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I'm Marvin Jones of them. Last preserve Civil War defenses in Washington and we have a talk today with my presentation by Mark Levinson who is author of desperate engagement and mark, thank you for coming and proceed. Now you're welcome. Well, I did you all hear Gary give his little summary earlier in the big tent. He did a really good job so I'm going to go home now but I'll amplify a little bit on it. So I mean, you can't really estimate that, you know, you have to look at the bigger picture of What was happening in the Civil War in July of 1864? When you consider the importance of what happened here at Fort Stevens and, you know, that the war has been dragging on, you know, for three years. The nation is war-weary, President, Lincoln's popularity. They didn't have Gallup polls back then, but Lincoln's popularity was in the toilet, you know, he barely the other thing you have to remember is that this war, the Civil War was fought. Oops. Be the only civil war in the history of the world. That was fought during a Democratic presidential election, the election of 1864 and it was by no means a done deal. That Lincoln was going to get reelected, remember he barely got the nomination in the Republican Party. Wasn't even at the convert well back then. They didn't go to conventions. Actually chose presidential candidates back then. Can you believe it? Remember the you know behind closed doors and And all that stuff and Lincoln was famously in the White House at the telegraph office. When he got a telegraph saying, oh, by the way, you got the nomination and then, what did he do? He picked a Democrat to run with him. Andrew Johnson of Tennessee. He was anti-secession but he was pro-slavery. So that's how desperate Lincoln was the Democrats were divided, but they were also United against Lincoln. And who did they choose to run against Lincoln? Anybody know, General Wallace, General McClellan, who had fired after screwing up at the Battle of Antietam and so Lincoln you know his popularity is in the toilet. He one example, was he he wrote a letter to his cabinet. Telling them, you know, to be gracious after the election and cooperate with the new Administration. So, that's the background here. Consider, what would have happened if you had, you know, you had to Confederate force of what 13,000 troops. Adjust the feed at Lew Wallace at Monocacy 35 miles from here, and their intention was not clear. In fact, they sent there are 15,000 troops at Monocacy. They sent 2,000 North to Baltimore for two reasons, as a feint to confuse people about what their next move was going to be because Jubal early's orders were to proceed to attack Washington. If he had the chance to do it, but there was a Secret order. In fact, it was so secret, Robert E, Lee, sent it up by, you didn't put it on the telegraph, he sent his son, Rob Lee with the order on his horse, who wrote from Richmond, all the way up to Antietam which was where early and his men were camped before. They went to Monocacy. So they sent the Cavalry North to confuse people in Washington and secondly, to cut off the railroads and the telegram. So we're gets in that Wallace has defeated at Monocacy and they're cut off and the rumors start flying and there's 13,000 lean and hungry Confederate troops on the way to Washington. Is it as as Ben, said, Washington was woefully under defended at this point, you know, since especially considering that, you know, Virginia was part of a enemy Washington's 90 miles from Washington from Richmond in 1861 after the battle of Manassas, 35 miles from here which was a huge defeat for the union. Somebody said we better defend Washington DC.

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So So, that's when they started building the defenses of Washington, it started at 61. By this point in the war, it was finished. Washington was surrounded by what was it 68 for? They were they were connected by Burns and embankments. And as you can see by reconstructed Fort Stevens, they weren't big. They were defensive forts. They were like in a horseshoe pointing out. And don't forget, we're in Farmland here, Washington back then was there. We're out in nowheresville. And so they did bristle with Cannon though, as you've seen pictures and you can see a few here, but they were woefully under defended You know, Washington, I think, you know, was more or less a giant Hospital in July of 64 government buildings, Georgetown University churches, you know, we're used to to treat the wounded Union soldiers and the bulk of the troops were down outside of Richmond and Petersburg and circling Lee who had hunkered down after the Wilderness Campaign. So Who was here. These barricades were designed to be manned by something like thirty five thousand troops. There couldn't have been more than a couple of thousand they were made up of hundred days. Men people who had never fired a shot in anger. They join just for 100 days. They remained remained up up there. The other people who were out here were what was called. The veteran Reserve Corps. They had changed the name because their His name was not exactly flattering. It was called the invalid core. So there was a bunch of invalids and then the word went out when they heard that early was on the way to Washington for anybody with a weapon to come out here and the other forts. So, like they said, they were clerks from the state department. I did a talk at the GPO a couple of years ago, and they're very proud of the fact that there were GPO employment, government printers, who came out here to defend. So the word Motley Has been used to describe who was defending Washington DC with Jubal early and you know, 15 thousands, lean and hungry and mean Confederate troops on the way. And what were the implication? Yes. All right, sir he said shut up and go home. No no, they keep on talking. That's easy for me. I just press the button. So where was I? Right. Consider what could it look historians. Don't think you can saurians. Don't like what ifs but they're the what ifs here are, you know, pretty astounding Lincoln's popularity is in the toilet. Can you know when correctly that they have Twitter back then but word would have gotten out pretty quickly. You know, that war was very heavily covered by newspapers and news magazines that that Confederates on the loose in Washington there was a Treasury Department to be rated. There were stores. You know, you name it and you know, the British burned Washington in 1812 and 1814 during the War of 1812 it wasn't beyond the you know, it very likely could have happened and we have invalids defending by. So Grant, by the way, knew what early was up to at this point and you know, you can read the letters, letters their letters, you can read the Also you can read the official records or and Lee's the tenants grants lieutenants are saying General Grant you know, Washington is going to be under attack. Now just to go back a minute. One of the reasons that Lisa early away from Richmond in the beginning with an entire core of troops was to get grants to react. Right? He wanted he knew that Grant had him with men material money, whatever they were surrounded it was going to happen. Ian, but the and so he sent a core of troops away, they kicked the union troops out of the Shenandoah Valley, which was the Confederate breadbasket, right? And they got supplies of food coming in. Then they March, like you said, down the Shenandoah, River meeting North, because the river flows backward, they crossed the Potomac on July 5th. They stopped to rest out there didn't Antietam and then they headed down this way. And so I just lost my train of thought on that one, too. But Point Lookout was another part. That's right part of the order was to liberate 12,000 Confederate. Prisoners at Camp look at which is what southern Maryland as the crow flies, what 20, 30 miles an hour, but of course to get there, you would have it that plan was abandoned. But but early that God here on the morning of July 11th, ranked the Battle of Monocacy was a July 9th, it was hotter than blazes, you know? I mean like today's a cool day Angela. Hi Greg. Compared to what it was and they were wearing wool uniforms. I don't know how they did it. They've been on the March since June 13th, the Confederate troops, so they had a rest on the battlefield after 1300 Union, casualties that Monocacy killed wounded prisoner about 800 Confederate. They rest, unlike early, who's a hard charger. I mean, he's one of the, one of the most aggressive Confederate, generals, but he knew he had to rest in it. Then they started coming this way.

