James M. Lingan

1751–1812

Defender of the Federal Republican

A Revolutionary War officer and former prisoner on the British prison ship Jersey, Lingan joined the armed defense of Alexander Contee Hanson’s antiwar newspaper in Baltimore.

Why this record matters

A mob murdered him in the city jail on July 28, 1812. Naming him prevents the Baltimore riots from dissolving into euphemism: Americans killed a Revolutionary general over the new war.

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Sources for this dossier

Baltimore Residents Riot Against Antiwar DissentersNational Park Service · public history
The June and July 1812 attacks on the Federal Republican and its defenders.
The War of 1812 in BaltimoreBaltimore City Archives · local archive
Municipal records and Baltimore source material.