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The Maryland flag has been described as the perfect state flag--bold colors, interesting patterns, and correct heraldry--a flag that fairly shouts "Maryland." The design of the flag comes from the shield in the coat of arms of the Calvert family, the colonial proprietors of Maryland. George Calvert, first Lord Baltimore, adopted a coat of arms that included a shield with alternating quadrants featuring the yellow-and-black colors of his paternal family and the red-and-white colors of his maternal family, the Crosslands. When the General Assembly in 1904 adopted a banner of this design as the state flag, a link was forged between modern-day Maryland and the very earliest chapter of the proprietorship of the Calvert family. Despite the antiquity of its design, the Maryland flag is of post-Civil War origin. Throughout the colonial period, only the yellow-and-black Calvert family colors are mentioned in descriptions of the Maryland flag. After independence, the use of the Calvert family colors was discontinued. Various banners were used to represent the state, although none was adopted officially as a state flag. By the Civil War, the most common Maryland flag design probably consisted of the great seal of the state on a blue background. These blue banners were flown at least until the late 1890s. |
| The front of the Maryland Seal of 1794 is on the left and bears an image of a woman holding the scales of justice. Its back is on the right, showing sheaves of wheat, a sailing ship, tobacco leaves atop a hogshead (barrel), and a cornucopia, which represent Maryland agriculture and trade. This seal was intended as a wax pendant seal (not for embossing). From 1794 to 1817, both its sides constituted the "Great Seal" until a new single-sided Great Seal was adopted in 1817. The mace of the House of Delegates is capped in contemporary silver with the back of the Great Seal of 1794, which bears the motto: "Industry the Means and Plenty the Result". |
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The front of the Great Seal of Maryland shows Lord Baltimore as a knight in full armor mounted on a charger. The inscription translated is "Cecilius, Absolute Lord of Maryland and Avalon, Baron of Baltimore" |
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The reverse of the Great Seal of Maryland consists of an escutcheon, or shield, bearing the Calvert and Crossland arms quartered. Above is an earl's coronet and a full-faced helmet. The escutcheon is supported on one side by a farmer and on the other by a fisherman. It symbolizes Lord Baltimore's two estates: Maryland, and Avalon in Newfoundland. The Calvert motto on the scroll is "Fatti maschii parole femine," loosely translated "manly deeds, womanly words," but more accurately translated as "strong deeds, gentle words." The Latin legend on the border is the last verse of Psalm 5 (from the Latin Vulgate Bible). It translates as "with favor wilt thou compass us as with a shield." The date, 1632, refers to the year Charles I, King of England, granted the Maryland charter to Cecilius Calvert, second Lord Baltimore. |
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The First and Second Maryland Infantry, C.S.A. The First Maryland Infantry was formed from Marylanders who chose to cast their lot with the Confederacy against a Union government that had invaded their state and established martial law, forcing those who disagreed with the invasion of the South to join the Confederates or to submit to what they considered as tyranny. Organized at Harpers Ferry, they fought in the first battle of the war at Bull Run, and distinguished themselves for their valor. The Marylanders fought in the Shenandoah Valley under Jackson, bringing new honors to their fame. During the Seven Day Campaign they made an outstanding charge across open fields to help break the Union lines at Gaines's Mill. Disbanded in 1862, they quickly reorganized and gathered new recruits to become the Second Maryland Infantry. |
First and Second Maryland Cavalry, C.S.A Driver's First and Second Maryland Cavalry, C.S.A. offers an indepth look at Maryland and her divided loyalties during the American Civil War. Brother against brother epitomizes the state of affairs in Maryland during the war. Men, loyal to the South, crossed the Potomac river at great personal peril to join Confederate ranks. Many did not make it, subsequently they were imprisoned and often had their property confiscated. Those who did make it acoss that infamous river shared the fortunes of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and the Army of Northern Virginia, disputedly the finest army (Union or Confederate) during the war. |
Taken at the Flood: Robert E. Lee and Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862 WINNER OF THE 1999 JEFFERSON DAVIS AWARD Complementing Confederate Tide Rising, this detailed account focuses on the military campaign itself. Antietam languishes in the long, obscuring shadow cast by Gettysburg and Harsh advocates rethinking the Maryland campaign. He promotes the argument that Antietam was one of the most interesting, critical, and potentially enlightening episodes in U.S. history. |
A Southern Star For Maryland: Maryland and the Secession Crisis Although at times it sounds like a masters-level thesis, Denton's A Southern Star for Maryland is a decent overview of how Maryland reacted to Secession Fever and how the state was compelled to stay in the Union. Denton provides some interesting numbers and analysis to support his thesis that Marylanders were inclined to join the Confederacy, detailing the general pro-Southern nature of the state. He also does a good job of detailing the quick and effective (and often legally questionable) movement by federal officials and Union volunteers to squash pro-secession sentiments in the state. |
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Sources:
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress.
