Nathaniel Banks (1816-1894) Nathaniel Banks was known as “Old Jack’s Commissary General” and “Commissary Banks.” A Union General, Banks was defeated by Stonewall Jackson at Winchester on May 25, 1862 and Cedar Mountain on August 9, 1862. He was typical of a breed of political generals who commanded volunteers with unfortunate… Abraham Lincoln’s White House […]

Fort Stevens During the Civil War, the nation’s capital was ringed by a network of 68 forts and 93 gun batteries which were designed to protect it from Confederate attack from all sides. “Union troops were first stationed in the vacant squares of the city, but as time went on, and the army continued to […]

Campbell General Hospital Campbell General Hospital, located at Florida Avenue and 7th Street several miles north of the White House, was one of nearly three dozen military hospitals in Washington. By 1864, journalist Noah Brooks observed: “All Washington [was] a great hospital for the wounded in the great battle now going…” Abraham Lincoln’s White House […]

Washington Navy Yard Mr. Lincoln frequently visited the Navy Yard to take Potomac cruises, review troops and inspect new weapon enhancements with Captain John A. Dahlgren, commandant of the Navy Yard. Dahlgreen took over after the previous commandant defected to… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Armory The Armory was one of the places to which the President frequently walked from the White House for diversion as well as official business. Early in the war, President Lincoln took a walk and discovered the open doors of the Armory unguarded. As the President later reported the incident to… Abraham Lincoln’s White House […]

McClellan Headquarters When he headed the army, George McClellan maintained a separate headquarters in the home of Charles Wilkes at 19th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. Offices were maintained on the first floor and living quarters on the second. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Navy Department A few weeks after he took office, President Lincoln was prevailed upon by the commandant of the Navy Yard to attend the wedding of his daughter. The President met his social obligation, but the commandant, Franklin Buchanan, did not meet his. Shortly thereafter, Buchanan… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

The Winder Building Annex The Winder Building Annex to the War Department was located across 17th Street; it was the five-story headquarters of General Winfield Scott and later General Henry W. Halleck, the offices of Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs, as well as the Army Ordnance Department and several other… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

The War Department The War Department, located where the Old Executive Office Building now stands to the west of the White House, was a frequent nocturnal destination for President Lincoln’s perambulations. Edwin M. Stanton had enlarged and rehabilitated the building when he became… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Soldiers’ Home Just three days after his inauguration in 1861, President Lincoln took an early morning horseback ride to visit the Soldiers’ Home. Both President Lincoln and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton had summer cottages in the Northeast section of the city to get away from… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >