Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-02
GEN. EARLY'S RAID.
Alarm Felt In This City In View of a
Possible Invasion.
Noah Brooks In the Century.

Possible Invasion.
Noah Brooks In the Century.
The raid of Early, which occurred in
July, 1864, gave us the only serious scare
in the national capital which we had, al
though many alarms were sounded during
the war and after the first terrors of the
civil insurrection had died away. That in
cursion of the dashing rebel hosts was
evidently twofold in it's purpose, forage
and plumber in Maryland and Pennsylvania
being part of the scheme, while the more
important and highly desired purpose was
to seize upon Washington, then left COM
paIatively defenseless so far as troops were
concerned. The news Of the approach of
Early was brought to the city Cwhatever
may have been the Information lodged in
the War Department. by the panic-stricken
people from Rockville, Silver Spring, Ten
leytown and other Maryland villages.
These people came docking into Washing
ton by the It'll street road. flying in wild
disorder, and bringing their household
goods with them.
In general way we understood that the
city was cut of at the north and east, and
that the famine Of market-stuff New York
newspapers and other necessaries Of life,
was due to the cutting of railway lines
leading northward. For two or three days
we had no mail, no Geographic messages,
and no railway travel. Our only communi-
cation with the outer world was by steamer
from Georgetown, D. c., to New York.
Washington was in a ferment; men were
marching to and fro; able-bodied citizens
were sW ept up and put into the District
militia; and squads of department clerks
were set to drilling in the parks. 1t was
an odd sight to see men who had been
thus impressed into the public service,
dressed in linen coats or in partial uni
form, being put through the manual or
arms by an impromptu captain, who in his
turn was prompted by his orderly sergeant
"a messenger employed in The War De-
partmenO. These sons of Mars were all
under the command of Brig. Gen. Bacon,
a worthy grocer Of Washington. who was
the militia commander OF the District OF
Columbia.
The city was also garrisoned by one hun
bred men, Veteran Reserves, as they were
called Cor invalid corps, with a few dis
mounted cavalry. These weak and unor-
ganized forces were thrown into the forth
fications, and Washington stood agape
while we listened to the sound Of the rebel
cannon less than ten miles away. Gen.
Halleck was then living on Georgetown
Heights, where the blue-coated invalids
mounted guard over his residence, and the
bugles nightly blew peas on a trencher."
nl-natured people were ready to suggest
that the rebels might be guilty of petty
larceny should they rapidly march down
Rock creek and seize upon Halleck, who
for various reasons was bitterly unpopular
in Washington. The President and his
family were at their summer residence,
Washington, about halfway between the
outer line of Notifications at Fort Stevens
and the city, but on Sunday night, the
10th, Secretary Stanton, finding that the
enemy was within striking distance of that
point, sent out carriage with positive
orders that the President should return to
the White House. Lincoln, very much ir-
ritated, and against his will. came back to
town. He was subsequently greatly dis
composed and annoyed when he found
that the assistant secretary Of the navy,
Capt. G. v. Fox, had kept under orders a
small navy vessel in the Potomac for the
Presidents escape In case the rebel column
should succeed in piercing the line of
Notifications.
The widest estimates of the force of the
invaders were made, and flying rumors
were to the effect that Early. Ewell I'm
boden and Breckenridge were in command
of some forty thousand men. AS matter
OF fact, there were, according to the
records. not many more than 1900 men,
There was vast amount of hurrying to
and fro between the War Department. the
White House and the exterior lines of de-
Tense, and the telegraph wire was con-
stantly worked to its fullest capacity.
There were not few domestic rebels in
Washington who looked on this commo-
ton with undisguised glee.
1t was popularity believed in the north at
that time that President Lincoln was
greatly disturbed by the imminence of the
danger Of the capture Of Washington; but
1 learned from mis- own lips that his chief
anxiety was that the invading forces might
not be permitted to get away. Speaking of
their escape afterward, he said that Gen.
Halleck's manifest desire to avoid taking
any responsibility without the immediate
sanction of Gen. Grant was the main rea-
son why the rebels. having threatened
Washington and sacked the peaceful farms
and villages of Maryland got off scathless.
II Lincoln was the meddlesome marplot
in military affairs which some have repre-
sented him to be, he would have peremp-
torily ordered sortie of the Union forces,
then numerously massed inside the de-
lenses of Washington; but although he
was 'agcnized' (as he said) over the evil
dent failure of all attempts at pursuit, he
kept his hands off.
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