By David J. Kent
Washington, DC
Monday, July 1, 2024
Another in a series about the tumultuous year of 1864, exactly 160 years ago.
In the summer of 1864, Lincoln was becoming increasingly desperate to finish the war. He authorized General U.S. Grant Grant to engage in destructive warfare, targeting and destroying plantations, railroads, bridges, crops, and anything else that the Confederacy needed to sustain its troops. In the latter part of 1864, General Philip Sheridan burned fields and plantations in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, while William T. Sherman did the same in his March to the Sea through Georgia. Union forces left no possibility that Confederate forces could resupply soldiers along the way.
But Robert E. Lee was not about to concede without a fight. In July, he ordered Confederate General Jubal Early to race up the Shenandoah Valley, invade Maryland, disrupt Union rail-supply lines, and threaten Washington. Lee hoped this would force Grant to move troops away from him and Richmond to defend the capital. Success would also disrupt the November presidential election, and a Lincoln loss would change the trajectory of the war.
One hundred and sixty years later, the Alliance to Preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington is commemorating the battles. More on that in a moment.
Early’s forces pushed their way up the Shenandoah Valley, then turned east towards Frederick. First catching on to Early’s ploy was Union General Lew Wallace (later the author of Ben Hur), with some inside intelligence from B&O Railroad President John Garrett. Despite earlier being chastised by Grant for his perceived failures of command at Shiloh, Wallace took the initiative to move a cobbled-together group of inexperienced soldiers to meet Early head-on at Monocacy. By the end of the day, Wallace’s troops were retreating in defeat, but the battle served to delay Early’s troops for one critical day.
After reconsolidating his troops, Early resumed his march toward Washington, arriving at the outer defenses around noon on July 11th. Early gave his exhausted soldiers a rest and waited to send his army against the city’s fortifications until the next day. Meanwhile, during the extra day created by Monocacy and Early’s delay, the scant numbers of inexperienced Union forces protecting the city were reinforced by 10,000 veterans of the VI Corps at Fort Stevens. Consisting of a series of low-dirt mounds on the Silver Spring border, Fort Stevens was now lined with Union cannon and backed by a substantial fighting force. On July 12, Early made a demonstration against Fort Stevens but was repulsed. In the afternoon, a federal counterattack drove the Confederate skirmishers back from their positions and nearby Fort DeRussy.
Living not far away at the Soldier’s Home, Lincoln had decided to see the action firsthand. Ignoring the risk, Lincoln stood his 6-foot, 4-inch frame (plus a tall top hat) on top of the mound at Fort Stevens to get a view. A medical officer standing beside him was hit with a bullet, after which the infamous (and possibly apocryphal) line was blurted out: “Get down, you damn fool.” Whether it was this or a more respectful imploring for the President to get out of the line of fire, we will likely never know, but thankfully he did get down and was unharmed. Early, recognizing that the Union capital was now being defended by veteran soldiers, abandoned plans of taking the city and withdrew during the night. The Confederacy never again threatened the District of Columbia, at least militarily.
The Alliance is commemorating the battles with two special programs. On the evening of Friday, July 12, 2024, the group is collaborating with President Lincoln’s Cottage to put on a symposium entitled “Lincoln Under Fire: The Battle of Fort Stevens and the Election of 1864.” The symposium runs from 4 pm to 7 pm at the cottage and will include presentations and breakout sessions for all participants. See here for more information and to register.
On Saturday, July 13, 2024, the Alliance is sponsoring the annual commemoration of the Battle of Fort Stevens at the site of the fort (6001 13th Street, NW, Washington, DC). The free program runs from 10 am to 3 pm and includes reenactors and speakers. See APCWDW 160th Anniversary Ft Stevens for the complete program.
The National Park Service information on the events commemorating the anniversary of the Battle of Monocacy is at the following link: Monocacy Battle Anniversary Weekend,
[Photo credit: David J. Kent, the commemorative marker, taken at Fort Stevens, 2023]