National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-04-23
THE CAPTURE or wAsHINGrON.

earlier Stages oil the rebellion, On inc -pu
lay of April, 1861, just eighteen years ago
to-day, the Richmond Examiner gave hitter.
ance TO the following choice specimen of
patriotic literature which we reproduce
now as an anniversary memento of that in
tercsting and troublous era in our national
history:
The capture of Washington city is perfectly
within the power of Nrginia and Maryland,
il Virginia will only make the effort by her
constituted authorities nor is there single
moment to lose. The entire population pant
for the onset; there never was half the
among the people before, nor n tithe
of the zeal, upon any subject, that is now
manifested to take Washington, and drive
from 1t every Black Republican who is
dwellcr therein.
From the mountain tops and valleys to tho
shores of the sea, there is one wild shout OF
fierce resolve to capture Washington city at all
and every human hazard The Glthy cage of
unclcau birds must and will assuredly be
purified by fire. The people arc determined
upon it, and are Clamorous for a leader to con-
duct them to the onslaught. That leader will
assuredly arise, aye, and that right speedily.
1t is not to be endured that this flight Of
abolition harpics shall come down from the
black North for their roosts in the heart of the
South, TO dcdlc and brutalizc the land. They
JoT 'S oU' u,,c'igS, t.eE ~ i and
fire, and this is the only promise they have
ever redeemed. The innatical yell for the I'M
llfu.",e Sn.yuEaton o' 'me WIZ ,Uo oT ali
the North p: and for the purpose of making
their work sure they have determined to hold
washington .2 c'ty as ,hc point from "he"eo 10
Orr ncnnlc can tnl,e it--thcv will take it
and SCoTr the urch.traitor, and LINCOLN, the
beast combined cannot prevent II. me JusI
people will teach the illinois ape to repeat his
race and retrace his journey across the borders
OF to lree negro states sun more rSPiuy n ;mn
an onnortunitv Mt the same time to try the dif.
ference between "ScoTrs tactics" and the
shanghai arm OF qhck movements. .,.,
orI ,yill hn ni,,cn ~ tthat fostoring sinl, of
iniquity, that walow of LINCOLN aud SCoTr-
the dcsecInted city OF washington; ana many
.hat ,;I iii I, "I o,,' Va o aIlo,rs hn
fore the great work is accomplished. So let
it be.
Ihis was published three days after the
riot in Baltimore, which, no doubt, formed
link in the chain OF events that were TO
preccde the threatened capture OF the city
Of Washington, but was deferred under CIR
cumstances and for reasons that we VIII
allude to hereafter 1t may not DE out oil
place to here mark the contrast revealed ny
the circumstances of that period When
these dire threatenings were Illuminated
against the Black Republicans by the rebels
| at Richmond the presence oil out-spoken
traitors and spies was tolerated in the very
Capital they sought to capture
In this connection it may not be uninter-
esting to state the fact that at the time OF
the riot in Baltimore, on the 10Th of April
| 1861. the American Telegraph Company was
the only line whose wires run between New
York and Washington, and that that COM
| pany were also the lessees of the wires from
Washington to New Orleans Shortly after
the occurrence in Baltimore the attention OF
the manager of the Washington Office, who
is now an Qttache of THE NATIONAL REPUB.
IIcAN. was called TO the fact thai
the onerator at Baltimore was giving TO thu
operator at Richmond a detailed account o.
the affair unon n through wire" Real
izing that such news would inspire th
rebels in Virginia, and perhaps precipitat
an attack upon Washington before prope
defense could be prepared, the manager q
once disconnected the wires passing through
the Washington office, thus making
necessary that all business should be re
peated at Washington, where II could D
inspected and all revolutionary matte
could be detained, and, II needs De, sup
pressed under the direction oi the 5ecre'ar
Of War By this means knowledge o
the destruction OF the bridges and the tear
ing up of the railroads was kept from IN
South until 1t was conveyed thlther D
persons travelling hom one point to III
other. by this means considerable tim
was gained to the Union cause, and beior
the rebels could ne apprlsed oil the re'
condition OF affairs the Government h"d
sufficient number OF troops at ITS comman
to make any attempt 10 capture Nast
ington futile But lor inns me
ruption Of the wires the ofucl
quoted above might possibly nave appeare
on the Goth instead Of the @jd OF April an
the effort for the capture OF Wasmngto
city might have been inaugurated in tim