This Day in Maryland’s History: The Ransom Of Middletown

MIDDLETOWN, Md. — July 7, 1864, was a dark day in Middletown’s history. The Civil War was ravaging the nation, and the Confederates had just crossed the Potomac River and were beginning to march into Union-controlled Maryland. When the Confederates entered Middletown, they weren’t simply interested in passing through. Instead, they aimed to take as much money and food from the small Maryland community as possible, which was likely home to fewer than 1,000 people.

The Confederate army, led by General Jubal Early, demanded that the residents give food to the soldiers passing through. Eventually, the invading army requested 8,000 rations, though this wouldn’t be the end of the Confederate demands.

The army’s final demand was money instead of food, causing great financial strain on the small community of Middletown. The order was simple: Hand over $5,000 and the town would be spared. If they refused, the Confederate army was prepared to burn Middletown to the ground.

On July 9, Middletown officials paid $1,500 of the $5,000 ransom, but they were unable to gather the additional $3,500. In the end, the Confederate army marched onward and set its sights on ransoming the larger city of Frederick for $200,000 under the same threat that it would burn down the community if the residents didn’t pay up, so Frederick paid the ransom.

The Civil War brought hardship for people all across America, and Maryland wasn’t spared in the slightest. The Ransom of Middletown is an important historical tale detailing how war can affect us all, but luckily, the community came together and stayed intact, offering a happy ending to an otherwise bad couple of days.

How Much Was $5,000 Worth in 1864?

The Ransom of Middletown is a terrifying tale, as the entire town was on the line, and without ample time to gather $5,000, it was truly stressful for the local leadership. Though the ransom may seem low today, it was actually very high in 1864, and residents had very little time to gather the money.

In2013dollars.com lists $5,000 in 1864 as $106,057.32 in today’s currency. While it’s difficult to determine the exact conversion, $5,000 in 1864 likely was around $100,000. Add in the fact that Middletown had very few residents, and it’s easy to see why coming up with the ransom overnight was such a monumental task.

To learn more about the Ransom of Middletown, head over to VisitFrederick.org.

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