Washington was one of the most heavily defended cities in the world during the Civil war. It had a ring of forts that completely surrounded the city. In addition, a large amount of Union troops were always held in reserve in the city, or in the immediate area. For the south to attempt a full scale invasion would have been too costly in both men and resources to make it worth the cost.

This did not stop the South from sending a limited amount of troops on missions to threaten the capital so as to force the Union to draw on needed military resources at the fronts to help defend the capitol. The most famous run at Washington was made by Gen. Jubal Early. He and his troops got as far as Fort Stevens at the Washington D.C. / Maryland border, before being turned away by Union troops.