The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-08-12
A War Memory

The ncighborhoOd OF the Silver Springs
farm itself is occupied by q community Of
Blairs. A more elegant country seat than
that Of The senior Blair is that OF his son.
Montgomery Blair. This latter house has
borne witness TO q very remarkable chap
1er in American political and revolutions
;,ly history. 1t was about this house that
Ike advance guard Of the rebel army I'M
der General Early and General Gordon,
now United States Senator Gordon, en-
camped while on their way to attack the
then detcnccless national capital from tile
North and it is doubtless due to the neg
Iigcntc Of the Confederate commanding
officers and TO the bavchanai festivities Of
the confederate line in the vicinity of Sill
Yer Springs. that the rebel cavalry did not
enter and burn Washington -Four hours
probably stood between WASHINGTON and
its destruction. Those who lived during
that time remember the terrible scenes.
The home guards We're prepared to do
THEN best duty, and the convalcscents,
even. from the hospitals struggled to
shoulder their old guns. The CONSERVATION
nj the State department was 50 great that
Nil the valuable archives Of the govern
mcmt had been packed upon a steamer at
lllt 1tk tDlil-Stlttu w tlll |, ana illt
WAS ready to be cut from her moorings
and to run the gauntlet to the Army of
the James at the word OF command. The
scouts brought word OF the advance of
Earlv's division The hasty rmor swelled
the division into an immense army. The
army which should have defended Wash
ington was following the shovel and the
hoe in the southern Potomac country and.
81 1. IL
OF the Potomac army was ordered to
Washington with the utmost possible dis
patch This famous corps, reused from
their camps. We're upon the steamers al
most before they knew it, and were landed
nj seyenth-street wharf in quicker time
than the strength OF the boilers OF the good
Ships would have allowed This brought
them to the northern line OF the tortilica-
tons tour hours before the break of day
and the same number of hours before tire
COnicderates. conscious OF an easy victory,
were aware of the presence of the noted
"lghting SIXTH Meanwhile, the Conied-
crate generals. for what reasons has never
yet been clearly shown, had stopped their
advance at the Silver Springs boundary,
intending TO march in along the Seventh
street road on Washington early in the
morning The captains OF Early's corps
halted at the elegant mansion OF Mont
gomcry Blail-and the house was speedily
burned. 1t IS related that as soon as the
flames flashed up the rebels shouted thro
their drunken leers. Remember Phil
Sheridan and the Shenandoah Valley"
They tried in like manner to destroy the
house OF old Francis Blair But friends.
Who IN the revelS of the night did not for
get the ties Of the old days and the respect
due to old age, had placed Gordon of
soldiers around the home at Silver Springs,
with orders to protect it from destruction
at all hazards. This WAS done. and Fran
els Blair has to-day to thank the present
United States Senator Gordon and the
dead General Breckenridge that his home
was lot reduced to ashes The morning
came. The advanced rebels awoke from
their reYcls to find that there was facing
them, on the heights Of the North Ridge,
something more than the picket OF the
monographs. They saw there, in their
well known badge, the famous Fighting
Sixth, drawn up in line ready for battle
ne tonio deratc commanders We're dis
mayed, but they We're rash enough to vol
unteer skrmish The result was 100 dead
on both sides. and Il saved CITY. The 100
dead lie sleeping together in the little en-
closure east of the Seventh street road
and the Union flag now waves over the
ashes of both the blue and the gray TChi-
cago Tribune.