough. The Maryland legislature met in May 1861 and voted against secession. Prior to that meeting, General Scott requested that Lincoln order troops to prevent the meeting. Lincoln replied in a letter dated April 25, 1861:

Lieutenant General Scott
Washington, April 25, 1861.

My dear Sir:

The Maryland Legislature assembles to-morrow at Anapolis; and, not improbably, will take action to arm the people of that State against the United States. The question has been submitted to, and considered by me, whether it would not be justifiable, upon the ground of necessary defence, for you, as commander in Chief of the United States Army, to arrest, or disperse the members of that body. I think it would not be justifiable; nor, efficient for the desired object.

First, they have a clearly legal right to assemble; and, we can not know in advance, that their action will not be lawful, and peaceful. And if we wait until they shall have acted, their arrest, or dispersion, will not lessen the effect of their action.

Secondly, we can not permanently prevent their action. If we arrest them, we can not long hold them as prisoners; and when liberated, they will immediately re-assemble, and take their action. And, precisely the same if we simply disperse them. They will immediately re-assemble in some other place.

I therefore conclude that it is only left to the commanding General to watch, and await their action, which, if it shall be to arm their people against the United States, he is to adopt the most prompt, and efficient means to counteract, even, if necessary, to the bombardment of their cities---and in the extremest necessity, the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus.

Your Obedient Servant

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Having voted once against secession, why should the government allow a second vote 5 months later? Especially when the country was then engaged in a Civil War against those very same states the Maryland legislators would want to join? There was nothing peaceful about their actions, they wanted to join a war against the government. What government in their right mind would sit back and permit it?

[Paige]

Lincoln did not even know what to tell the people the war was about until 1862. Any good historian has many different overall views on the reasons behind secession and the War of Northern Aggression.

NO one is saying the South was right in this but the point being made in this discussion is the North has their skeletons rattling around in their closets, also.