Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-07-18

or batteries should be subjected not only to
the fires Of many points along the line. but also
from heavy rified guns from distant points I'M
attainable by the enemy's field guns. The
forts were built Of earth. the walls being from
twenty to twenty-five feet thick at the base and
from twelve to eighteen feet thick on the para
pets. The outside ditch was generally about
six feet deep, and few feet in front of the
ditch glacis was thrown up, on which a strong
abattis of pointed brush and timber was laid
and secured, extending entirely around each
fort.
A SUMMARY OF THE WORK.
Gen. Barnard. who was during the greater
part Of the war in command Of the defenses of
Washington, says in his report: AT the
termination of the war, in April. 1866, the de
lenses OF Washington consisted OF sixty-eight
inclosed forts and batteries, having an aggre-
gate perimeter of u, 800 yards (tbirteen miles,
and emplacements for /, 10 guns, sol of which
and so mortars were actually mounted; of SO
unarmed batteries for field guns, having 401
empiaeements, and Of S5,7ll yards twenty
niles Of rifle trenches and three block houses.
Ihirty-two miles of military roads. besides the
existing roads of the District and the avenues
OF Washington, served as the means of COM
munlcation from the interior to the defensive
lines and from point to point thereof. The en-
tire circuit, including the distance across the
Potomac from Fort Greble to Fort Lyon flour
miles, was thirty-seven miles.
What the defenses of Washington were
capable OF and what they were incapable Of"
he continues. lis very we'll illustrated by real
events. When the army Of the Potomac, in
1862, was beaten in the field and to some ex-
tent demoralized and disorganized. it fell back
on to the defenses, where ii rested in security;
very few days OF respite, the arrival of rein
forcements and change in the commander,
enabling it to take the field again Extensively.
when Early marched on Washington in
1854 the defenses had been stripped Of
the disciplined and instructed artillery
regiments numbering about $4,000,
which had constituted their garrison,
aud their places supplied by newly raised 100
day regiments (Ohio National Guards. insult
neient IN numbers and quite uninstructed.
Under such circumstances much anxiety Was
felt on the approach of Early's veterans. flushed
with recent success, inspired by the very au-
dacity of their enterprise and melted by the
prize before their eyes. Yet. inadequately
manned AS they were, the fortifcations COM
PEELED at least a concentration and an arraying
of force on the part of the ASSISTANTS and thus
gave time for the arrival of succor."
LIST OF THE PORTS.
The forts and batteries that encircled the
city, beginning in order at the south Of Alex
andria, then along the Virginia shore, crossing
the Potomac above Georgetown, sweeping
around north of the city and extending along
the ridge east OF tbs Anacostia to the river OPP
posite Alexandria, were as follows: Forts Will
lard, U Rourke, Weed, Farnsworth and Lyon,
Battery Rodgers, Forts Ellsworth, Williams
Worth, Ward. Reynolds, Garesche. Barnard,
Berry. Richardson, Craig. Scott. Albany, Run.
yon, Jackson, Iiilinghast, Cass, Whipple,
Woodbury., Morton, Strong, Corcoran, Bennett
c. +. Smith, Ethan Allen and Marcy: two bat
teries near distributing reservoir, batteries
Cameron. PARROT. kenble, Martin Scott, Bailey,
Vermont. Alexander and Benson: Forts sumner,
kerby Cross, Davis, Mansfield, Simmons, Bayard
and Reno; Battery Rossell, Fort Kearney. Batter
les Terriu and Smeade. Fort De Russy, Batteries
kingsbury and Sill, Forts Stevens, Slocum,
Totten, Slemmer, Bunker Hill. Saratoga,
Thaysr. Lincoln, Mahan, Shaplin, Meigs, Du-
pont, Davis, Baker, Wagner, Ricketts,, Stanton,
Snyder, Carroll, Greble and Foote.