Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-24
VOLUNTEER DEFENDERS
The Two Organizations Organized to
Protect the Capital.
THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR.
The clay Guards and the Frontier
Guards - when Washington was
Threatened BY Invasion-A Proposed
Union Of Veterans.
written for TEE EVENING srAl.

written for TEE EVENING srAn.
R.@NCE PEACE has been restored
NIX between the sections and harmony
&Nand good will prevail all over thi,
E1N happy land among the reunited
~ people, to recall to the memory oil
the living some Of the forgotten but sventfu
incidents, occurrences and facts concerning
| the memorable civil war may not, at this re.
mote period, prove uninteresting TO the read.
ers Of The STAB nor be considered unimportaut
in historical point of view.
In April, 1861, when Washington city was in
a state Of siege and in imminent danger Of At
tack from the armed forces in rebellion from
Virginia. and war between the sections was in.
evitable, on information Of the purpose Of an
intended attack on a certain night FURNISHED
by young Virginian, afterward q gallant off,
Ger in the Union army, now a resident of Wash
lngton), Lieut. Gen. Scott, commander OF the
United States army, sent for me to come to his
office. l had recently been appointed US.
marshal for this District. He desired me forth.
with to raise, arm and equip military force
that could rely on to act as
A MARsHALs GUARD,
to place the force on duty, and to report to him
as occasion might require. Immediately went
to Wizards Hotel, the headquarters at that
time of loyal strangers in the city. Being well
acquainted with many of them selected ten
reliable persons, invited them into a private
room in the hotel, and explained what Gen.
Scott had desired me to do. The suggestion
was heartily approved by them. suggested
that each OF these ten men should select ten
other reliable men, no more, no less, caution
ing them to make no more publicity Of the
matter than was really necessary and to have
their m at oil At q nso
that evening, which was agreed upon. / at
once secured the keys to the hall and made re-
QUESTION for sabers, carbines revolvers and am
munition. At 8 o'clock promptly every ar
rangement was effected as arranged for.
FORMING THE GUARD.
The volunteers were admitted with the arms,
&c. had the doors then locked as a precau-
tionary measure. We had no time for parley-
ing. offered the command of the proposed
organization to Gen. James W. Nye, who sug-
gested that the command be given to some one
with more military experience and said that Gen.
Cassius NJ. Clay Of Kentucky would be good
man for the place and that he had lust arrived
at Wizards Hotel thought well Of the sug-
gestlon and as 1t seemed to be approved by the
gentlemen present Gen. Nye and l went at
once to Clay's room, explained the situation
and told him the object of our visits.
READY IN TWO MINUTES.
wise than by springing to his feet, unlocking
his trunk and hastily taking from it his old
Mexican uniform, sword, hat and sash, in
less than two minutes he had dotted his travel
ing dress and stood in our presence in full
uniform saying, "Come on, / am ready"
We escorted HIM to the hall, and on the plat
form. bowling to those present. without further
preliminaries he addressed his audience with
Are you ready for the fray?" Then, after q
pause and hearty response, he made a stirring
and eloquent five minutes speech. He told
his auditors what he expected Of them and
what their duty and their country demanded Of
them. On the whole his address to them as well as
his demeanor on the occasion was in character
with the discipline Of a veteran commander
addressing veteran troops on the eve of great
battle. He seemed to take everything as a
matter Of course; as il everything had been pre-
arranged and definitely understood and a fight
lmprovised for the occasion The organization
was speedily consummated and the men under
military drill, Gen. Butterfeld Of New York
doing duty as drill sergeant, and before mid
night the command was on guard duty-some
of the men detailed to guard the White House,
some the Treasury Department, the Navy De-
partment, the arsenal and bridges and other
approaches to the city. The command was e.
larged IN day or two by the further eDlis +
ment of $40 men, completing the battalion.
SECOND GUARD ORGANIZED.
Gen. James S. Lane Of Kansas. then United
States Senator, was invited to join the battal-
ion, but declined, preferring to raise q separate
command, and proceeded to do SO forthwith
and raised a similar number Of volunteers,
forming q battalion known and called 1.-The
Frontier Guards" The two commands acted
in concert with great determination, hourly ex-
pecting the 5000 armed confederates in Alex
andria to attempt to enter the city via st.
Elizabeth Hospital and across the Anacostia
Bridge.
No more timely and effective service was at
any time done during the war than was per-
formed by these commands during their brief
service, not one OF them having slept in a bed
from the time of his enlistment until his dis
charge, and it may well be doubted whether
Drawer or more determined and desperate set of
men were ever banded together for
common purpose than those enlisted
under the veteran commanders Gen. Clay and
Gen. Lane. Their valor had been tried in the
war with Mexico, and they shrank not from a
further test OF it in the internecine strife to
preserve the life OF the nation.
OFFICERS OF THE CLAY BATTALION.
Gen. Cassius NJ. Clay, commanding; Gen. J.
W. Nye, major; David Webb of New York, CAP
tain first company; James Curtis of Chicago,
first lieutenant; Frederick Mears Of Illinois,
second lieutenant.
Second company. E. Newton of Albany,
captain; Henry Dixon of Virginia, first Ieuten.
ant; G. V. Boutelle of Troy, N. Y, second lieu
tenant; Frederick L. Littlejohn of Brooklyn,
N Y, adjutant; VIM. H. Hale Of New Hamp-
shire, guide to battalion; r. ]. Thomas of
Dubuque, Iowa, and G. W. Kimball of Boston,
Mass, surgeons; Dewitt C. Littlejohn of
Oswego, N. Y, quartermaster; c. B. DEMO of
Galena, Ill, commissary; Rev. w. E. Hoben,
Yarmouth, Maine, chaplain, with eight SER
geants and eighth corporals.
Of Tennessee, Galusha A. Grow of Pennsyl-
vania, Jno. F. Potter Of Wisconsin, David Will
mot Of Pennsylvania, Peter G. Washington Of
District of Columbia, Col. j. h. Campbell of
Pennsylvania, Gilman Marston Of New Hamp-
shire, /. b. Mexican OF New York, Amasa Nc
Coy Of Albany, NY, Capt J. H. Rowan Of the
navy, Rufus King, L. p. butcher, Abraham
Wakeman, William Millward, Phil E. @. Nc
Pherson Of Pennsylvania and many Others
whose names now are not recollected, equally
distinguished. or the officers and privates in
these two pioneer commands sixty general Of.
fcers were selected during the war and Q great
many others of them became distinguished
afterward as United States Senators, Repre-
sentstives in Congress and otherwise.
VALUABLE SERVICE.
The loyal citizens Of Washington will long
remember with gratitude the service of these
companies when they were surrounded with
southern sympathizers who were ready at an
opportune time to give cooperation and assist
ance to the invaders. The defenders made the
arrest of many disloyA persons, and their
character, courage and determination struck
terror to the enemies of the government within