Bel Air

Southern Sympathizers Sought

Photographed by William Pfingsten, June 20, 2007

1. Bel Air - Southern Sympathizers Sought Marker

Inscription. On July 31, 1861, 300 men from the 12th Pennsylvania Infantry under Capt. Daniel Leasure marched into Bel Air to arrest Southern sympathizers and confiscate weapons from local militia units. The troops halted at the courthouse square, then dispersed to do their work. They blocked all of the roads leading to and from Bel Air and rounded up local citizens including Capt. Archer Jarrett of the Harford Light Dragoons, Henry Farandis, former state senator, and Thomas Hays, merchant. They arrested Jarrett when he refused to divulge the location of the militia’s arms and inspected the homes of Farandis and Hays without success. (Hays’s house still stands in Bel Air.) The Baltimore Sun reported that Hays was arrested and then released; Jarrett was released on September 22. After an unsuccessful day of searching the town, the Pennsylvanians departed.

Some Harford County residents served in the U.S. Army, and two of them received the Medal of Honor: Sgt. Alfred Hilton, Company H, 4th Regiment U.S. Colored Troops, and Col. Charles Phelps, 7th Maryland Volunteer Infantry. Other citizens joined the Confederate States Army. They included Capt. William Bissell, 8th Virginia Infantry Regiment, Pickett’s Division, and Gen. James J. Archer, A. P. Hill’s Division. Bissell’s hotel stood across the street from the courthouse, where Archer's portrait

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now hangs in the notable citizens gallery. His childhood home is located in Susquehanna State Park.

[photo caption] Harford County Courthouse, constructed 1859 - Courtesy Historical Society of Harford County

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Maryland Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 31, 1861.

Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 39° 32.144′ N, 76° 20.932′ W. Marker was in Bel Air, Maryland, in Harford County. It was at the intersection of South Main Street and Office Street, on the right on South Main Street. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Bel Air MD 21014, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was in Central Maryland.

It was also in the American Mid-Atlantic

and in the Chesapeake Bay Region.

Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: A different marker also named Bel Air (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Bel Air (a few steps from this marker); Historic Bel Air (within shouting distance of this marker); Veterans Memorial (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Revolutionary War Patriots (about 700 feet away); Sacred to the Memory of the Men of Harford County

Marker at Courthouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Pfingsten, June 20, 2007

2. Marker at Courthouse

(about 800 feet away); Frederick Ward Park (about 800 feet away); The Norris House (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bel Air.

More about this marker. Located on Court House lawn.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. New CWT Marker At This Location also titled "Bel Air".

Credits. This page was last revised on June 17, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 22, 2007. This page has been viewed 3,161 times since then and 25 times this year. Last updated on September 16, 2020, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 22, 2007, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.