On April 14, 1861, Washington was 'put into the condition of a siege', declared Abraham Lincoln. Located 60 miles south of the Mason-Dixon Line, the nation's capital was surrounded by the slave states of Maryland and Virginia. With no fortifications and only a handful of trained…
On April 14, 1861, following the surrender of Fort Sumter, Washington was an ideal target for the Confederacy. For twelve days the city's fate hung in the balance-- isolated from the North, without trains, telegraph, or mail, and with a rumored force of 20,000 Confederate soldie…
On April 14, 1861, following the surrender of Fort Sumter, Washington was "put into the condition of a siege," declared Abraham Lincoln. Located sixty miles south of the Mason-Dixon Line, the nation's capital was surrounded by the slave states of Maryland and Virginia. With no f…