During the American Civil War, Maryland, a slave state, was one of the border states, straddling the South and North. Because of its strategic location, bordering the capital city of Washington D.C., and the strong desire of the opposing factions within the state to sway public opinion towards their respective causes, Maryland would play an important role in the American Civil War. Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus in Maryland, and dismissal of the Supreme Court Chief Justice's ruling that such suspension was unconstitutional, would leave lasting scars.