I live a few blocks from one time they tried to hit DC later - the only time a U.S. President has come under enemy fire was when Lincoln came out to inspect the

I live a few blocks from one time they tried to hit DC later - the only time a U.S. President has come under enemy fire was when Lincoln came out to inspect the situation and some Confederate sharpshooters tried to hit him: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Stevens https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Stevens To your point about logistics and follow-up, they failed because Early had been pushing his troops too hard for too long. It’s hard for us to appreciate just how much effort travel was even in the early railroad era, where basic things like food decided battles. It also didn’t help that the troops decided to recuperate with some looted whiskey at the Blair mansion.