From Defeat Comes Victory

Since the beginning of recorded history, many armies have sought to capture the capitals of their enemies. During the Civil War, the North made several attempts to capture Richmond, and the South threatened Washington on several occasions. The Lincoln Administration was so concerned about a potential Confederate attack that it went to great lengths to built an elaborate ring of 68 forts around the city for protection.

In early summer 1864, the high command in Washington believed that the threat to the city had diminished, and pulled many of its troops away from these defenses to the front line of the army near Petersburg, Virginia. This action left Washington virtually defenseless, a great risk in light of the upcoming presidential election.

Confederate General Robert E. Lee, whose army at Petersburg was greatly outnumbered by the growing Union strength in his front, learned of the weakened Federal capital. In a bold move, he devised a plan to move Confederate troops north for the third time since the war began. He would release a third of his troops and place them under the command of Jubal Early. His plan was to send Early west to the Shenandoah Valley, then north to threaten the city of Washington. Lee hoped this movement would divert Union troops from Petersburg. Further, if the Confederate troops were successful, he thought there was a chance of weakening Lincoln's chances for re-election in the fall. Lincoln was facing great pressure to end the war, and his prospects for re-election were anything but sure.

General Early and his men marched west, then north - virtually unchallenged - and reached Frederick City, Maryland on July 9, 1864. A city of divided sentiments, Frederick City had seen the Confederate army pass through in 1862 on its way to Antietam, and again in 1863, on its way to Gettysburg. Throughout the war, Frederick served as a hospital center for both Union and Confederate wounded.

Early's advance began to concern the Union commanders. They quickly sent troops north to counter the Confederates. But, before the bulk of Union troops had reached the area, Major General Lew Wallace recognized that the Union army needed to stop Early's march. Wallace chose to place his troops just three miles south of Frederick City, where the roads to Baltimore and Washington branched. Wallace knew he was greatly outnumbered (actually more than three to one), but he also knew that his defense of this position on the Monocacy River was crucial.

Though Wallace lost the battle, his efforts at Monocacy Battlefield led to a significant Union victory several days later. He effectively delayed Early for more than a day. When the Confederate general pushed on to Washington, he arrived at the forts on the north side of the city only to find them minimally occupied. Before he could marshal his forces for an attack, fresh veteran Union troops arrived by steamship transport from Petersburg.

Before Early attacked, President and Mrs. Lincoln drove out to Fort Stevens to watch the impending battle. Lincoln, wearing his signature top hat, made an obvious target for the Confederate sharpshooters. Indeed, during the battle, a man standing next to him was killed. The story has been passed down through the years that a young Union officer, and later Supreme Court Justice, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., said to the President: "Get down, you damned fool." Whether or not this story is true, the officers did convince the Lincolns to move to a safer place.

After this engagement at Fort Stevens, within the city limits of the capital, Early realized the futility of continuing to press his attack. The third and final Confederate assault north of the Potomac River had failed. Lee probably was correct in believing that success against Washington would have damaged Lincoln's chances for re-election. After this campaign, however, and the further successes of the Union army on the battlefields, the mood in the North shifted and support for Lincoln's nomination was secured.