Evening star., 1901-02-18
SAV ED THE CAPI TAI
INTEREST AROUsHszx IN PRESERVING
OLD FORr STEVENS.
Project to Erect ~ Monument to New
Workers WhO Fell OPP
posinsd Barly.

It is understood thatsGeneral Thomas NJ.
Vincent, chairman ofithe Fort stevens farh
Association. will this week announce
islative and executive committee WHICH wiz
take charge of the securing of the necessary
legislation to PRESERVE old Fort Stevens ana
the adjacent rifle pits A bill has been pre-
pared looking to this end and interest Is De-
ing aroused over the entire country III pre-
serving the fort that saved the capital from
capture by General Jubal Early IN 1861.
The following appeared in the New YORK
Times of February II:
state Historian Hastings Is having bill
prepared for Introduction in the legislature
making appropriation of $1,000 for the
erection of monument to the New YORK
soldiers who fell in the attack made by deh-
eral Early on the defenses of Washington
in July, 1854 In the Battle Ground cehe-
terry near Washington are inferred the re
mains of forty of the men who gave up tneir
lives in the defense of Fort Stevens, ana OF
this number twenty-five were men belong
ing to New York regiments. The Fort ste
vens fight is remarkable in history from
the fact that II is the only battle in Wh1cn
President of the United States was actuaiiv
under fire. President Lincoln was at the
fort during the battle, and it was not untii
officer had fallen with a mortal wounu
within three feet of where Mr.. Lincoln stood
that the President could be induced to seek
less exposed position.
New York Troops Engaged.
The story of Early's daring raid on the
federal capital and his repulse after
hard fight is familiar history. The New
York troops engaged in the action at Fort
Stevens consisted of one regiment OF cav
airy, one battalion of artillery, eleven regi-
ments of infantry and battalion of an
other regiment of infantry. The battalion
of artillery engaged was the same battalion
t,Tr,o dad n "a
at the battle of Monocacy by Gen. Seward,
son Of William II. Seward. Gen. Seward
was wounded at Monocacy, which was the
engagement in which Early whipped Gen.
Lew Wallace
In looking up the records. OF the New
York dead who rest in Battle Ground
cemetery Historian Hastings cleared up a
mystery which has hung over the record OF
e. c. Barrett, a private In Company r OF
the 10th New York. The records of the
company showed that this soldier was
sent to the hospital at Annapolis while his
regiment was in front Of Petersburg. No
further record Of him could be found. In
the Battle Ground cemetery there is a
marble slab which shows that r. c. Barrett
was one of those who fell in the Fort Ste
vens fight. He was undoubtedly among
the 1900 convalescents impressed for the
defense of Washington against the rebel
attack and put under the command of Col
Francis Pryor, 1r.
Mysteries even more strange than that
surrounding the disappearance OF PrlNate
Barrett from the company rolls were not
uncommon among the New York soldiery
during the civil wRr. : Historian Hastings
has found inscribed on burial stones in
the Gettysburg cemetery the names OF
New York soldiers who are alive today.
The explanation is that the New York men
Ieputed to have fallen had exchanged coats
with other soldiers. The name of every
soldier and the company and regiment tC
| which he belonged was sewed In the under
part of his coat collar