Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1902-09-24
FOREVER MAY 1T WAVE!

death. Back of Alexandria, rising
above the dense foliage which crowns
the hills, we see the cupola of Fairfax
seminary, where hundreds of devoted
young men have been prepared for the
ministry of the Episcopal church;
and where upwards of 10000 sick and
wounded union soldiers were treated
during the civil war, for the seminary
was used as general hospital for the
army of the Potomac for almost four
years.
On the left bank of the river is, the
site of Camp Stoneman, which was
known as the cavalry dismount camp
of the army of the Potomac. Here
were gathered all of the convalescent
cavalrymen who were ready to be re-
turned to their regiments, after hav.
ing been sent forth from the hospitals.
Fort Washington and Fort Foote are
passed. They are harmless reminders
of the great war which eliminated in
the victory for human freedom. Mod
ern guns would crush and crumble
them. But further down stream,
where the river deepens not, but wild
ems, we come to Fort Sheridan, an in
nocent looking place, but the strong
est defense of the national capital,
riverwards. The luXuriant foliage and
velvet sward conceal the 13-inch dis
appearing rifle which covers the chan
mel, an instrument of destruction
which could dispose of an entire fleet.
as the vessels must come up stream
in Single file, because of the narrow
ness of the channel.
We pass Mount Vernon on our right,
where all of the bells of passing steam
ers are tolled, and a few miles beyond
we come to the broad river three miles
wide, where the channel was mined
during the war with Spain, to prevent
the incursion of hostile fleets. No
cheap mining work was done here,
such as the corrupt Spanish officials
did for their ports. The river was
checker boarded here, and in certain
squares tremendous mines were
placed. They were anchored securely,
and electric wires connected them
with shore batteries. If any hostile
vessel had entered one of those
squares it's destruction would have
surely ensued.
and beyond the ripraps, we see the
smoke of ocean steamers, we swing
about to the right past Fortress Mon
roe and into Hampton Roads, where
the greatest naval battle of the nise-
teenth century was fought; the bat
tie which relegated wooden fighting
ships to the junk shops of history
along with the galleys of the Caesars;
the battle in which the ironclad MeT
rimac attacked powerful feet of bat
tleships, sunk the Congress, captured
| the Cumberland set the Minnesota
on fire and returned to her anchora ge,
! intending to complete the work Of de-
! struction on the morrow. After that
| this city would have been at the mercy
of the guns of that invincible marine
monster. But the Monitor wobbled
into the Roads that night, and the Mer-
rimac's mission was ended.
Historic old Norfolk we pass as we
| swing out into ocean and around into
bay, not having time on this occasion
to visit the numerous interesting revo-
lutionary relics of the town.
We visit Annapolis, view the naval
academy and the interesting revoIu-
tionafy sites of interest. We stop at
Fort McHenry, where the "Star Span
gled Banner" was born in the brain
of Key; and with greater pride than
ever we salute that banner $50 gal
lantly streaming" over the ramparts
of the ancient fort.
SMITH d. FRY.