Early's Raid on Washington, June-July 1864

Most Americans know that our national capital was captured by the British during the war of 1812, but how many realize that Washington was almost captured again during the Civil War? The stories of Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg are familiar to us all, and have been widely discussed in books and periodicals. General Jubal A. Early's raid on Washington during the Civil War has not received attention comparable to its importance, however. Numerous accounts have discussed certain phases of Early's raid in detail, but none of them gives a complete picture of the raid from the time of its inception in the minds of the Confederate leaders to its ultimate failure at the very gates of Washington. I have attempted, in this thesis, to write a complete and accurate account of Early's raid, including many aspects which other writers have omitted.