Jubal's Raid: General Early's Famous Attack on Washington in 1864

During the summer of 1864 General Grant was hammering at the gates of Richmond and the Confederacy seemed doomed. In a bold and desperate stroke, General Lee countered by sending Jubal A. Early and a force of only twelve thousand men toward Washington, D.C. After some victories along the way, they crossed the Potomac and caused plenty of confusion and consternation in the capital before retreating. Early reportedly said: "We haven't taken Washington, but we've scared Abe Lincoln like hell!" In fact, Lincoln kept cool, but a lot of others on the Union side did not. The story of that daring diversion, its losses and gains, is memorably told in Jubal's Raid.