PRESS PHOTOGRAPH BY UNDERWOOD & UNDERWOOD, "PHOTO OF BRONZE TABLET DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN. NEWS ITEM- COMMEMORATING THE 56TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF FORT STEVENS, JULY 11 AND 12, 1864. A TABLET WAS RECENTLY UNVEILED AT THE SPOT WHERE PRESIDENT LINCOLN STOOD DURING THE BATTLE. THIS IS SAID TO BE THE ONLY TIME THAT A PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. WAS IN ACTUAL COMMAND OF THE ARMY AND UNDER FIRE. COL. JOHN McELORY, DEPARTMENT COMMANDER OF THE G.A.R. IS SHOWN AT THE LEFT OF THE TABLET.
[np: 1920]. Press photograph, 7-1/4" x 9-1/2." A few light corner chips at blank margins. Typed Underwood explanation of the photograph, 4" x 8," beneath the photo, its upper margin adhered to the verso of the photograph. Very Good.
The Battle is known for Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.'s alleged shout-out to Lincoln: "When the President, visiting the front at the Battle of Fort Stevens, stood up and made himself a target, Holmes is said to have yelled 'Get down, you damn fool!' [online Shapell article on Lincoln and the Battle.]
"After his victory at Monocacy on July 9, 1864, Confederate Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early moved south toward the Union capital of Washington, D.C. On July 11, Early's skirmishers tested the fortifications that encircled the city, manned by clerks and convalescent troops. During the night, veteran Union reinforcements from the Army of the Potomac disembarked from troop transports to bolster the city's defenses. On July 12, Early made a demonstration against Fort Stevens north of the city which was repulsed. In the afternoon, a Federal counterattack drove the Confederate skirmishers back from their positions and nearby Fort DeRussy. President Abraham Lincoln watched the action and came under fire from Confederate sharpshooters. Recognizing that the Union capital was defended by veterans, Early abandoned plans of taking the city and withdrew during the night" [American Battlefield Trust article online about the Battle of Fort Stevens]. Item #41282
Price: $150.00