From the Jan. 7, 2021, CNN "Before Wednesday, insurgents waving Confederate flags hadn't been within six miles of the US Capitol" by Eliott C. McClaughlin.
During the Civil War, no Confederate flag ever came to the U.S. capitol building, but then, Wednesday was another thing altogether. Not only did one come close to the structure, one was brought inside it, and not in a friendly manner either.
Versions of the Confederate flag had appeared in the building as parts of legitimate exhibits before, but until January 6, 2021, the closest any rebel carrying that flag had come to the Capitol was about six miles, during the Battle of Fort Stevens on July 11 and 12, 1864.
The Battle of Fort Stephens was the closest the Confederacy ever came to conquering Washington, D.C., and pulling off what the British had done in 1814. By 1864, the South was battered, but still had enough so that on July 11, Confederate Lt. General Jubal Early, could sit on his horse by Fort Stephens and view the dome of the Capitol some six miles away.
He determined the defense of D.C. as being "feebly manned." And, he wasn't completely wrong in the assessment.
--Old Secesh
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