Through the long lens of hindsight most Americans view the Union victory in the Civil War a foregone conclusion due to the Union’s substantial advantages in manpower, manufacturing, and trade. Few realize that on a number of occasions during the war Washington came under direct assault by Confederate forces. On one such occasion in July, 1864 (less than a year before Lee’s surrender and Lincoln’s assassination) Union artillery at Fort Stevens in Washington was forced to shell nearby homes that had been taken over by invading Confederate forces. Incredibly, President Lincoln was present at Fort Stevens at the time.
On this date in 1864, President Lincoln submitted the following written testimony to Congress concerning these events: “I was present at Fort Stevens (I think) on the afternoon of July 12th. 1864, when some houses in front were shelled by our guns, and understanding that the Military officers in command thought the shelling of the houses proper and necessary, I certainly gave my approbation to its being done.”
Think about that next time someone tells you the outcome was assured before the war ever started!