The history and construction of Fort Stevens / John Reder Shipman.

THE HISTORY AN -r, CONSTRUCTION OF FORT STEVENS

Theaia Prepared by
John Reder Shipinan

Presented to Maryland Beta Chapter of T«u Pets Pi

January 13, 1933

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BIBLTOGRAPHY

The infnpttifl tinn for this thesis was obtained from the
following sources:

War of Rebellion - i'ol. 37, Series 1

rje^enses of Washington - Maj. Hen. J. 0. Barnard

Defenses o** "'ashington - W, ir . Cox

The Evening Star of July 1864, 1902

Renin! sconce of ICsrly 1 s Attack of Washington - E. S.

Dudley and P, G , Thome a
Congressional Records

Material Prepared for J. A. Goulden by the V/ar Dept .
Memories of Company K of 150th Ohio Regiment - J, G,

Cannon
Rambling Through Washington - T, D. Gatchel
Exercises at Port Stevens July 12, 1920 - Survivors

Sixth U. S. Army Corps
Interview with J. H. Duhanmel - Member of Oldest

Inhabitants Society
Interview with Guide ">t R*ttle-Ground Hemetery
Interview with Judge J, H. Shepherd

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THF HISTORY AND CONSTRUCTION OF FORT STEVENS

SUMMARY

Uhen the Civil War broke out the defenses of Washington
were hardly worthy of the name. Sever*! forts were soon built to
guard the roads entering "'nshington, The snail . earthworks on the
Seventh Street Pike five miles from the capitol erected in October
1861 and called Fort Massachusetts was surprizingly inadequate.
Consequently, it was enlarged in 186S into a formidable defensive
fort and renamed Fort Stevens in honor of General I. I. Stevens.

In 1064 General Jubal Early of the Confederate army
boldly marched through Maryland and on July 11 attacked the fort
intent upon capturing Washington. The fort was feebly manned but
managed to hold until relief arrived in the form of the sixth
corps. For a day and a half the battle raged. Throughout these
hours President Lincoln remained at the fort in view of the battle
field. Finally Ferly was forced to retreat and Washington was
saved .

Since the war the cemetery in which several soldiers had
been buried was made a national cemetery but the bill to make the
fort a national park failed to pass Congress.

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THE HISTORY AND CONSTRUCTION 0^ FO r ?T ST^'VMR

^ARLY HISTORY

Whea "Port Sun/ter was fired on April 12, 1861 at the be-
ginning of the fhr— "- Civil War of the United States, the city of
"'ashington was as defenseless as it was in 1814 when it was captured
by the British. *n May 1861 th-- first serious effort was made to
construct fortifications. There w^re no strong natural defensive
features around. Washington nor was the city compact and concentre ted.
Therefore when a group of officers under chief engineer General
Mansfield assisted by Major H. 6. Wright (later commander of the
Sixth U.S. Army Corps) were sent out, they had as their main object
tbe securing of the roads entering Washington, However, the officers
of tbe Engineer Corps were greatly hampered in their work by a clause
in the congressional bill forbidding tbe expenditure for new fortifi-
cations anv of the *150,000 appropriated for defense of Washington.
W, V, Cox in sneaking of this condition says, "In and out of Congress
it was claimed that there was no need of forts, for were not tbe
bills and valleys covered with unselfish, self-pacrif icing , patri-
otic volunteers, could not the stern, unvi elding determination of
t>ese men be depended upon?" It w=is admirable faith but failed to
realize that both, the Union and che Confederate soldiers were
Americans,

The battle at Bull Pun in July 1861 proved that the war
was going to be lasting. It also brought to the minds in charge
the defenselessness of Washington, It was said that after the
battle the Confederates could easily have captured the city had
tbev not been more demoralized by victory than the Union army by

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defeat. It Is scarcely necessarv to dwell upon the necessity of
holding and defending the nation's capitol. Capture of Washington
bv the Confederates would nenn disaster. The new secretary of war,
Mr, Ptinton, understood the situation and ordered the comnlss loners
to disregard the l«w and prepare defenses for Washington. As a
result 63 forts and batteries wer>e built. Major General J. G,
Barnard describes then as "a ".onnected svstem of fortifications by
which every point at intervals of BOO to 1,000 yards was occupied
bv an enclosed ^ield fort; every important approach was swept by
a battery of field guns and the who Id connected by rifle trenches".

