Existing comment:
Topographical Map of the Original District of Columbia and Environs: Showing the Fortifications around the City of Washington
E.G. Arnold, 1862
Like President Lincoln, Washington, DC was relatively vulnerable and unprotected at the outset of the Civil War. As tensions rose, the Union Army built an extensive network of fortifications around the capital city to thwart potential attack. In 1862, Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, ordered a review of Washington's defense system, which revealed Fort Stevens -- located less than 2 miles from the Soldiers' Home -- as the weakest link in the chain of fortifications. The review called for an increase in troops and supplies to strengthen Fort Stevens and other Washington, DC forts. |