Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-23


~ been rounded away by
the storms Of season
after season, and the once formidable piles Of
earth have now become crumbling mounds,
carpeted with rank growths Of tall grasses and
trailing vines, and the rife pits, ready at any
time in those four years Of strife to be filed
with thousands of determined armed men in
uniforms of blue. have been converted by na-
ture into courses Of shallow little streams, form
ing at present but slight obstacles to the eager
charge of those with no more hostile intent
than to raid the chestnut or persimmon trees
growing on the paths the sentinels used to
tread
At the Chain bridge, which was q very i'm
portant place during the war, few traces still
remain TO tell of the industry of the hundreds
OF soldiers who were gathered there to guard
that point The graceful iron structure now
known the Chain bridge looks but little like
the one which SPAWNED the river in the time Of
war and which at q later period succumbed to
the destructive force of one of the great floods
of the Potomac The old structure w&s built Of
wood something in the style Of the present iron
one. strengthened with great arches of wood
running from pier TO pier. 1t had q much
heavier appearance than the bridge Of today,
which was due TO the large size OF the timbers
II was necessary to use in its construction. On
each side of the crossed wood work OF the bridge
proper. for the use Of foot passengers, the floor
ing was extended out some distance and pro-
vided with a strong wooden railing built in line
with the edge of the massive stone piers, the
same which support the bridge of today.
THE LIGHT INFANTRY on DUTY.
About the event of summer, 1861, the MEM
bers Of company A of the old Washington
Light Infantry assembled in the armory on the
mall. the building now used by the fish COM
mission, to which they had been summoned to
for n arel tn Ia n Eel H..
orders TO guard the Chain bridge and the ap-
Proaches to the capital at the District end Of It.
This was Capt Lem Towers original company,
which had done. together with the other COM
Panies organized in the city, such efficient
service in pStfolling the river and in guarding
the public buildings and other places of i'm
por.ance az the very beginning Of hostilities
between the states. With baggage train Of
two heavily laden wagons this company started
from the armOry and marched to the bridge
by way OF the canal road. In those old times
when the streets and roads in the city and SUBJ
urbs were in the same unpaved condition
Egh. daily rain was always welcome to settle
the dust. but on this particular day the rain
came down in such torrents THAI it made some
OF the men think. short the journey was. it
would have been az pleasant to have gone
through the Potomac itself Clambering up
the steep bluff that overlooks the river at the
District end of the bridge the place of encamp-
ment reached, but the marching was not
quite ended. There il was so oversrown with
tall grass that in order to pitch the tents hav-
Ing no scythes or other such cutting imple-
ments. il was necessary TO form the men in COM
pany fro2t and have them march and counter
march about the field until the grass was all
trodden down This novel method Of moving
after such rain storm prompted attack on
neighbO-ing pile of cord wood, which was
soon blazing and drying out the thoroughly
wet volunteers. who though feeling very I'M
comfortable had the satisfaction Of being the
flr-t Sllllere he called 70
approach to the capital.
BUILDING FoRrTYIcArIoNs.
In the early days o: the encampment Of this
company Col. Alexander Of the engineer corps.
who planned the defenses Of the city, arrived
on the grounds with his officers and laid out
the lines for the fortification aftcrward known
a Battery Martin Scott. The volunteer soldiers
present then fel to with pick, spade and bar
T0w and began the erection of the earthworks
This task was fastened on the arrival of some
more companies from the city. and finally COM
pleted when assistance was had from a brigade
o. Michigan troops who camped on neighbour
Ing ground 10 that occupied by the Washington
soldiers The pioneer work also directed
against many "a fine tree here and there at
either end Of the bridge. and in this way the
Landscape was deprived Of some of its most
picturesque features. This was necessary to
secure an urCbstructed range for the guns
mounted ia the fort Before this company A
rude stairway in the rocks and slopes of the
bluff, leading from the site of the camp down
to the canal road below which proved after
ward TO be great convenience to the soldiers
bridge.
The other District troops that were on duty
here besides company of the Infantry were
The National Union Rites, the Washington
Zouaves and company Of Georgetown men
under Capt. Hollingsworth, who afterward had
Charge Of the Mount Ner-an
Companies were formed into a battalion under
MAJ Lem Towers. who had been promoted
from his caPtaincy of company 10 command
ths new organization The Georgetown men
held the oGtposts, as il were. at the approaches
to the bridge on the Virginia side of the Poto-
mac while the attention OF the men from the
city was conferred on the bridge and the sur-
rounding country on the District side of the
river. The Michigan brigade before spoken of,
which also did ample service in seeing that no
belligerent southerner should cross the bridge
was composed OF the first. second and third
regiments. To all Of these troops there were
added early in the summer more volunteers
from the north until great stretch Of fields
were dotted with the white canvas tents of the
army.
Immediately over the first pier from the yir-
GINA shoTe. extending entirely across the
bridge and jutting out some distance beyond
the ratings of the side foo,ways a strong barri-
eade had been erected. shisldsd with an armor
OF boiler iron and provided with a gateway.
which was kept closed. To facilitate the hssty
retreat of the soldiers from the Virginia side in
case Of an unexpected approach Of the enemy,
stairway WIS provided extending down from
this barrieade to the rock-coyered ground un-
der the bridge, where tbs retreating soldiers
would De out Of range Of the fire from the fort
which would have been directed on the bridge.
IL was the general opinion. though. that Q re-
treat down that stairway would have been at
TENDED with more disastrous results 10 those
seeking coyer than the enemy could have &C.
complished with their leadcn missulss.
THREE BIO GUNS.
Inside the for. there were mounted three
heavy seacoast defense guns, which were
manned at 6rss by members Of the Washington