In those days the Seventh Street Pike (Georgia Avenue)
was the leading thoroughfare to and from Washington. Passing outward
along this street there was a gradual though not continuous ascent
until a onint about five miles from the capitol wh^re the cordon of
defenses crossed the road. Here at a height of 321 feet above mean
tide, a fort was built in October 1861 by troops from Massachusetts
wbo/haned the fort after their beloved state. An irregular depres-
sion in advance of the fort extending to the left towards Pock 1
C-reelr *nd to the right to the front Of ^ort Slocum exposed a large
portion n? the country to vl^w fron the fort. he very insignifi-
cant jvork originally thrown up as Fort Massachusetts occupying one
of the most Important positions in *"-he system being found Inadequate
was enlarged in September 1862 and again In May 1863. On April l f
1863 the name was changed from Fort Massachusetts to Fort Stevens,
in honor of Brigadier General Isaac Ingalls Stevens, General
Stevens had just lost his life at Chantilly, Virginia. "When his
troups wavered under the terrific fire, General Stevens rushed
forward to the leading regiment, siezed the colors from the wounded

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besrer and calling on the highlanders to follow hiri, led them In
the onslaught which hurled back the eneny. In the moment of victory
he was shot down with the flag falling over him." During the war
™anv ind vifious troaps c*»mped in ^nd around ^ort Stevens. Some of
the rnor-e prominent were* 7th Massachusetts. 10th rassaehusetts ,
36th New York, a Rhode Island regiment, a Maine battery, 1st Ohio,
and the 150th Ohio. However, it was not until July 1364 that the
fort was called on to serve the capltol it guarded.
CONSTRUCTION OT? THT-! FORT

The ramparts of Fort Stevens extended from a point about
50 feet north of the present school house (which is on Georgia
Avenue just south of Rittenhouse Street) in a northern direction
for 160 f«et, then in a northwest direction for 140 feet, northwest
at a more acute angle for 90 feet, then nearly west for 2S0 feet,
southwest for 80 feet, and south for 114 feet. The two ends on the
south connected by a stockade and a blockhouse stood about halfway
between the entrance and the wast end of the fort. The fort had
two magazines . one where Fmory Church now stands and the other to
the west where the depression is still visible. A house belonging
to Elizabeth. Thomas had to be torn down and the cellar enlarged for
this magazine, on tne south side of the fort a "bombproof" wss
built 150 feet long. It ran parallel to the stockade and approxi-
mately 50 feet from it. The construction of this shelter can
easily be seen from the acompanying drawing. On the east side of the
fort at latitude 33" 57' 47.16" and longitude 77°l' 23.57" was the
flag pole. Around the entire fort was an abatis which was trees,
posts, and stakes driven in the ground and pointing outward. Just
inside was dug a ditch about 6 feet deep, 8 feet wide at the bottom.

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The dirt was piled on the side next to the fort forming a parapet.
In the hollow ground south of the fort capable of sheltering large
bodies of nen from artillery fire, were built barracks. These
were Viilt partly from timber cut down and partly from lumber in
fences ind houses belonging to Mr, M. G, Emory, snd other buildings
t^e soldiers tore down without consulting the owners. The accom-
panying drawing gives a much clearer ide? of the fort and also the
« -pigments .

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TOT^T STEVENS IN 1863

"PLBN

yWWW\

SECT,- C-Q

SECT OF POMBTTgQQF

"Hirtname

I. Fm tci Gun
£ Field «un
3 T~i*ld Qan
•* Field Gun

5. ?o Pour^e*

6. Z*i fsuhdet

7. ifo rfeimder

/a 24 "PouYvdair

and Vfio

12- a imK Ckiw

17.

(4.