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They came through, they came down route, 355, which was there today. You know, it's like the Urbana Turnpike Rockville, Turnpike Wisconsin Avenue of the came right down through, Silver Spring and they came here. And, you know, on the morning of July 11th, 1864, you blurry was out there in the woods on his horse, with his glass. Looking right down that way. He could see the capitol dome in his glass. And he had to make the decision of whether to attack or not. So what I was getting at was that Grant when he when he finally finally gave it Grant finally gave in and he sent the rest of the six core troops up here. You know, they marched to City point, that God on ships, they went down the James River, they came up the Potomac, they landed at the old docks downtown, they came up and they started to go towards Georgetown in some oh but when the citizens of Washington where out there, Eating them with ice cream and sandwiches. And saying, thank you. We've been saved. And these six core troops, our veterans of the Wilderness Campaign. These are hardened Yankee troops. Completely different from the invalids, ETC, who were here. So then they got their bearings. They marched up to Seventh Street, Pike, AKA Georgia Avenue and they arrived here just before early did and the six core had a distinctive. I think it was white cross on their sleeve. So in early also looked he saw a 6-quart troops here and he knew because it was so bleeding. Hot his troops were strung out all the way back to Rockville. So maybe he started out with 12,000 but he left a bunch to take care of the prisoners. The so they were skirmishing the Union sent out some quads, and it was fighting and rock. Right? Downtown. Rockville, Etc. So, he camped out here at, they did have their artillery and the he didn't attack, but there was skirmishing and artillery going back and forth on July 11th. They took a council of war that night at the Blair house. Not the Blair House downtown, but the warehouse in Silver Spring belong to Montgomery, Blair, who was the postmaster? Neural of the United States. A Chum of Lincoln's, the Blair family had fled, they went fishing in Pennsylvania and so he had a council of war with his generals who included, John Breckinridge, who was former Vice President of the United States who had actually been to Blair's house and knew where the wine cellar was. So the Confederate generals drank up the blares line and they decided on the on the 12th, they would decide what to do. They came back again again, he saw the guns and the Score. There was more firing and there were approximately the official records are not clear but we think there were about 400 Union. Casualties killed wounded and taken prisoner. Like they said, 44 of them are buried right up here in the smallest. Thing is the smallest National Cemetery in the country, on Georgia Avenue, the rest were sent home their homes to be buried. We don't know the Confederate dead, never made the official record, but I have a feeling it was more. So when the, when the Union troops got up on the morning of July, 13 1864 and looked out. The Confederates were gone in the middle of the night, early packed it up. He went back out to Silver Spring, he went out to Poolesville, he came South and he crossed the Potomac at White's Ferry on July 13th 1864. And I'm almost done. So that's in a nutshell, why they call the Battle of a knock. The battle would save Washington DC. And why? What what what what lie did that plan that he did? He did get Grant to take his troops away from Richmond and Petersburg the war did end. We know that for the very same reason but that was in March of 1865. Who knows how many months, how many much Bloodshed would have been avoided? Had Lee not done that and Grant moved in. So, That's the only the one thing I like to tell people to remember if they're going to remember one thing about Monocacy, these are the Port Stephens and what ifs is that Jubal early was one day late. Dada. Question. So remember that's a good question. Lincoln was here both days. So where are the people from Washington? Right, we're in Washington, d.c., yes. But back then this was really not considered Washington, it was down that away, and just like as happened in the first battle of Manassas. When people didn't realize, what the hell was going on, they came out picnic to watch the battle. They did the same thing here and Lincoln came out. You know, all six foot four of them and stovepipe hat. There's a plaque up there on the on the ram Park where he was standing and a Confederate sharpshooter. In the trees at the old Walter Reed was pretty far away. Shot and wounded a union surgeon standing right next to Lou, Rawls made me say Lew Wallace. Beery straining right next to Lincoln at which point, it was decided that Lincoln better better get down and the story that came out and it, by the way, didn't come see the light of day until the 1930s was that Oliver Wendell Holmes, who indeed was the union lieutenant. And was here said to His commanding commander-in-chief, get down you fool and somehow it's repeated over and over again, somebody has written an entire, I wrote, you know, a half of a half of a chapter on that alone, but somebody's going to entire skinny book about how that didn't happen. Somebody said something to the president that, you know, not a good idea that dr. Jones over here just got shot, right? So anyway, Yes, you have the hook. Yeah, I have a fool and a sound, okay, thank you very much.

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Thank you very much, more question. No, I will. Next speaker is here and we're ready to start the next part of our program, okay? Then, thank you very much it off. State would take questions all site. Thank you very much, Mark.