The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-03-31
LINCOLN UNDER FIRE.
HIS DANGERo US POSITION AT FORT
 STEPHENS,
When Jubnl Early Made IEis Advance
 om Washington, in July. 1864.

It IS pOSltlNely aSSSIleu liut tlc olli1
 time a president of the United state
 has commanded the forces on bftle
 field was when Abraham LincolH. or
 July 12, 1864, stood on the parapet o
 Fort Stevens, few miles. north O
 Washington, when General Jubal Early
 in command of the Confederate forces
 threatened the capital in the only bat
 tie fought in the District of Columbia
 Standing beside the president, the late
 General Horatio G. Wright, in com.
 mand of the Sixth corps, begged him
 not to expose himself to danger, and
 while he was urging precaution on the
 president, pr. Crawford of the Army
 Medical corps was seriously wounded by
 Mimic ball. Linked with the history
 of that advance of the Confederates to
 within few miles of Washington and
 their strategic repulse, are many names
 of men who have since become distin-
 guished in the affairs of the nation
 General Horatio Wright was in com
 mand. General Jubal Early opposed
 him. and Senator John w. Daniel was
 the latter's adjutant. Marcus A. Han-
 na was second lieutenant in Company
 c of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Ohio and Governor George K. Nash, ot
 Ohio, a private in Company K of the
 same regiment. General A. McD. Me
 Cook and General Quincy A. Gilmore, of Ohio, were present on that day. Gen eral John B. Gordon, of Georgia, and | General w. R. Cox, late secretary of the T,,;+ t1
 officers in command under General Early. Vice President John c. Breck- | inrdge was also a witness.
 A reunion of the veterans of that oc- casion will probably be held soon in connection with the effort now being made to save the fort from demolition, and to establish military park there. to be known as the Lincoln Battlefield Park. It is desired to include in this park land from Rock Creed Park to the proposed extension of Fifth street, as some of the earthworks on the east side of the Seventh street road are still in a good state of preservation
 EARLY'S CLOSE APPROACH.
 The history of the advance of Early on Washington is of interest, though 1t finds little place in the histories of the civil war. It was bold move, and had he taken the advice of General. John B. Gordon, on the afternoon of July II, it is more than probable that for time at least the Confederates would have had control of the capital
 But Early hesitated. He did not know that the defense of Washington at the time was weak, and, by that he's itation, he lost his opportunity, for the Sixth Army corps, under General Hora- tio G. Wright, which had been racing the Confederate forces from the James river, entered Washington that night, and on the next day, July 12, Early was driven back from his position by cav- airy.
 In the charge on the Confederate in- trenchments nearly all the officers were killed or wounded and nearly third of the men. The attacking force was made up of the Third brigade of the Second division of the Sixth corps, and more men lost their lives there than in the Puerto Rican campaign and in the first year of the war in the Philippines.
 MT. James E. Kelly, the American sculptor, was in Washington a few days ago, making bust of Admiral Dewey. He said: T made a sketch of Lincoln on the parapet of Fort Stevens a few years ago, at point located and described by General Horatio Wright and it was afterward corrected and ap- proved by him. It represented Lincoln looking at the fight, while surgeon, pr. Crawford l believe, was shot by his side. General Wright is in the act of firmly but politely telling the president that he must not expose himself to the sharpshooters. In the distance are seen tho smoldering ruina of burning houses
 Three years ago General Wright, in company with his daughter, Mrs. Rosa Wright Smith, General D. $. Stanley, Captain Thomas Wilson, MT. W. V. Cox, Dr. c. G. Stone and MT. James E. Kelly, the sculptor, went out to Fort StevensAfter contemplating the sur roundings General Wright said: There. near the pike, were the woods full of Early's men. Along this slope is where our skirmishers daployed. There a house was burned, there another, and still another, and over these trenches went the brave soldiers of the Sixth corps. I cannot find the tree from which the sharpshooters picked off my men. The old tollgate has gone also"
 He paced up and down the top of the crumbing earthworks for while as if to satisfy himself in regard to some fact and then said:
 Here, on the top of this parapet, be- tween this old embrasure and that one, stood President Lincoln witnessing the fight; there by his side a surgeon was wounded by Mimic ball. I entreated the president not to expose his life to the bullets of the enemy but he seemed oblivious to his surroundings. Finally, when I found that my entreaties failed | to make an impression on him. I said MT. President, I know you are com mander of the Armies of the United States, but I am in command here, and as you are not safe where you are and I am responsible for your safety, l order you to come down. 'Mr Lincoln looked queerly at me- smiled, and then, more in consideration for my earneStness than from inclina- ton, stepped down and took position behind the parapet, Even then he would persist in standing up and expos ng his tall form"
 And so 1t was that Fort Stevens proved the wall to Jubal Early's forces, and might be said to have been the