St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1893-09-16
THE FIGHTING SIXTH.
Worx Of tho Gallant Corps On
July II, 1904
Memories Of the Deys That rFaed lGeab
Souls = How tho National Capital
Escaped from Falling Into tho
Hands Of the Confederat0o.
Especial Washington Letter.1

i
Twenty-ninc years ago Seventh
street northwest in this city mas q
very unpretcntious thoroughfare. The
greater portion of the distance from
the Potomac river to the northern
boundary was unpaved and received
no more attention than an ordinary
country road. The houses on either
side of the street were very few and
far between. The soldiers marched in
mud or dust and very frequently the
heavy cannon wheels were hub deep
In the miro, SO that they could not be
moved Very little business was tran
sacted upon the street. and the few
houses were one or two-story tumble
down frame shanties The only sub
stantial structures in the entire dis
lance OF three miles were the post Of
fee and the interior department. build
ings- which were then, as they arc to-
day. specimens of architecture which
would do credit to any capital city of
any country on the face of the earth.
The old soldiers of the fighting Sixth
corps of the Army of the Potomac who
marched up that street ON the night
of the nth OF July, 1864. could not now
recognize the thoroughfarc. To-day
the cable cars go rushing along clang-
ing their bells, and the street is lined
with magnificent blocks of brick and
stone business houses. The pavcments
are occupied by throngs of men and
women passing to and fro, on business
and pleasure bent.
Il Of t,l- -
to the boundary. It takes but a few
minutes, and at the end Of the cable
line we find ourselves still apparently
in the midst of a great city. In 1854
the boundary" was SO far away from
the city proper that it was regarded rs
IN imaginary line away out in the
In those days, on either
side of Seventh street were corn-ficlds,
orchards and pieces of heavily-tim-
bered country.
Leaving the cable car ut the bound
airy we can enter a palatial coach
propelled by an overhead trolley wire
that marvellous and almost
fluid, electricity. Enter
ing this car we go over hills and far
away out upon the heights north of
the city, to place which indicates the |
progress of the national |
capital more than anything else. Two |
miles from the boundary, upon the |
highest piece of ground in the Dis
trict of Columbia, we find broad |
streets and avenues with asphalt paw
ing and granolithic sidewalks which
ire not surpassed by any Of the high
ways in the city proper. One hundred |
teams of horses and five hundred men
ire busy marking of new streets and
avenues in conformity with, and as ex-
tensions of, the streets and avenues of
he city as it was originally planned
~ the celebrated French engineer
II you did not know the spot, or If you
we're not reminded of the fact, it
would be impossible to realize that
lpOn this beautiful place was fought
me Of the decisive battles of the late
ivil war. Yet this locality was known
turing the war of the rebellion as Fort
stevens, one of the outposts of the de-
cnses of the national capital. The
of the fort extended for
early mile east and west upon the
row of this hill; and the siege and
ED gums were all in position to repel
n assault from the north, although
he garrison of the fort was very
nan 80. ts
At that time Grant and Lee were
iappling ksfpre Richmond. The bat
rs of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania
burt House. Old Tavern, Bethesda
hurch, Cold Harbor and other histor-
assgezDt1sa dad been fought, and