(1843-1861)
I got the chills this morning when I realized that not only did the Revolution begin today in 1775, but the first blood of the Civil War was spilt on this day in 1861. Luther Ladd was a seventeen year old machinist from Lowell, MA, who quickly took up arms with the 6th Massachusetts when President Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers. The quickest way to Washington was through the city of Baltimore. The citizens of Baltimore were sympathetic to the Southern cause, so when the 6th Massachusetts arrived by train on the morning of April 19th, a riot broke out. Ladd was one of four soldiers killed while trying to get from President Street Station to Camden Station. He is often referred to as the first to die in the war. His last words were reportedly, "all hail the Stars and Stripes!"
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