The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-04-04
WHOLE NO. l343.
aenIs. and arns ssl aaifgrms bastI-

fqGiekiy b9rrica6e5, and 81 the bead
fof PeansylyaDis and New York aev.
I nnes. near The Treasury ueparsmeuf
batteries Of artillery were planted
Sunday night, the 10th, the enemy
4 was expected. It was known thar
their advance had reached Rockville
in the morning. a6d q forced march
would have Brouehtthem in front Of
sthe city before nlght The streets
aud agsnues were deserted From
the priaeipal streets every vehicie.and
other obsssueIioa had beea removed.
while thousands passed a sleepless
night, expecting the enemy's sentraaee
before morning. Bat tbey did not
COME, asd The morning Of ths IIih
dawned upon the espital-stiil safe,
and upon the ADVANCE Of the rebel
army within gunshot OF It's deienses.
That Wash'Hgton could have been
captured oaahe nlght Of the l0sb aad
at aay tiwe before the oyeniag Of the
/ IIth has been claimed bF rebel aa-
thorilies and generally conceded by
I the best inf5rmed Of tie Uoion army
Why was it not taken ? Various
reasons have been assigned, but the
trae one must be found ia the snbse-
quent admissions OF Easly himself
They clearly indicate that at ibe criti-
I eal moment when orders bad been
given for an advance, both Early and
Rhodes were deceived into the be-
/ lief that the FeinfoTcements scot by
( Grant had reached the city aud were
in strong position 10 sheir font
As this portion Of the history Of
the rebel mavement Hpon Washing
ton IS but little known, we deem il
proper 70 bring the rebel commander
on the staud as . witDess against
himself. lie had been severely
blamed for bis fsilure 10 grasp the
prize which, for whole day, lay
within reach Of bis grasp, aad to de-
iend himself be was forced 10 explain
why it vas that be held his army 10
cheek at he very moment when it's
advance must have secured the Fed
eral capital In his report Early
saws:
y shogt time alter noon July li.)
riding some distance ahead ofmy in
fsntry | got ID sight Of tbe forti6ea-
tions of Waskiaetou, into which a
force of the enemy's cavalry had re-
tired before mine. The works were
apparenlly feebly manned, though
.tGey appeared to sc strong in them
selves. Ny whole colnmn was nov
lag BIZ the flaak along'tbe road from
necessity OF the else, as the character
Of the c0aasfy would nos permit
movement ia sny other way aud The
trains were interspessed 10 the eoE
ann TOR proieetion. sent word for
the leading division to be brought
up as rapidly as possible, and for the
other divisions except one TO De left
a. a guard to tie traio5, to move out
of the column 70 the front This wss
tee w5rgof tfr-rs. General Rhodes
was ordered 10 haze his division
brought inta finc as il came up and 70
move ~ onee sEsinas the works
While his brigade was coming Gp be
aud / were in font examining the
works. and before bis FIRST brigade
could be formed into line We saw a
cloud Of dust from the direction Of
Washington and & column Of infantry
had Sled into the trenches on the
right and left and regiment was sent
70 the front az skirmishers. We saw
the men deploy with precision, and
Rhodes remarked, they are not hun
dred days men; they are cid sol
diers ~
This was the movement that de-
eeived Early into the belief that
portion Of Grants army bad arrived
and that made him hesitate about
throwing himself upoa an unknown
force. His hesitation was the saliva
tion Of the CITY, for not until three
o'clock in the afternoon did 9 soldier
from either the sixth or nineteenth
corps disembsfk at the wharf a.
Wasbi0gtou-uearIg I've niles from
the scene Of Gcrion.
TIE regimsHt-os rather tie skels-
ton regiment. for {. 1amosred less
than four hundred men-ihat bad ad
vanced as skiymishers, and deployed
with such precision as % deeeiTs
bytA Early aad Rhodes, was the
twentY-6fln New York. dismognted
cavalry, under the command of Caps
8. T. Chamberlain. It-had been o.
dered 70 Camp Stonemsn 70 Dc re-
monntsd, Gor II bad seen active ser
vice aad by tie casualties of battles
bad loss, not OaIy ia numbers, bat IN
everything save courage AID eada-
rance It lefs City Point On the Ilb
Of Jaly, arrived g. Baltimore on the
slb, a1d Camp Ss5aemsn On the 9En-
IL was destined sc have % resi-, foF
al mid9ig6E ol the 10Th i was order
ed % move ss quickly as possiole "a
10 the defsases % W2s;siagt0u- Al
DAY break Il had rsacsed f0yt SseFens, I
and during tht morning It ksps ap az
active exchange Of shots win the ad-
rance posts Of the re5gi army
Ezrls's sharpshooteTs bad taken pos
session Of the houses within rife
range Of Fort Stevens, aoa 70 di=l0cze
them Gud destroy the noGses became
a necessity. TIE work might test
the courage Of the Oldest veterans. +
bus Cap,aia afterwards CUlssel 4
Chamberizia sad nis g8il4ns msa
we're eqasl - the occasion. AZ two
o'el0ek be received TIE orders % sd-
vance as skirmisheTs The men
spraug isto line as If sb0ut 70 90 on
para lie instead Of into TIE face of "a
army oi fifteen thousand strong To
make tee attempt with an army al
their back 10 support them ~ooid
have been gallant work, Do. 70 charge
upon the rebel ostposIs with oily a
defsGseiess city to fail baek upon. WIS
al act Of VaioE unsurpassed 10 the
history Of TIE var Is very boldaess
dece!ved The enemy. The SIKH
e9rps was deemed iBviHcibie. Is
presence on the Esld vas equal 70 an
additional eorps. Early lad heard Of
rs deEaebmeas from Grants forces
be had been advised Of iIs approach. /
and uyheo he .azT the -keisr0a rexi-