The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-12-06
The Wars Beginning.

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The first troops which arrived a
Washington in April, 1861, were
quartered in the capitol. The Penn
sylyanians were bilIeted in the com
mlttee rooms and offices of the house
the representative hall being reserv
Ell for the Seventh regiment. Armed
men and rude implements of carnage
massed in these marble corridors and
gorgeous rooms, awakened me to q
deep sense of the power and the aban.
don ofmilitary rule. On the luxurious
daGlaSk and brOcaded covered sofas
lay stretched men vino probably neveI
before reposed in such masnificence
over the tapestrial carpet of the floor
were strown in diffusion aud disorder
the suddenly accumulated stores o.
the commisSary department-here &
bacon. there.s.aaarter of beef
or Sad',ie OT~inutton, or -s.ss;. :. s.ss=;s, li.-,-
ham, a a-biscuit, tin drinking cups,
papers OF pepper, bags of salt and
cans of vinegar, filling up the inster-
Stices, and rounding up the pyramid.
Upon the rich and costly bronze orna.
ments, upon the gas chandeliers, and
upon the gilt brackets that held back
the silk and lace curtains, were fes-
tOOned knapSack and belt, cartridge
box and bayonet scabhard, the smaller
implements and surroundings of
Soluier.
In the halls and corridors the men
were being drilled and taught the
expertness of carnage. In broad con-
trast to the dark and polished Ten
nessee marble wainscoling were the
blue uniforms and rough bearing OF
the men. Upon the rich encauStic
things fell with dull, heavy round,
the iron. Sh0d butts of musket and
rifle. The arched and fresc0ed cell.
ing echoed and re-echoed the ringing
clatter of the ramrod, as the recruits
perfected themselves in the manual of
loading their piece. In the senate
chamber were quartered the Sixth
Massachusetts regiment. Upon the
cushioned sofas of the galleries of the
senate chamber the men found excel
lent couches. When they had con-
cluded breakfast in the morning, and
the guard for the day being detailed.
the remainder of the command were
ut their ease. In the Vice P residents
chair sat Col. Jones. the commander
of the force, a frank, free hearted, sol
dierly-lonlsiae .~~~ pt." -'---'-'--a--.-
WAS occupied by the adjutant aud his
assistants, engaged in making up the
incident to active service. The pri
Yates were engaged at the senators
desks writing letters.
All the statuary in the halls of the
capitol, and in the old rOtunda, had
been boxed, to preserve it from in
jury through carelessness. The pic
lures in the panels had also been faced
over with heavy planking, which
secured them from harm. The pOr-
ticos Of the capitol building were
barricaded to the height ofahout eight
feet. The iron plates for the new
dome were used for the hreastwOrks
| between the marble columns. Be
hind these were placed bnrrels OF
cement, piles of stone and timber,
forming an impenetrable barrier, in
the rear of which the troops could
take shelter in case of an attack. II
seemed a strange contradiction to see
the wOrkmen engaged in the con
structiOn of the porticO. going on with
their labor of laying the foundation
amid thousands of armed men the
click of the chisel, the stroke of the
hammer, and the ring of the trowel
blending with the word of command
the challenge of the guard, and tht
tramp of the battalions drilling in tht
corridors. So reluctant was civiliZa
tiOn to recede before the advancing
desolation of war, that the artisan
fingered to enrich with his skill hi
parapet and dome that the morrow
may see leveled to their foundations
Within musket range of the outpost
of the troops were even then a scOr,
of men chiSeliDg in marble the flow
ers and clusters of grape and iv.
wreath with which the finished pQr
ti0ns of the capitol were so profusel.
decorated. Ben Perley POore.
, Considerable margin for hilarit.
, may be allowable on the part of ou
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