17.
IS.

It.
2ft

30 ftmnJef
X Pound**

J.4 Fbuntjei*

XJrau/n from description
given ky'M*}. Gen. ~BarMrd t V.SR

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GENERAL EARLY' S . AT TACK

In the spring of 1864 Grant vfas crowding Lee at Richmond,
Hunter had defeated Jones near Staunton and was threatening Lynch-
burg and things did not look so well for the Confederate Amy, Lee
therupon determined to follow the example of Napoleon, who had made
it the fashion of Furope to dash through all obstacles to the
capitol of the enemy. So Lee divided his armv and on June 12, 1864
ordered General Jubal Early to take his own and General Ewell's
troops ^nd attack Hunter, push on down the Shenadoah valley to
Harper's Fer-ry, enter Maryland <md surprize Washington. Early
struck Hunter, who retired down the Kanawha valley f crossed the
Fotomac and was shelling General Slegel's forces at Maryland
Heights before the Northern army realized he wasn't still in front of
Grant at Richmond. On July 8 Early moved around Slegel's troups
and on the 9th was at Frederick. Then Washington became truly
ilarmed. Reports cane in that the rebels numbered anywhere from
5,000 to 40,000. Early quickly exacted a $200,000 tribute at
Frederick and moved out to meet General Lew Wallace who was sup-
posedly strongly posted at Monocaey River. Wallace was defeated
and so ambitious was Farlv to capture Washington that he did mot
follow Wallace but marched on to ^ockvllle which wag 10 miles from
■^ort Stevens. Here he was engaged for an hour nnd a half by
Lowell's cavalry which had come from ^alls Church, Virginia to
determine the strength of Early's forces. As soon as F^rly brought
his antillery into use he retreated to Tenallytown.

The rapid and audacious movement of General Early had
startled the Union. It was probable that Washington would be cap-
tured by the rebels. The Washington defenses had been stripped to

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aid General Grant and the Confederates were very strong and were
incited by t^e prize and inspired by the boldness of the undertak-
ing. In Washington there were barely enough artillerymen for a
single relief n** gunners. There was only one -fifth enough infantry
»▼» liable to man the parapets and a small brigade/most of whom were
unmounted. General Falleck expressed conditions In his statement
"i«r p b^ve fire times as n^ny generals a s wp want but ire ^re greatly
in need n" privates. Anyone volunteering in t • at capacity will be
thankfully received." Numerous pleas were made **or volunteers.
More desperate pleas than were ever made during the World Wnr. Any
man who could shoulder a musket was sent to ^ort Stevens, The con-
valescent soldiers were rushed out. The government cl rks were
taken from their desks, handed a musket, and marched out Seventh
Street. Sailors, marines, the veteran reserve?, boys, all were
utilized. General C, C. Augur was in command of the depa^tnent of
Washington while General A. McD. McCook was in command of the
troops ^nd fortifications. The swiftness of Early's approach gave
little time for preparation. On the tenth, McCook examined the
ground for the first time.
TFT? FATTLF A^ t^o^T STFVFNS

On Monday morning, July 11, 1864, General McCook received
t>e n^ws that General "Parly had left Rockville and was on the way
to Washington b^ wny of "~.hr Seventh Street Pike. McCook moved his
troaps into the trenches on either side of Fort Stevens and pre-
pared to defend the capitol.

In the meantime, however, the Union forces had not been
idle, 1f hen Grant realized the gravity of the situation, he thought
at first of returning to Washington himself. However, he finally

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decided to hold his position at FIchmond and send the majority of
the sixth corps under General H. G. Wright, These troops started
fro^ City Point, Va . , on the James River. July 7 by boat. Also a
sm^ll part of the 19th corps returning fron New Orleans was ordered
to Washington. What a picture 1 . Early with his fighting legion ad-
vancing from the north, a mixture of men at Fort Stevens, knowing
nothing of the coming relief, prepared to "do or die*', and at the
s^e time ^leets hearing aid in the form o^ the sixth corps and a
part q** the 19th on the way. !f 'ho would get there first?

At eleven o'clock Early entered Silver Springs and McCook
ordered M.s picket lines to retreat slowly contending the grnund
until *>>ey reached Port Stevens, Shortly after noon ^arly came
into ^ull vipw o-f* Fort Stevens end found it feebly manned. At that
tire he had little doubt but thit the Confederate flag would be
over Wishing ton before sunset. He ordered his aide, Rodes, to
bring his tired, dusty troops into line and move "into the works".
Put during the next few hours before his troops (who had just m?de
a long, fast mnrch from Richmond to Harper's Ferry to Washington)
could execute his command, he saw trained troops move out of the
works, deploy and form a skirmish line. The sixth corps had ar-
rived'. President Lincoln had met them at the wharf and led them
up Seventh Street to the fort. Thus at about 5 p.m. on July 11
the co^ps moved in and General fright took command. The clerks,
c*t*zens, and handful of soldiers had held long enough. It is said
th*t i/P Mr, Francis P, Blair's wine cellar in Silver Springs had
not bR(=n so tempting, Farly 'vould hove arrived in time to break
through Fort Stevens before the sixth corps arrived.

