''The Southern Aegis'' was a pro-Southern newspaper established in 1856 by

George Yellott George Yellott (July 19, 1819 – November 13, 1902) was an American politician and judge from Maryland. He served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Harford County in 1844. He served as justice of the Maryland Court of ...

and John Cox and published from July 11, 1857, to February 1, 1862, in

Bel Air, Maryland The town of Bel Air is the county seat of Harford County, Maryland. According to the 2020 United States census, the population of the town was 10,661. History Bel Air's identity has gone through several incarnations since 1780. Aquilla Scott, w ...

, U.S. The name "Aegis" originally derived from

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

and is a reference to

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

' shield, meant to "evoke protection for the interests of Harford residents" as well as the paper's Southern sympathies."The Southern Aegis," Chronicling America
/ref>

Politics

Cox's editorial tone was overwhelmingly negative towards the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

, and he became known as an "editor of the old school, violent in his sympathies and in his editorials" with a signature "old fashioned Jacksonian style." ''The Aegis'' and the other local paper, the ''National American'', became voices for the opposing sides of the national conflict; ''The Aegis'' was even referred to by a

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

newspaper as "the ''Traitor Aegis''". However, Cox eventually realized that there was not enough support for the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

cause in Harford County to continue publishing, and in 1862, he resigned and sold the paper to a prominent local lawyer named A.W. Bateman, who changed the name of the paper to '' The Southern Aegis, and Harford County Intelligencer''. Bateman changed the tone of the paper to a conservative Unionist stance, which continued under his successor, Frederick W. Baker. Baker purchased the newspaper in 1864 and slightly changed its name to ''

The Aegis & Intelligencer ''The Aegis & Intelligencer'' was a conservative Unionist newspaper published from March 18, 1864 to January 26, 1923 in Bel Air, Maryland. The paper was originally named "Aegis" in reference to Zeus' shield in Greek mythology, and was meant to ...

''. ''The Aegis & Intelligencer'' was sold to John D. Worthington, Sr. in 1904, but kept its name until 1923, when it was changed to

The Aegis (newspaper) ''The Aegis'' is a local newspaper in Harford County, Maryland, United States. Its first issue was published on February 2, 1923. History Before the Times Mirror Company, then-owners of ''The Baltimore Sun'', purchased ''The Aegis'' in 1986, ...

. ''The Aegis'' went through several name changes over the years: it became ''The Aegis and Harford Gazette'' in 1951, then ''The Aegis the Harford Gazette and the Democratic Ledger'' in 1964, and finally back to ''The Aegis'' in 1969, which it remains to this day. The paper remained in the hands of the Worthington family until 1986, when it was acquired by the

Times Mirror Company The Times Mirror Company was an American newspaper and print media publisher from 1884 until 2000. History It had its roots in the Mirror Printing and Binding House, a commercial printing company founded in 1873, and the ''Los Angeles Times'' ...

, then-owners of ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

''.

References

1856 establishments in Maryland Publishing companies established in 1856 Newspapers published in Maryland {{Maryland-newspaper-stub