The Globe-republican., 1893-08-04
Especial Washington letter.


Twenty-Five years ago Seventh
very unpretentious 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 tho
heavy cannon wheels were hub deep
in the mire, 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 are 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 18th of July, 1864, could not now
recognize the thoroughfare. 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 pavements
are occupied by throngs of men and
women passing to and fro, on business
and pleasure bent.
Let us take cable car and ride out
to the boundary. 1t takes but few
minutes, and at the end of the cable
line we find ourselves still apparently
in the midst of a great city. In 1864
the boundary" was SO far away from
the city proper that it was regarded as
an imaginary line ''away out in the
In those days, on either
side of Seventh street were corn-felds,
orchards and pieces of heavily-tim-
bered country.
Leaving the cable car at the bound
airy we can enter palatial coach
propelled by en- overhead trolley wire
carrying 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
ng and granolithic sidewalks which
Ire not surpassed by any of the high
ways in the city proper. One hundred
cams of horses and five hundred men
ire busy marking off new streets and
venues in conformity with, and as ex-
of, the streets and avenues of
he city as it was originally planned
~ the celebrated French engineer.
If 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
one of the Outposts of the de-
enses of the national capital. The
arthwOrks of the fort extended for
learly mile east and west upon the
,row of this hill; and the siege and
ield guns were all in position to repel
n assault from the north, although
he garrison of the fort was very
mall.
At that time Grant and Lee were
before Richmond. The bat
les of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania
'ourt House, Old Tavern, Bethesda
'hurch, Cold Harbor and other histor-
C engagements had been fought, and