Star Spangled Stories: How Maryland’s Fort McHenry was used as a prison

Name: Star Spangled Stories: How Maryland’s Fort McHenry was used as a prison
Uploaded: 2026-04-24T22:06:00-0400
Duration: 1 min 30 s
Description: In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president, and slave holding states began to secede from the Union. Lincoln feared that Maryland would secede and Washington, D.C. would be surrounded. So, he ordered the arrest of one-third of the Maryland General Assembly to prevent them from voting. They were held prisoner at Fort McHenry, including Frank Key Howard.

In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president, and slave holding states began to secede from the Union. Lincoln feared that Maryland would secede and Washington, D.C. would be surrounded. So, he ordered the arrest of one-third of the Maryland General Assembly to prevent them from voting. They were held prisoner at Fort McHenry, including Frank Key Howard.