On July 11, Lincoln appeared at Fort Stevens, north of Washington, which was under fire from Early's men. To soothe an alarmed populace, Lincoln and Stanton rode there in an open carriage. The tall, angular president, peeping over the fort's parapet, made a prime target for Confederate marksmen, and one Union soldier {possibly Captain Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.}, unaware it was Lincoln, shouted, "Get down, you fool."13 It was the only time in American history a sitting president came under fire in combat.
( Ron Chernow )
[ Grant ]
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