Event record · civilian
Baltimore, Maryland · Chesapeake
Baltimore jail massacre
28 July 1812
A mob breaks into the jail, murders James M. Lingan, and brutally attacks Hanson, Lee, and other Federalists.
Participants
- Federalist defenders
- Baltimore mob
- James M. Lingan
- Alexander Contee Hanson
Outcome
Lingan was killed and multiple prisoners were gravely injured.
Why it matters
The attack became a national test of press freedom, partisan violence, and state responsibility.
Location evidence
39.290, -76.610 · city precision
Coordinates locate the named site, city, or broad region; they do not reconstruct unit movements.
Where it sits in the story
This record belongs to a connected military, political, and human sequence. The chapter supplies causes, consequences, competing perspectives, and the limits of the surviving evidence.
Follow the evidence
Evidence behind this event
- Baltimore Residents Riot Against Antiwar DissentersNational Park Service · public history
The June and July 1812 attacks on the Federal Republican and its defenders.