Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-03-19
a WAR TIME PICTURE.
How Warrington Looked to q Soldier. who
came Here in 1864.


came Here in 1854.
HE RECOLLECTION OF HIS ARRIVAL AND FIRST
DAfp ExpEhIENcEs ~ The cAPfrAL-How
WARRINGTON Has DEVELOPED FROM A Mud
HoLK-sURPRrsEs FOR TEE O. A. n VETERANS.
IS A s LOOK AT WASHINGTON now"
\ said man III middle life. who has lived
mere ever since the close of the wa-, to STAR
reporter, Il cannot help thinking Of the i'm
preston received Of the capital city when l
mrs. entered it Is soldier in 1862. I was then
noulHS but hoy. 10. eighteen years old, and
my we had been passed in the good city OF Bos-
soh, which at that tine had the reputation Of
ICING inc eleanest city in the Union. l can
~eh secoilect when l was little fellow watch
ing me gangs of men GO up Washington street
-nrss crowd with watering pots and then a
crown With brooms and then following them
were ms carts and men with shoveIs, who took
up ali TEE dirt and carted it away. leaving the
oIocS pavement almost clean as floor.
"hen Mr. Lincoln's call for 300,0co more
came, after the retreat Of Banks in the val
ley. was one OF those who enthusiast
| eaiiy responded and enlisted in COM
Pany of the fortieth Massachusetts,
infantry l was at college at that time and
tnis was during the vacation. and when l told
my iather what had done he was very angry
anu threatened to prevent my going, which he
coCid nave done, because as have said, was
under eighteen years of age But we reasoned
.he matter and pleaded so hard to be allowed
70 go 10 war that he finally reluctantly gave his
consent upon my promise that if, after ! got out
IuIo inc neid was taken sick or injured IN any
way wonid promptly lct him know and he would
secure my discharge. So | started in for a SOL
"ie1' ana after my regiment had been in camp
al boxiord for while. during which we were
taught the rudiments of drill and the duties Of
camp HE, we started for Washington, arriving
nere' think. on the 10th OF September.
on THE WAY TO TIE CAPITAL
ne trip to this city was one continued
oVaton wherever the train stopped until after
we iett Philadelphia and crossed the Marylan
nne. Just before reaching Baltimore the train
stopped and We we're all served with ten rounds
Vi car trldges because it was not known what
sort OF reception We would receive in that city,
ana II was determined by our colonel that if
any ATTACK was made upon us, as was made
upon the sixth Massachusetts, a year before, we
hhouio pay the mob back in their own leaden
com. There was no trouble however, and we
arrived at Washington Just about duck As
tne Train rolled into the depot and saw the
great "hite dome OF the Capitol began to
reanze what the seat Of government was and
now necessary 1t was to defend it at all hazards
imagined that l should find city
OF proad streets and avenues, as I had
read, and that it would be city of which every
srue american ought to be proud. My high
Rown lueas were very rudely dispelled when
we debarked on New Jersey avenue, and the
nrs' thlng that caught my eye was a great big
iat OLD SOW and three little pigs who were hav-
Ing great time in the abundant mud that
hiled the middle Of the street. 1 came to the
conclusion then and there that Washington
was not as clearly or well kept city as it
might be, and the next day, when we marched
through the town and out through George
Town and across the Chain bridge to old Fort
Ethan Alien. my impression in that respect
was thoroughly confirmed.
AT THE SOLDIERS REST.
THE frst night in this city was spent in the
Soldiers Rest great big building right next
to the Baltimore and Ohio depot. which was
used as a temporary rest for regiments arriving
here en- route to the front and for soldiere who
were temporarily in this city and had no other
place 70 go. IL was not very inviting place. and
yet IL served an excellent purpose and gave
shelter TO thousands and thousands of soldiers
history Of that Soldiers Rest. for it would be
interesting to every soldier who had been tenn
porarlly housed there
''As remember the city then bu. one street
was paved and that was Pennsylvania avenue.
Inc Washington and Georgetown Railway
tlon, and remember l utilized it as far as it
went In Georgetown instead of marching with
the rest OF the boys. and thereby avoided a
good deal OF the fatigue which they suffered.
ne other streets were all dirt roads, and most
OF them were cut into deep ruts by the trains
OF army wagons that were constantly coming
and going with supplies for the troops. Little
did think on that day that Washington would
be my future home, and that I should become
80 deeply Interested in its welfare. 1t was over
two years after that when l finally came to
Washington to live, and there had been COM
parat1vely little change in that time except
that tho streets seemed more muddy on wet
DAYS and more CHASTITY on dry days than when
l first saw it.
HOW THE CITY HAS CHANGED.
I'VE who have lived here and have seen the
gradual development from that mud hole of
which have spoken to the present magnificent
city, with its well-paved streets and avenues.
Its beautiful shade trees, its wide expanse of
parking, and its carefully kept government
reservations, with its then waste spaces, built
up with handsome private residences and its
then struggling business streets now lined with
substantial and attractive business houses. can
not realize how great will be the astonishment
and surprise OF those old soldiers who will
come here next September and gaze upon
Washington for the first time since they left it
at the close of the war. Last summer 1 was
up In New England and attended a reunion of
my old regiment. Out of thousand and more
whom We took into the field there were IFS
who sat down to a banquet in that cradle of
liberty, old Faneuil Hall. Every. man with
whom l talked expressed his intention
OF coming to Washington at the next national
encampment of the Grand Army of the Repub-
lie. He was not only coming himself, but going
to bring his wife and family. Those who were
not plethoric in this worlds goods said they had
already commenced to save up money for the
trip. Most of them had general idea that
Washington had grown and improved in
appearance, but not one of them who had not
since been to this city had any conception of
the great change which had taken place in the
national capital. 1t was curious to listen to
some Of the questions that we're asked me in
regard to localities about which they knew but
which had long since ceased to be recognized
here; and when l tried to tell them of the great
Transformation that had taken place in the city
they opened their eyes in wide establishments.
SUGGESTION FOR THE g. A. R. COMMITTEE.
ut seems to me that it would be an excellent
idea for the executive committee having charge
of the national encampment to secure from the
War Department a plan Of Washington as it
was during the period of the war, showing the
various hospitals, military barracks and other
buildings that were occupied by the army and
then transfer these to the present plat of the
city SO that the visiting veterans could at least
60 to the localities which they once knew and
personally see the great change that had taken
place. This would be especially interesting to
those who were wounded and brought here and
lay for weeks or months in the hospitals under
treatment. They will be surprised to see
r., 20