Fort Stevens, DC
and men of Company F, 3rd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, in Fort Stevens]
Wendell Holmes, a future US Supreme Court Justice, shouted to President
Lincoln: "Get down, you fool, or you'll be killed!"
July 11-12, 1864
Battlefield Unavailable -
Early’s Raid and Operations against the B&O Railroad
Maj. Gen. Horatio G. Wright and Maj. Gen. Alexander
Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early
On July 11, Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early’s exhausted Confederates
reached the outskirts of Washington near Silver Spring.
to feel the fortifications which at the time were manned only by Home Guards,
clerks, and convalescent troops.
During the night, veteran units from the
Union VI Corps disembarked from troop transports and marched north through
the streets of Washington to bolster the defenses.
On July 12, Early was
finally in position to make a strong demonstration, which was repulsed
by the veteran Union troops. In the afternoon, VI Corps units sortied against
the Confederate skirmishers, driving them back from their advanced positions
in front of Forts Stevens and DeRussy.
President Lincoln watched the action from Fort Stevens and came under fire from
Recognizing that the Union Capitol was now defended by veterans, Early abandoned
any thought of taking the city.
Early withdrew during the night, marching toward White’s Ford on the Potomac,
ending his invasion of Maryland. “We didn’t take Washington,”
Early told his
staff officers, “but we scared Abe Lincoln like Hell.”
[Battlefield Lost Integrity]
1 National Park
- having a decisive influence on a
campaign and a direct impact on the course of the war
having a direct and decisive influence on their campaign
having observable influence on the
outcome of a campaign
having a limited influence on the
outcome of their campaign or operation but achieving or affecting important
3 Casualties are
someone killed, injured, wounded, captured or missing.