46               The Maryland Constitution of 1864.            [392

and, by order of President Lincoln, assumed command of
the 8th Army Corps, relieving General Wallace from that
charge. Fortifications were rapidly thrown up and further
preparations were hastily made, in anticipation of the threat-
ened assault, but of course this never occurred, as General
Early retreated soon after. It is said that after the first
excitement there was great quiet and good order in Balti-
more, affairs soon subsiding again into their usual chan-
nels. General Wallace was restored to his command on
July 28.²⁷

During this raid most of the Convention members left
Annapolis, and no regular meetings were held for ten days.
President Goldsborough and a few members remained in
the town, and by meeting and adjourning from day to day,
kept the organization of the Convention intact, till business
was resumed on July 19. Mr. Goldsborough and several
others also did duty in the fortifications of Annapolis. As
a result of the invasion, some effect on the temper of the
Convention was to be expected, and this was not long in
appearing. On July 9, before the nearness of the danger
caused the Convention to scatter, Mr. Cushing, of Balti-
more, offered a resolution protesting loyalty to the Union,
and "preferring rather than consent to the destruction of
the Union of these United States, to have the whole land
laid waste and its entire population destroyed, hoping that
in the future, it might be resettled by some race of men more
capable of appreciating and preserving Liberty and Union."
Further, all sympathizers with the rebellion were denounced
as "recreant to the faith of their Fathers, forsaken of God,
and instigated by the devil." There was some difficulty in
securing a quorum, as the attendance was small on that
day, but in spite of a minority attempt to adjourn, the reso-
lution was successfully passed.²⁸

On July 19, immediately after business was resumed,

²⁷ See contemporary newspapers for further particulars.

²⁸ Proc., 247-9.