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The Battle of Fort Stevens was an American Civil War battle fought in what is now Northwest Washington, D.C. as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864, Confederate General Jubal A. Early's attempt to seize the city of Washington and distract Ulysses S. Grant's campaign against Robert E. Lee in Virginia. Early's arrival in the outskirts of Washington was delayed by Lew Wallace and his troops at the Battle of Monocacy Junction, which allowed Union reinforcements from Grant to come to Washington's defenses. Early retreated after a one-day effort to take the city.
President Abraham Lincoln rode out to observe the attack, and was briefly under enemy fire before he was brusquely ordered to take cover by an officer who did not recognize him (apocryphally, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.).
Early remarked to one of his officers after the battle, "Major, we didn't take Washington but we scared Abe Lincoln like hell."
Fort Stevens is now maintained by the National Park Service. The fort is located near 13th St NW between Rittenhouse and Quackenbos Streets NW. The battlefield cemetery is located nearby, at 6625 Georgia Ave NW.
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Battles of Early's Raid on the B&O Railroad of the American Civil War | Union victories of the American Civil War | History of Washington, D.C.
"Battle of Fort Stevens"