Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1867-08-23
From our Washington Correspondent.
The soldiers Home on
Presidcnts' Summer
Resort.

Presidcnts' Summer
Resort.
This place IL frequently spoken Of In
a casual way, but I never remember
seeing in print full history of It; so
have concluded to lay one before your
readers as learned 1t on visit there.
The Home Is farm of 800 acres, nearly
on line directly north Of the Capitol.
The Seventh street road Is the main
road that leads to the heroes last COM
fort and repose-for there they spend
their last days and are buried from the
conflict of battles fiercest array.
1t is mile and half from the
suburbs of the city, just inside the line
of Notifications that incircled 1t during
the war. Forts Totten and Slemmer
are the nearest, being only few hun
dred yards distant, This Is one Of the
highest points In the District. The
front Of the Home overlooks the tower
Ing dome of the Capitol, and all the
country and the Potomac far below
and with field glass can
be seen Fort Washington-the main
fort that commands the river, during
the war its value could not be- truly es-
timated: also Mt. Vernon with its his
toric and happy memories can easily
be seen with field glass. The rear of
it gazes on one of the most beautiful
valleys, of some thirty miles in width,
of Maryland, in the direction of Balti-
more; while more westwardly rises the
hazy peak of Sugar Loaf mountain,
made memorable during the war. One
could sit OH the tower of the Home
and see the assaults of Breckenridge
and Early on Fort Stevens, some three
miles distant, as plainly as II the smoke
rolled beneath its own columns.
There was Naval Asylum at Phila-
delphia, for sailors and seamen, who
had been in the naval service for twenty
years, or been disabled but there was
no home for soldiers; at the close oi
the Mexican war General Scott pro.
posed to take some money that was
captured in Mexico, and add to II tax
of 25 cents per month OH the wages o,
every soldier In the regular army, to
build homes-it Is now reduced to
twelve and half cents. Three Homes
were established-all in the South.
The other two were destroyed by the
rebels as they did the tomb of Mrs.
Washington, at Fredericksburg, vir-
ginia, which they made q target of,
and all other things of note and en-
blems of devotion to the country.
All Of the buildings except the present
hospitpl, the house that Lincoln lived
In, is built of Sing Sing marble. There
is nothing peculiar in this marble, fur
ther than 1t Is of excellent quality
being clear white, 1t shows at great
distance, and looks well when close To
1t. The house where Lincoln lived
was the residence of Mr.. Riggs, who
sold II to the Government for the pur.
pose 1t In devoted to. This house Ia
peculiar in its appearance, rs well as
note worthy, as all other things are
that are connected with Lincoln, even
from his boyhood. 1t Is built on the
style of the cottage residence of the
poet Burns. The present dispensary
was the library OF Lincoln. Ivy and
other choice and rare vines clust and
twine themselves 80 thickly over the
house i'm midsummer, that one can
scarcely tell what 1t Is built of.
1t must have been pleasant for Lin
coin TO have sat there In that rural
home, where the memory of the great
Burns came up by the very association
of things, after he had been waiting
anxiously to hear the news from Bull
Run, Antietam, yicksburg. or Gettys-
burg.
The Home was finished under the
administration of Pierce and his Sec
retary of War established the rules,
and they hang there In full force,
signed by JEFF. Davis. 1t Is strange to
me that those and all other orders are
not taken down by Stanton, and show
to the rebels and the world, that while
we are not biood-thirsty, yet, that we
hold q contempt for treason, and that
no man connected prominently with
the rebellion Is to be allowed the least
vestage of honor. Buchanan was the
first President who resided there, and
Lincoln was the last. Stanton now
resides there In an old fashioned house
OF comfort, on the farm nearest the city.
General Dimmick, whose palmy days
were OH the battlc-fields of Mexico, is
the present commander there. Col.
Mack, who was on the staff Of General
Thomas during the war, is the next in
command. There Is one old soldier
here, Peter Teste, who served In the
campaigns from 1904 to 1905, under
In the battles Of Eylan,
Heilsburg, Friedland, Jena, Elchingen,
and Austerlitz. Then he came to the
United States and served his steward
ship here. He possesses more than a
common fund Of general knowledge,
not only Of this country. but also OF
France and Europe in general. He is
II years Of age. He lives In small
cottage that he built In the woods. near
halfway between the Home and where
lives. There are not very
many soldiers of the late war here
principally from the Mexican. There
10 cemetery on the farm for those
whose lot 1t has been TO fall near here
In the late war. Its place of interest.
The grounds are well fixed up with
graveled walks, beautiful arbors are
erected here and there all over 1t. and
int.rspersed at every vacant space
choice and rare flowers bloom and wave