| Existing comment:
Built in 1848, the Winder Building was named after General William Winder. If you've never heard of him it's because he's the American general whose claim-to-fame is losing the Battle of Bladensburg in 1814 which allowed the British to take over Washington DC and burn it to the ground. During the Civil War, it provided office space for the Union's biggest generals from Winfield Scott to Ulysses Grant. Located just across the street from the Old Executive Office Building and thus the White House, Lincoln was here a lot. In 1861, this was the scene of the first meeting between Winfield Scott and Robert E Lee where Scott offered Lee command of the Union army. Later on, Francis Blair met again with Lee, this time at the Blair House, and asked him to please decide the issue. Lee considered but Virginia seceded so Lee quit the Army and joined the Confederacy. When Lincoln was assassinated, the Winder Building served as the command headquarters for the efforts to capture and try John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators. I worked in this building for several years when I was with the Office of the US Trade Representative. |