Re: ISAAC/ISAACS who fought for the Confederate
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In reply to:
ISAAC/ISAACS who fought for the Confederate
Lynn Vizas 1/31/02
Be careful not to assume that your ancestors served from Maryland units.Most Marylanders who fought for the Confederacy did so in Virginia units.
Union authorities moved quickly to suppress secessionist activity in Maryland in 1861, and with the state under virtual martial law, secessionist Marylanders fled into Virginia.Early in the war Richmond was a gathering point for large numbers of Maryland men who sought to enlist in the Confederate army.By and large, these men enlisted individually into Virginia regiments.
In other cases, however, entire companies had already been formed in Maryland and fled into Virginia, where they offered themselves to Confederate authorities.The State of Virginia accepted these intact companies and assigned them to newly forming Virginia regiments.
Finally, although your mix of ancestral surnames can be found throughout Maryland, the Magruders and Duvalls were especially prominent in Prince George's County, being among the County's leading half-dozen or so familes socially, politically, and economically.
If your ancestors were from Prince George's, the chances would be especially high that they served in Virginia regiments.PG County borders both Virginia and Washington, DC ... and with Union cavalry patrols particulary thick in the shadow of the nation's capital, it was extremely risky to organize for the Confederacy in Prince George's County.Thus, most PG County men climbed into rowboats and longboats for a quick ride across the Potomac River and the relative safety of Virginia.
But, of course, your folks may have been from Baltimore!Please provide us with some names and a little background.