Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-01-08
STORIES OF THE WAR.
THE ATTACK ON WASHINGTON IN
1864
Written for the Free Press.

come, the vast majority confine their sight
seeing to the city proper the imposing
public buildings, and the persons and OBJ
iects of note housed and sheltered therein,
A few OF them glance at the picturesque
hills at the north and east, and across the
Potomac at the west and only al occa-
sional careful reader Of the guidebooks
may connect these hills with the few lines
to be found in said guide-books under the
heading "Defenses of Washington"
1t is indeed hard to realize, rs one walks
along the splendid streets and avenues of
modern Washington, where signs of peace
and prosperity appear on every hand, that
twenty-one years ago, it was u heavily for
titled and garrisoned stronghold, and
rightly so, for here were not only the seats
of the civil government but also the
headquarters, the rallying point, the sup
ply depots of the vast armies of the Union.
Mr. Lincoln and his cabinet were always
solicitious for its safety and no doubt,
at most times kept surplus OF troops
here which were needed elsewhere. With
the best of engineering skill, and money
and men in abundance at hand, it was not
difficult to complete an elaborate system
of detcneCS : and when Gen. Mcclellan
set his army in motion in the direction of
Richmond, in the spring OF 1862, Wash
in gtOu was regarded 10y MIN and others as
safe beyond Il prliudVputurc. Great add-
tlons v,.r. afterwards mudr to the system
Of deienceS. II would be interesting, did
space permit, to call attention TO what
may now be- seen OF the general lines of
Notifications, but we have to do with but
part of them.
II the visitor will give himself the en-
joyment of Il drive out l4th street and the
"l4th STR 1T Road, - or by seventh street
past the entrance to the soldiers Home,
ton of these two highways and at a place
called BriphtWood whence TIE "Seycnth
Street Koad' runs uorthwald toward Bal
timore On IA short distance beyond
BriphtWood will be seen on the left a
small ciilrrn. close to which are the re-
mains of "Fort Stevens" Further on IS
a cemetery. where The bodies lie in IA cir
Gle. the feet towards the nag-sta in the
center. At this Christmas season of 1885
all about this spot is as quiet and peaceful
as if if had never known wartime or any
other gathering of men than those sum
moned bv the tolling bell OF the little
church. Yet in 1864. and on Sunday, July
10th, Monday july l1th and Tuesday
july 11th. the fate of Washington was
here decided. Look for the story in the
ordinary histories and Won will find little
or nothiun' Consult old files of Northern
newspapers and YOU will hardly fare bet.
ter, for i'm the raid made at that time on
the railroad from philadelphia to Balti-
more tl, Virrs we're severed and commu-
nication was cut OH Moreover, stirring
events c-uwded one on another IN those
months. ud history was made" SO fast
that any Gclav or interruption in the re-
cordinr hereof meant permanent omis-
sion In these DAYS. however. when pub
lie interest is reviving in the brave deeds
of the men of that time. il is proper that
an uttem It ne made to give Il coherent if
necessali,, ht.ef. account of the move
ments hv Gen Early to capture the cap.
tai. and IN. successful repulse TODD this
has moi ur,.u easy The official records. to
which access has been most readily and
kindly Granted bv Col r. N Scott, are
exceptionally meatrre and unsatisfactory
and neither the surviving participants nor
the historians with whom they obligingly
convers. NAV rightly trust their memo
ries of what happened so long ago. BY
good fortune, however, that veteran and
accomplished officer, Gen. NJ. G. Meigs,
late Ouarterma,ter-Genera of the United
States army, has preserved the pocket
diary which he kept in pencil mt that time.
and Gen. Jubal Early late of the Confed
crate army wrote when he had to use
his own words .conp into exile - in Can
ada in 1866, n Memoir of the last Year
of the War; To both of these am much
indebted
Duriuu the spring and early summer of
1864 the army of the Potomac, under Gen.
Grant had been fighting the bloody bat
Ties of the Overland Campaign" TO re.
enforce him. II had been found necessary
to sind M least Is 900 experienced artilier-
lists from the forts around Washington,
their places being partially taken by new
or troons, 'mostly one hundred day men.
from Ohio, and recruits. In the month of
June while Grant was threatening Peters
burp' Irr saw a chance for diversion The
frontier of the loval States lay almost I'M
protected, for the army of the Potomac
was south of the James River. and the
Shenandoah Valley. after the defeat of
Huntrr nt Lvnchhurp. offered an open
and trmntii,., road ace reasoned that
Grant trusf4,l fo heavy battaliuu, and
that if he r,,lld comm -. him to wit ilrlw
asnt,irjent ,lrtnchmrut from ni3 b.,.ar-
uerinr force TO meet th, Invading column
when he nr,,nn.rd sending northwlrI he
wouId rer.,rI mat b,l.nlrueriur force. n,
murh ,no weakened for lis original de-
SION Accordinrlv. GEN Early. with ~
O00 mon nv MS own nccount but ~ OlO by
ali nthnrc ,unrchrd rnnidiv dawn the
81 ''I'l III, -. a ii,'...1,, a h,r,;,,c