The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-08-16
JIJBAL A. EARLY
TELLS His STORY.
Els Movement Against The Capital Dur
Ing the Rebellion.
He Places the Number of His Available Men
at Less Than Ten Thousand at the Time
That He Crossed the Potomac.

Lexington Na.) special to the Wash
ington Post gives an interview with Cen
eral Jubal A. Early-who delivered the ora
ton at the unwilling of the Jackson statue
and asked him to relate the Confederate
side of the story of the attack on Washing
ton.
g 1t is claimed" said the Post man, "that
you had $4,000 or 10000 men in front of
Washington on the 18th and 18th of July"
" That is not true" said General Early,
slowly. AT the time that | appeared be-
fore Washington l had less than 5000
men. My movements upon the city, which
has been denominated an attack, was
nothing more than a demonstration.
When General Lee sent me to Lynch
burg to stop General Hunter l said to Lee
that 1 proposed TO go on to Washington to
see if it could be threatened. He replied
that he thought such move would be futile,
as he knew the city was amply defended.
Il thought otherwise. After had moved
up the valley | determined TO cross the Poto-
mac and move down toward Washington.
The rolls OF my command showed that at
StauntOn L had 1000 men, Infantry, artil-
lery and cavalry combined The roads
were so rough that by the time had reached
Winchester | had lost 1900 men by stray
Cling. When | crossed the Potomac l had
less than 10000"
Did that entire force come down to
Washington"
No; l sent a considerable number of
artlllerymen and caYalTymen around by
Frederick 10 cut off the railroad commu-
nicatiOn by way OF the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad with Washington, hoping by
this to make it appear that had larger
force than l really possessed. Then with
the remainder, less than 5000 men, l moved
down upon Washington. l wanted 10 find
out whether the city was defended.
II came down from Rockville after 70
O'Clock on the 18th, and seeing that the forts
were well manned and that dangerous
abattls had been formed by cutting down
trees in front of them, at once determined
to retire. l sent brigade of cavalry out
however, Tor the purpose of making a
demonstration. When they advanced against
the works some troops came out and they
fell back. The troops, L remember, burned
some houses. also senta small detachment
OF my men across Rock Creek toward the
Tenallytown road.
- remained in the vicinity until the 10Th.
and that evening some of my skrmishers
| had an engagement with the troops of the
| Sixth and, Nineteenth corps. | did not re-
gard this as fight, although understand
| that lately there has been some jealousy on
the part Of Union troops rs to who had the
| honor of driving me back"
But did they drive you back?'
''They did not. | would have retired on
the night of the 18th, whether had had the
| skirmish or not"
BLAIR's WINE CELLAR.
General, it has been asserted that vou
aud your officers looted Frank Blair's wine
| cellar, and that as the result of too much i'm
5iblng you could do nothing but retire"
Some OF my men, who reached the ont
skirts Of Washington before l did, took
| some things from Frank Blair's house. Init
when l learned this l made them return 10
me everything that they had taken. and the
articles were given to Mr.. Blair's family
Ii any liquor was taken did not know il.
! l certainly did not see or touch a drop of
| liquor, nor did my officers. There was mn
| orgie or the faintest resemblance of one
around Mr.. Blair's house. We did take
| some OF his cattle, but that was because we
had to have something to eat.''
but why did you give orders to burn
| Montgomery Biair's h0use?'' WA"
Montgomery Bair's house was mayor
burned by my consent, order, or previous
knowledge, or by my men. Indeed, II I
could have proved that any one of nv men
set ire to the house l would have ordered
him to be shot"
"Why ?'
Because the flames gave notice of my de.
parture: The house was a new one. and
full OF loose bits of lumber and shavings
l supposed that it had been ignited by The
bursting OF shells fired from the Federal
forts. When l came up with Rhodes who
commanded cavalry division. and ask aI
him about the house, he said that none OF ~
his men were to blame, but that the fire bed
been started by some neighbors who wara
unfriendly to Blair, and who though. thav
could throw the blame upon ms. I wo,I3
not have destroyed Mr.. Blair's house. As I
know he was opposed to the way in which
the war was being carried on ''N
OPPOSITION TO WALLACE.
General Early also took occasion TO saw
that the force which opposed General Law
Wallace at the Monoracy, between WASH
ington and Point OF Rocks, was only Cor
don's division Of 1900 men, and not 81 ono
men, as Wallace claimed in a speech az
Frederick. N'" "'
Il want to make just one more state
menf, continued General Early. at was
published In the Baltimore American that
the people OF Frederick, Md, ought tn ha
reimbursed for the 100000 which i levied
on them, because had to wait so long for
It that 1t enabled troops to be sent into
Washington to save that city.
The truth is that on my way down
sent my Adjutant General to saw that II The
people OF Frederick did not furnish s5o GOO
worth OF commissary supplies, $50 000
worth OF quartermaster's supplies. S50 OO0
worth OF medical supplies and s50 ooo IN
money L would shell the town. Thew i'm
mediately sent word that they could nav tho
money but could not get the supplies. and
hoped would accept the cash. They said
they would willingly pay $500, 600 if neces-
sary: accepted the $2Oo, OOO, and the
whole transaction did not delay me an hour"