Fort Stevens

In 1920, veterans of the Battle of Fort Stevens erected a stone marker paying tribute to President Lincoln's presence at the battle. (Photo source: National Park Service)

"Get down, you fool!": Lincoln's Scare at Fort Stevens

7/10/2015 in DC by Mark Jones

This weekend marks a special anniversary: the only time a sitting U.S. President came under enemy fire. It happened right here in Washington -- at Fort Stevens -- when Confederates under Lt. Gen. Jubal Early advanced on the fort while President Lincoln was there.

Friend of the Blog and Tenleytown, D.C. native Jim Corbley recounts the harrowing incident -- which included some terse words for the President from his aide-de-camp, future Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes -- in this special guest post.