The American Civil War - Chronologically

July 16, 1864 Early Attacked at Purcellville Purcellville, VA  https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=159199 Attacked at Purcellville "We found in the road many broken down and burned wagons" —Early's 1864 Attack on Washington— In June 1864, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee sent Gen. Jubal A. Early's corps from the Richmond battlefields to the Shenandoah Valley to counter Union Gen. David Hunter's army. After driving Hunter into West Virginia, Early invaded Maryland to attack Washington, D.C., draw Union troops from Richmond, and release Confederate prisoners held at Point Lookout. On July 9, Early ordered Gen. Bradley T. Johnson's cavalry brigade eastward to free the prisoners. The next day. Johnson sent Maj. Harry Gilmor's regiment to raid the Baltimore area. Union Gen. Lew Wallace delayed Early at the Battle of Monocacy on July 9, Federal reinforcements soon strengthened the capital's defenses. Early attacked there near Fort Stevens on July 11-12 and then withd...

July 14, 1864 Early Crosses at White's Ford North of Leesburg, VA Early returns, failing to have captured Washington or Confederate POWs as planned. "Early's force left Leesburg on the morning of July 16 to the Shenandoah Valley. A Union cavalry stationed ten miles west at Poolesville recaptured the Maryland side."  https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=132655 More White's Ford... https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=811

July 11 and 12, 1864 The Battle of Fort Stevens Washington, D.C. Horatio G. Wright VI Army Corps vs. That desperate bastard Jubal Early With everyone pulled into the fighting around Richmond and Petersburg, Washington, DC was left virtually defenseless against the Confederate forces that had broken through at Monocacy (eventually). Literally, only sick and old guys were left in the forts around the capital. When Early got to the outskirts of DC there were really just these few irregulars left to defend the city, and they fought badly on the first day. Citizens of DC were in a panic. Some, like those working in the quartermaster's office, were quickly armed and organized. However, the Union had bought itself time at Monocacy, and as a result Fort Stevens was fully reinforced with people who knew what they were doing on the second day of battle. Grant was able to spare a few from Virginia; the Confederates were hoping he would do that, but he didn't take enough to make much of a ...

July 9-11, 1864  Gilmor's Raid  AKA The Magnolia Station Raid (though that's really a sub-set of the larger raid) Baltimore and Harford Counties, Maryland There's a lot going on here and I'm still piecing it together, so let's consider this entry (really, all of them) a work in progress. This could be my absolute favorite Civil War moment right here: the days the war came closest to where I live and work today. And Gilmor is a bastard of a villain just short of Lee. OK, maybe not on the same scale as Lee, but he's still an a-hole. Fittingly, though disappointingly, he becomes the Chief of Police in Baltimore after the war - and he fires on some striking railroad workers.  There is some irony in knowing that the street named for him is in West Baltimore's Sandown-Winchester neighborhood - epicenter of the 2015 Baltimore uprising. Gilmor Homes, an undeniably notorious housing project in the same area, also bore his name.  From Brett W. Spaulding's Last Ch...