When t^e sixth corps arrived. Early held a consultation

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wl -h Ms generals, Breckenridge, Rodea, ^ansfiur and Gordon. It
was dec'ded to attack at dawn. At this point, the Union Army is
credited with a Mt of strategy. A paper was printed announcing
the arrival of two full corps of Grant's army. This was immediately
suppressed after allowing a copy to fall into the hands of a Con-
federate spy. Since the announcement had been so quickly suppressed
the Southern heads considered it true. The news got to Early and
delayed his attack long enough to allow General Wright to get his
^orces under way. So at dawn on July 12 the Federal Amy attacked,
T^e batteries of the Union opened fire nnd as previously arranged
after the 36th shot from ^ort Stevens, three regiments dashed
forward and three mora followed. Though the rebels offered stubborn
"•est stance , several important points were captured. According to
General '^eaton "The whole attack was as gallant as it was success-
ful *-nd t>e t roups n<^ver evinced more energy and determination".
The commanding o'T'cer of every regiment in the brigade was either
killed or wounded. Early's troQps were finally forced to retreat
and crossed the Potomac near Poolesville and crossed through Loudon
County in Virginia.

Thgoughout the battle President Lincoln had been beside
General Wright on the parapet at Fort Stevens. Wright reported
"I entreated the President not to expose his life to the bullets of
the enemy, but he seemed oblivious to his surroundings. A surgeon
standing beside him was wounded by a 'minnie ball'. Finding my
entreaties failed to mske any impression on him, I said 'Fr. Presi-
dent, I know you are the Commander-in-Chief of the armies of the
United States, but I am in command h<=re and as you are not safe
w>>ere you are standing and T am responsible for your personal

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sa^ety. I order you to cone down.' Mr. Lincoln sniled and then
rr>ore in consideration of my earnestness than from inclination
stepped down and hook a position behind the parapet, Fven then he
rould persist in standing and looking out on the battlefield."

Perhnps the story of the battle would be mor*e inpressive
i** told in the words of one o r * the contestants, J, H. Laird, a
member of Company K, 150th Ohio, which was stationed in Fort
Stevens. Here is his account

"Sunday the 10th about noon the ^lack Morse Cavalry
(escort of the President) dashed up to our position. Mr. Lincoln
left his barouche , entered the fort and passed from gun to gun.
In his long, vellowish, linen cost and high hat he looked like a
cure -worn farmer in tine o^ drought and famine.

"We were called into line to salute him as he passed.
TI e tipped bis hat in recognition but seemed too anxious to smile.

"In the evening o p that Sunday we were moved frera our
board bottom bunks in the barracks b*ek of the fort to bed on the
grass in the ^nrt whieh seened ouite soft in comparison .vith our
former he's. 'Vhen the morning of the 11th dawned bright and hot,
we in the fort seemed to be 'waiting round' for coming excitement.
A little after 10 o'clock it came. The commandant of the fort
called loudly, 'Charge the guns',' and pointing up the pike he added
'See th*»t cloud of dust? The enemy will be down upon us soon.'
There was a scurrying to the magazine with a confusion of calls,

"This was the hour when the Confederate General Early
^is-losed a force on the seventh street road near the Lay house,
quite within range of our guns. When the guns were charged, we
had time to see our pickets in the distance firing and falling back.

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^or some o^ us this ms the first powder we had seen burned In
battle .

"Wagana loaded with house furniture, chicken coups, and
excited wotaeia were noting within the lines. Some of our boys with
torches stood beside houses near the fort to burn them in esse of
the envy's neir approach, our picket men c*ne In to the defenses
*nd wppft assigned places at guns. They were no~ all there. It w^s
aske^ 'where la "edi^nt, Hudson, and Leach? '

"There had been talk among us^s to a chance to go to the
front but now the froat had come to us. We were conscious that our
defense was Inadequate. We knew little of the reinforcements that
were coming in upon us. Like Elisha's frightened servant our sur-
prized eyes were soon opened to see men filling the breastworks
that united the forts. We certainly were glad to see them.

""ford came from the skirmish line that ammunition was
needed. An old buggy was loaded and four men were to push it down.
It was my duty to an point the men. I felt I was sending them to
their death but they all came back alive.

