Maryland Line ( CSA ) The Maryland Line in the Army of the Confederate States of America was made up of volunteers from Maryland who , despite their home state remaining in the Union , fought for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War . Of approximately 25 , 000 Marylanders who volunteered , most fought in the Army of Northern Virginia , and it was not until late in 1863 that a Maryland Line in the CSA was formally created . However , by this late stage in the war , few men wished to leave the units they had fought alongside for more than two years , and the exiles ' dream of an independent Maryland Line in the Confederate army would never be fully realized . History . Like other border states such as Kentucky and Missouri , Maryland found itself in a difficult position as war approached , with opinion heavily divided between supporters of North and South . The western and northern parts of the state , especially those Marylanders of German origin , tended to favour remaining in the Union , whilst the low - lying Chesapeake Bay area had a slave economy and tended to support the Confederacy if not outright secession . However , Maryland would remain part of the Union during the United States Civil War , thanks to President Abraham Lincoln ' s swift action to suppress dissent in Maryland . The belated assistance of Governor Hicks also played an important role , as Hicks , initially indecisive , eventually co - operated with federal officials to stop further violence and prevent a move to secession . Baltimore Riots of April 1861 . By April 1861 it had become clear that war was inevitable , and it was around this time that a number of Marylanders began to resign their commissions in the US Army , among them , George H . Steuart , then a junior officer , who resigned his captain ' s commission to join the Confederacy . On April 19 Baltimore was disrupted by riots , during which Southern sympathizers attacked Union troops passing through the city by rail , causing what were arguably the first casualties of the Civil War . Major General George H . Steuart , commander of the Maryland Militia ordered his militia to assemble , armed and uniformed , to repel the Federal soldiers , as Steuart himself was strongly sympathetic to the Confederacy , along with most of his senior officers . Perhaps knowing this , and no doubt aware that public opinion in Baltimore was divided , Governor Thomas Holliday Hicks did not order out the militia . Steuart ' s eldest son commanded one of the city militias during the disturbances of April 1861 and , in a letter to his father , the younger Steuart wrote : Occupation of Maryland . The political situation remained uncertain until May 13 , 1861 when Union troops occupied the state , restoring order and preventing a vote in favour of Southern secession , and by late summer Maryland was firmly in the hands of Union soldiers . Arrests of Confederate sympathizers soon followed , and many of those who had declared their support for the Confederacy were forced to leave the state . Among them were militia General George H . Steuart , who fled to Charlottesville , Virginia , after which much of his family ' s property was confiscated by the Federal Government . Steuart ' s family home in Baltimore , Old Steuart Hall , was seized by the Union Army and Jarvis Hospital was soon erected on the grounds of the estate , to care for wounded Federal soldiers . Flight to the South . However , although the state would remain in the Union throughout the war , many members of the newly formed Maryland Line in the Confederate army would be drawn from Steuart ' s militia . Marylanders sympathetic to the South were easily able to cross the Potomac River to join and fight for the Confederacy . Exiles organized a Maryland Line in the Army of Northern Virginia which consisted of one infantry regiment , one infantry battalion , two cavalry battalions and four battalions of artillery . According to the best extant records , up to 25 , 000 Marylanders went south to fight for the Confederacy . Many members of the Maryland Line would be drawn from former members of the state militia . During the events of April 1861 in Baltimore , around 15 , 000 Marylanders had volunteered to serve under the command of Colonel Isaac Trimble for the defense of the city , but following the occupation of Baltimore on May 13 by Union General Benjamin Butler , these new units were forbidden to assemble and effectively ceased to exist . By early May around 500 Marylanders had begun to assemble at Harper ' s Ferry , Virginia , under the command of Captain Bradley Tyler Johnson , forming 8 companies of Maryland infantry . Johnson preferred not to join the newly forming Virginia regiments , arguing that Marylanders should fight under their own flag . However , other former members of the Maryland militia did not agree ; many members of the elite Maryland Guard and Independent Greys from Baltimore went to Richmond , where they were mustered into the service of Virginia . About 60 , 000 Maryland men served in all branches of the Union military . However , many of the Union troops were said to enlist on the promise of home garrison duty . Lee ' s Invasion of the North . In September 1862 General Robert E . Lee launched his Maryland Campaign , taking the war to the Union for the first time . Southerners were optimistic that Marylanders would rise up and join the Southern columns , but they were to be disappointed . Upon entering Maryland , the Confederates found little support ; rather , they were met with reactions that ranged from a cool lack of enthusiasm , to , in many cases , open hostility . Lee was disappointed at the state ' s resistance , a condition that he had not anticipated as many of the fiercely pro - Southern Marylanders had already traveled south at the beginning of the war to join the Confederate Army in Virginia . Only a " few score " of men joined Lee ' s columns in Maryland . Formation of the Maryland Line . On June 22 , 1863 , the Confederate Secretary of State for war , James A . Seddon , finally authorized the formation of a formal " Maryland Line " in the Confederate Army . On October 22 , 1863 the 1st Maryland Infantry , CSA was detached from the brigade of General George H . Steuart and assigned to the newly formed Maryland Line , travelling by rail to Hanover Junction , Virginia , where they met the 1st Maryland Cavalry , CSA , the Baltimore Light Artillery , CSA , the 1st Maryland Artillery , CSA , and the 4th Maryland Artillery , CSA . At this time all Marylanders serving in the Army of Northern Virginia were invited to join the newly formed Maryland Line . Few however did so , as the men were by now reluctant to break up units which had already fought together for over two years . The cavalry battalion of the Maryland Line , commanded by Col Bradley T . Johnson , joined the Army of Northern Virginia during the Overland Campaign . The Line suffered losses in the Battle of Haw ' s Shop on May 27 , 1863 . The Marylanders also participated in the actions related to the Battle of Cold Harbor . They later participated in Jubal Early ' s campaigns in the Shenandoah Valley . The infantry battalion was engaged at Cold Harbor . Eventually it was assigned to the corps of LTG Ambrose Powell Hill during the Siege of Petersburg . The artillery units also participated in the Virginia campaigns of 1864 - 1865 .