Fort Stevens, now partially restored and located
at
13th
and Quackenbos Streets, NW, was built to defend the approaches to
Washington from the 7th Street Pike (now Georgia Avenue) which was
then the main thoroughfare from the north into Washington. Originally
called Fort Massachusetts by the soldiers from that state who constructed
the fort, it was later named after Brigadier General Isaac Ingalls
Stevens, who was killed at the Battle of Chantilly, Virginia, September
1, 1862.
In the summer of 1864, General Ulysses S. Grant had Confederate
General Robert E. Lee in a deathtrap around Richmond and Petersburg.
When General Grant had moved south, he stripped Washington, D.C.
of many well trained troops. As a result in July of 1864 there were
only 9,000 troops to defend the city, down from over 23,000 that
had been there the year before. Those that were left were primarily
poorly trained reserves. General Lee sought desperately to find
a way out of his predicament around Petersburg. He decided to send
General Jubal A. Early with about 20,000 troops to strike at Washington,
which his spies had reported was poorly defended. On June 12, General
Early started his march from behind Petersburg, and by July 9, he
was at Frederick, Maryland, where he demanded and received $200,000
to spare the city. On the same day, General Early defeated Union
General Lew Wallace at the Monocacy River. In the light of later
events, General Wallace's defeat after a stubborn fight became a
victory for the Union because he was able to delay Early's advance
for a day. On July 10, Early encamped at Rockville, Maryland, 10
miles from Fort Stevens.
As a result of the rapid and successful movement of Early, the men
of the War Department seemed paralyzed, and would give no orders
except as they received them from General Grant. General Grant understood
the situation and sent the 25th New York Cavalry, which left City
Point, Virginia, on July 7 and reached Fort Stevens midnight of
July 10. Also on the 7th, the 1st and 2nd Divisions of the 6th Corps,
under General Horatio G. Wright, left City Point. A few hours later
General W. H. Emory, with part of the 19th Corps just returning
from New Orleans to join Grant, left Fort Monroe for Washington.
Officers and men of Company F, 3rd Massachusetts Heavy
Artillery, in Fort Stevens
By noon of July 11, Confederate General Early came in full view
of Fort Stevens, reconnoitered the area and found the fort poorly
manned. During the afternoon of that day, General Early tried to
find a weak spot in the line, but was met everywhere by fort guns
and musketry. Supporting Fort Stevens were the guns from Fort DeRussy
on the left and Fort Slocum on the right. When examining the works
at daylight on July 12, Early saw the parapets lined with seasoned
troops; he then decided to abandon the idea of capturing Washington,
but planned to give the Yankees a fight anyway. By nightfall of
July 12, the Rebels were sent into full retreat, and the Union Capital
had been saved.
On July 12, President Abraham Lincoln went out to Fort Stevens with
his wife and other officers and stood on the parapet calmly watching
the battle. The Battle of Fort Stevens thus marks the only battle
in which a President was present and under enemy fire while in office.