On this day in the Civil War, the Confederate army under General Jubal Early attacks the Federal army commanded by General Philip Sheridan. During the initial onslaught by the Confederates, General Sheridan is attending a meeting in Washington. The Federal troops are initially pushed back, however; General Sheridan rallies the troops as he returns at full gallop.
The Federal troops win the battle and General Sheridan and his horse Rienzi gain national fame by their ride to the battlefield.
Rienzi is on display at the National Museum of American History in Washington D.C.
