Horatio Wright was dispatched to Washington City to defend against Confederate General Jubal Early's raid on July 11–12, 1864, commanding the Washington Emergency Defense Force, consisting of the VI, VIII, and XIX Corps. During the defense of Fort Stevens, he gained notoriety by inviting PresidentAbraham Lincoln to join him on a parapet exposed to enemy fire. As the two men were preparing to leave the parapet, Lincoln was felled by a sharpshooter's bullet.[1]