“The Sensation of This Week”
“The Sensation of This Week”
Archaeology and the Battle of Fort Stevens
In July 1864, the nation's capital came under enemy attack. With 14,000 men, Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal Early launched a bold raid on the North which brought him to the outskirts of Washington D.C. Though Washington was surrounded by a ring of impressive forts, they were undermanned, and their defenders had seen little to no actual combat. Early's men arrived in front of Fort Stevens around noon on July 11. Fighting broke out between Confederate skirmishers and Federal pickets and continued throughout the afternoon. Union reinforcements arrived and the way to Washington was blocked, so while some fighting continued, on July 13th, Early withdrew and marched back to Virginia. Archaeological survey techniques conducted by the National Park Service in Rock Creek Park, just west of Fort Stevens, has allowed the main movements of both Union and Confederate forces to be determined across a substantial portion of this battlefield, which was long thought to have disappeared under Washington's sprawl.
Keywords: Lt. Gen. Jubal Early, Fort Stevens, Washington D.C, Rock Creek Park
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