Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-09-21

| Farly." Early had been losing gooo
| many pieces OF artillery, and hence some
| wag had tackled on the card with the
| above inscription. On the 18TH OF June
soon after. the wilderness campalsn'
| General Early had been made Lieutcnant-
General and placed in command or the
! Second Army Corps. On this date the
| corps left Gaines Mill and marched to-
| wards the Blue Ridge to meet Hunter ana
| Crook-Hunter came up the shenanoodh
Valley with his command, and crook
| came from the Kanawha by way OF tne
Greenbrier White Sulphur Springs. Ihey
made junction at Stanton, Va. Hun
ter defeated small number OF Confeder-
ates under Imboden and Jones at Pleo.
mont, a small town not far from Fort
| Republic The Federals made their ap-
pearance near Lynchburg on June 18th,
thus menacinS Lees rear and also his
| bases of supplies. On the 18th OF June,
Early with his corps, formed junction
with Inboden and Jones near Lynch
burg, and defeated Hunter. driving MIN
in tho direction Of Salem. Va. Hunter
had made an enort to cross the Blue
Rige at Rockf1sh gap, where the Vir-
GINA Central railroad ran through tun-
mel in the mountain, but Jones and I'M
boden blocked his way
While a student at Dinwiddie's school,
near the tunnel, 1S59-1s6o. often spent
my Saturdays in visiting this tunnel and
the town of Waynesboro, just beyond the
river The boys would fish and hunt up
and down the Shenandoah river as low
down as Weyer's Cave. Early followed
him up through Liberty, from there to
Big Lick (now Roanoke City, through
Salem and capturing a portion OF his
wagon train near Hanging Rock as he
escaped into the mountains west OF the
valley Early encamped on the night of
the 23rd at Buchanan. and on the Atn at
Buffalo creek. On the 18th he reaElled
Lexington. where he divided his eetn-
Inand; marching one part of it by way
Of Brownsburs, and the other by Mid
way, and met at Staunton, where it
rested on the 9th. According to instruc-
tons of General Lee, on the 18th of June
Early marched down the Shenandoah
Valley with the most Of his command.
The old soldiers, who were tired and
worn out by long marches, badly shod.a
and on short rations were now animated
and inspired by old familiar scenes along
this beautiful valley and among its hos
pitable people
THREATENING WASHINGTON.
BY the 9Th of July Early had crossed
the Potomac with his little army and
was threatening the approaches to Wash
ington city. On the 9Th of July. he fought
the battle OF Monocacy. and defeated
General Lew Wallace after having march
ed his army over 300 miles inside of
many Georgians, and In the charge Gen
eral c.. A Evans, who commanded the
leading brigade, fell from his horse Sc
verely wounded through the body.
On the 18th of July Early had engaged
and driven in the Federal skirmisilers
upon their Notifications surrounding tho
city of Washington. With Rodes in
front. Early advanced at Silver Spring on
the Seventh street turnpike. on the bor-
ders Of the District OF, Columbia, and in
sight CT TIE dome of the capital engaged
sl1irmishers and drove them into the for
titications surrounding the city; 800 prls-
oners were captured Early had under
his command Imboden's, Bradley T.
Johnston's, and McCausland's cavalry;
Wharton's, Gordon's, Ramseur's, and
Rode's divisions Of Infantry The 11th
was spent in front of Washington city.
Why did not Early go into the city With
his troops? How often since the war have
we heard discussions pro and con about
the first battle of Manassas, and the fol-
lowing remarks were made: why did
not Beauregard and Johnston take Wash
ington city when they could have done
so with but little resistance?" I do not
remember what Ear]y's reasons were for
not going into Washington on the 18th.
lie no OOuDL IdQ SOOO reasons d1lcI
consulting with his generals for not do
ing so. He knew that reinforcements. the
Sixth Army Corps, was disembarking
from transports on the Potomac. and
still they did not reach Early's line of
battle until on the 18th. What was trans
piring in Washington city during all of
that time? I shall take the liberty Of
quoting from impartial historian,
Frank Wilkinson, who fought on the
80 fyoc1 reYfN woo
in an uproar. In the morning we heard
that Early was at a certain point. At
night he was reported as being fifty
miles from there. To-day his army was
alleged to number 10000 men. On the
morrow pale-faced, anxious men SOL
EMMY asserted that certain information
had been received at the War Depart
ment that at least $4,000 veteran soldiers
were marching with Early. Late at
night, on July 9Th, I was at Wizards
Hotel. An excited man walked rapidly
in and told the group in which I was
talking, that our army. under General
Lew Wallace, had been disastrously de-
feated on the Monocacy by General
Early, and that our disorded troops were
in full retreat on Baltimore. Later on
We heard that Wallace's army had been
annihilated. Still later that the govern
ment's books, records, and money were
being packed in boxes preparatory to it's
flight to New York. Almost every man
that met that night believed that the
Confederate guns would be laundering
at the capital in less than twenty-four
hours.
The next morning the report of defeat
on the Monacacy was confirmed and the
excitement in the city grew more and
more intense. Men stood in groups on
the street corners, in hotel Hobbies in
newspaper offices. and in drinking saloons
and discussed the military situation
GREAT EXCITEMENT.
Officers rode furiously up and down
the streets. and swarmed around the War
Department. I began to think that may
be Early would make dash at Wash
ington.s So I walked to the War De-
partment and reported for duty I was
astonished at The authentic news. War
Department officials told me that General
Anger, who had command Of the troops
at Washington. did not have 5000 staunch
veteran soldiers with which to defend
the entire line; which was about thirty
miles long. He had a few To-day men,
few quartermaster employees, and some
disabled soldiers, called veteran reserves.
! was assured that a successful de-
fence Of the city could not be made. I'M
less reinforcements speedily arrived 1
was commanded to report for duty at
BATTERY a, Fourth United States Aft;l