The Battle of Washington
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Lee received news of the fall of Louisiana and the invasion of Alabama with trepidation. Suddenly the Confederate heartland was under assault. Lee knew that unless the United States was knocked back, and the European enemies of the US convinced to join in, the Confederacy was doomed. Lee, along with former US President Patterson (who had moved to Virginia after being removed from office) called for an attack on US positions in Maryland. The idea had new merit, because the pacified Eastern front allowed the US to focus on a new push into Tennessee.
Lee was ordered to attempt an attack on Washington itself. Lee expressed his worries about American fortifications in the city, but his fears were overruled. President Brown and the war department felt that a push against Washington, and a victory anywhere near the city would result in Confederate gains and recognition. Lee was worried about the potential trapping of his army against the Sea. He instead wanted to march past Washington into Pennsylvania. This would force the Union to chase him, and he could chose the ground on which he made his stand. Lee was overruled.
So, in November of 1867, the Army of Northern Virginia crossed into Maryland. Meade, who was still in command of the divisions based around Washington, went into a panic. He had the capital evacuated as the Confederate guns began pounding US forts. Meade, deciding to take the battle to the enemy, ordered General Pope to join him and drive Lee back into Virginia. Pope, abandoning Leesburg, marched east with haste. The battle was to pit 65,000 Union men, against 49,000 Confederates.
Lee, upon learning that the Union army was moving, halted. He saw no reason to tire his army out to rush and meet the US army, when it was coming to him. Lee positioned himself North of Cotting Lake, a lake formed by the Potomac river. Lee, in a bold move, decided to straddle the river. With the time he had to prepare, he ordered the bridges blown, except for three, and positioned his forces at those three bridges. Meanwhile he secured the southern high ground and waited for the Union army to arrive. Richard S. Ewell was ordered to defend the far side of the river and hold his ground against whatever Union assault came. He held the river and was tasked with ensuring no Union army crossed it.
Meade arrived and immediately attacked. He knew his numbers far outweighed the Confederate’s. He ordered General Franklin and General Pope to move forward and assault confederate positions. Franklins’ men rushed into the Confederate defenses with great aplomb. Such was the strength of their charge that the Confederate lines under George Pickett and Jubal Early began to waver. Pope’s men had a harder time of it. Pope began marching south towards Lee under heavy fire from Lee’s position. Pope himself was shot from his horse and injured. As he was taken from the field, his men lost heart and fled. Lee, seeing the entire flank begin to crumble, charged, the retreat became a rout. Franklin, worried that his men would be struck in the flank, turned much of his army. He then marched east across an open field of North-South fire to reach the retreating forces of Pope. His march, though costly, brought him to the Union right just in time to stop the bleeding and defend the retreating men.
Meanwhile General Grant was issued orders to take the Northern most bridge at any cost. Even under heavy fire his men preformed well and managed to seize the bridge. General Ewell was unable to press Grant back, but Meade ordered his retreat nonetheless. Rather than just leave the bridge intact, Grant detonated gunpowder and sunk it, trapping Ewell beyond the river for a time. Instead of trying to ford the river, Ewell marched south to reinforce Early and Pickett. His men, many unscathed, then crossed with Early and Pickett and drove into the thinning lines of Franklin’s forces.
With Franklin thus engaged, Lee took on the weakened forces of Pope and the newly arrived men under Meade. With his cannons in support from the higher ground, Lee pounded the Union lines, and the already damaged units fled. It only took one final push to drive the Union forces from the field. Grant was able to delay, at heavy cost, the Confederate pursuit, so the Union army was able to escape north. However, the Union soldiers were hounded by Confederate cavalry. The sight of sabers sent the broken army into a full rout, back across the Maryland border. Soon the number of men who threw down their rifles and fled, outnumbered those still brave enough to fight.
The wounded General Pope was taken prisoner as his wagon was abandoned. Soon, Washington D.C. suffered the same fate. Union troops fled past the city, and the sight of thousands of fleeing soldiers drove many within the forts near the city to flight. Washington was open to Lee, who marched his bruised Army across the river and into the city, only needing to swat a few points of resistance away. Lee prevented his men from pillaging, but did permit a Confederate flag to fly from the White House. On Christmas Day, 1866, Confederate President Albert G. Brown held a ball in celebration in the White House, both a British General and a French politician were in attendance.