"In connection with the separating wall of the parts was
a lookout joined to the wall on its west side and to the parapet on
the north or front, A small group of persons stood on this lookout
which was about ten feet from our gun. The central figure was
Lincoln. Near Mm was General Wright and an »nny surgeon. Bed I ant,
hot with excitement , care in from our picket lines, * bullet hole
in his cap. Scarce knowing what he said he called out, 'President,
you had better come down, the rebels will shoot you.' A few minutes
lster I saw the surgeon fall with a wound in his leg.

"About 5 o'clock on the afternoon of the 12th we were

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told to fire five rounds at the Lay and the Reeves houses. The
Lay house was soon in f lanes. The forces of the enemy were scat-
tering in disorder behind it. The sixth corps men sprang to their
feet and charged. The musketry continued until after nightfall.
By eleven that night the conflict ended.

"As I was returning to the fort I saw a nan crawling with
his leg shattered, I carried him to the barracks where in the light
I saw he wore a grey uniform. They had to amputate his leg and the
shock w=is too much for him and he died begging us to tell his wife
in Nor-th Carolina."

This is the story of the only battle fought within the
D1 street of Columbia during the Civil War, "What Gettysburg is to
the northward movement of the Confederate forces representing the
farthest advance into the federal section, "Fort Stevens is to
Washington representing the nearest approach to the capture of the
seat o*" government" so says the editor of The Evening Star on
March. 14, 1902.

The statistics of the battle are of some interest.
Early claims 8,000 muskets, 40 pieces of artillery with 600 men to
nun them, ^nd 2,000 cavalry making a total of 10,600 men. However,
the accuracy of these figures were questioned by officers of both
the South and t^e North, General Wallace at ft'onocacy estimated
20,000 men, General McCook said 30,000 men and at South Mountain
General Couch counted 60 pieces of artillery. Official records
show 1,255 of Farly 's men captured representing 99 regiments of
Infantry, 36 regiments of cavalry, 10 regiments of artillery, and
6 not specified. From these figures it was estimated that Early's

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forces totaled 22,400 men. At t^e beginning of the battle McCook
reported ^e had 7,885 nen, The arrival of the sixth corps brought
the total to about 20,0C0 ^en. The Union had 54 killed and 319
wounded, the Confederates had 600 total killed and wounded,
THF FORT ANP BATTLF GROUND CFWETFRY SINCF THE ^AR

The war being over the fort for a tine was garrisoned but
after a while wis abandoned. After several yeai»shad passed and the
historical significance of the fort was realized, the "Port Stevens -
Lincoln TM.l*tar-r Park Association wis organized, W, Tr . Cox, a
trember of the organization, purchased the l«nd though the fort was
by then partially demolished. In 1902 Senator Proctor presented a
bill in Congress which was to make the fort into a national pork and
the snail cemetery on the east side of fieorgia Avenue (where some of
the soldiers had buried some of their comrades after the battle) to
be made a United States National Cemetery, As nhe fort was so nearly
demolished <md so little land was available it was not made a park
but the government did take over the cemetery.

On July 12, 1920 the Survivors of the Sixth Corps erected
a s^all monument on the parapet where Lincoln had stood and on this
monument placed n bronze tablet in memory of Lincoln, Wright, and
their comrades »

Tn 1925, Honorable S. E. Cook presented another bill in
congress to m*ke Fort Stevens a National Military Park, However , it
was not passed.

At present all th n t remains of the fort is the ditch of
t^e north and west sides and a flagpole which has been erected close
to the monument put up by the Survivors of the Sixth Corps. But the
cemetery which is near Walter Reid Hospital Is well kept with a man
in constant attendance.

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VIEWS OF FORT STF ir ENS

Looking east Inside of fort showing regaining
* ■=«+; hworks which were the northwest corner o** the original
^ort. Note "onunent ^nd r lsgpole erected In 1920.

Looking e«st inside of ^ort. Note depression fin
^ont ^ f " ^l^gpole 11 w^ere one of the rr.ig^zines w^*> located

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^IEWS OF FORT STEVENS

Monument narking tbe spot where Lincoln
stood and watched the battle.

Bronze tablet on nonunent

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\WP

LajR

JteK

1 v

: llt

ffi^

Looking west *long dlteh

Looking south *long ditch

Karthworks »t west of Fort

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VIEWS 0E BATTLE GROUND CEMETERY

Showing nnnurents
erected by survivors in

r-frnrj of their coT , ^^'' , des

Entrance

Gun at entrance said to be one
used In battle of Eort Stevens.