WASHINGTON (D. C), Early's Attempt on. On 13 June 1864 General Early marched from Gaines' Mills, under orders from General Lee, to attack and drive General Hunter from the Shenandoah Valley and then cross into Maryland near Leesburg, or at or above Har per's Ferry, and threaten Washington, thus hoping to draw troops from Grant's army. Hunter's failure at Lynchburg (q.v.) and his retreat toward the Kanawha left the Shenan doah Valley open to the movement into Mary land, and 27 June Early concentrated his army at Staunton, moving next day down the valley and reaching Winchester 2 July. He brolce the railroad west of Martinsburg, drove Gen eral Siget from that place 3 July and across the Potomac to Maryland Heights (q.v.), crossed the Potomac at Shepherdstown Ford, demonstrated on Sigel, then crossed South Mountain by Turner's, Fox's and Crampton's Gaps and attacked and defeated Gen. Lew Waliace on the Monocacy (q.v.), 9 July, Wal lace retiring on the Baltimore road, leaving open to Early the road to Washington. Early had under his command the four infantry di visions of Rodes, Ramseur, Gordon and Echols, Ransom's division of cavalry and Long's three battalions of artillery, in all about 15,000 men and 50 guns. On the morn ing of 10 July Early marched on the direct road to Washington and bivouacked at night four miles north of Rockville. McCausland's cavalry brigade, which had preceded him, drove from and beyond Rocicville, about 600 Union cavalry, under command of Major Fry, of the 16th Pennsylvania cavalry. During these movements, from the time of entering Mary land, the Confederate cavalry was industri ously engaged in gathering up horses, sheep, hogs and cattle of all kinds, grain, bacon and subsistence of every kind, and. shoes and cloth ing. The livestock was driven across the Potomac. Bradley T. Johnson's cavalry brigade, moving from Frederick toward Bald-, more, occupied several towns on the way and destroyed the Northern Central Railroad at Cockeysville.
Another cavalry aetachment stopped a train of cars at Magnolia Station, on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and burned the train and Gunpowder River bridge. Wires were
cut and communication with the north severed. At dawn, 11 July, Early marched through Rockville, McCausland, who had the advance, took the Georgetown road and by 9 o'clock was stopPed by Colonel Lowell, with a small cavalry force, in advance of Fort Reno. He formed Early's right. The main force, pre ceded by Imboden's cavalry brigade, marched for the Seventh Street road, running past Sil ver Spring, while Jackson's cavalry brigade moved on the left flank. Imboden's cavalry drove a small body of Union cavalry into the works on the Seventh Street road and, dis mounting, deployed as skirmishers. Early rode ahead of his infantry and arriving in front of Fort Stevens at noon, discovered that the works were hut feebly manned. The noethern defenses of Washington consisted of a series of detached works, at intervals of 800 to 1,000 yardi, genetally connected bY riflezpits; 'Ind mounting 400 heavy guns with a large range of fire. The one in Early's front, west of Seventh Street road, was Fort Stevens, with Fort De Russy on its left, from which it was separated by a deep ravine, through which ran Rock Creek; the one on the right was Fort Slocum. Fort Stevens had been furnished with a powerful armament, mostly of siege guns, well protected by embrasures and traverses. It had an extensive bomb-proof ; and a hollow in the rear was capable of sheltering large bodies of men from artillery fire. General Augur, commanding the defenses, had col lected some heavy artillerymen and a miscel laneous force of militia, convalescents, invalid corps, marines and sailors, department clerks and other ernployees of the government, and placed them under command of Gen. A. McD. McCook. The whole force, prior to the ar rival of the Sixth corps, numbered about 8,000 men. The line immediately north of the city was garrisoned chiefly by the 150th and 151st Ohio regiments of 100 days' men, two or three companies in each fort, and by detach placed them under command of Gen. A. McD. Hardin's division of the 22d corps, whose two brigades held the entire line of 16 forts from the Potomac, above Chain Bridge, to the Eastern branch.