Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-13
WASHINGTON DEFENSES
g. A. B. SOUVENIR TO CONTAIN
PICTURES OF FORTS.
Plans Outlined for Attractive Showing
Reunion Program-Meetingo Of
Woman's Committee.

tteresting meeting yesterday afternoon. The
| members engaged in a full and thorough
discussion of the historic features of Wash
ington during the war period and mapped
| out a general plan for the souvenir book
which is to embrace papers on historic sub
jects. The first effort of the committee was
to define the scope of the work. Washing
| ton and Its Defenses' was to be the COM
prehensive title, but just how far out this
! line of defenses was to be placed was a
| serious question.
1t was finally decided that the chain of
forts, completing circle about Washing
ton about thirty-eight miles in crcumfer-
| ence, should be the limit for these papers.
| Gen. Vincent. who is now among the very
few survivors prominent at that early period
of the war of the rebellion, stated to The Star
reporter that 1t would be the effort of the
| committee to give comprehensive yet
graphic story of the war as it affected
| Washington, this story to be treated under
some fifteen different heads.
| I'VE shall endeavor to have most of these
| papers written by men who were on the
ground and who had experience in helping
to defend Washington one way or another,
said Gen. Vincent. We hope to make these
stories veritable pen pictures.
| This volume, for its scope is now far be-
yond the pamphlet first considered, will be
printed upon the best of paper, and it is
proposed to have it handsomely illustrated
with wartime pictures of the old forts,
and perhaps two or three of the defenses
as they look today. 1t was remarked by
Mrs. Isabella Ball that old Fort Marcy, as it
stands now, would make an interesting pic
! ture.
! In the interest of the work on the COM
mittee Mrs. Ball has been making study
of the forts as they look today. She found
| that the lines of Fort Marcy, one of the I'M
! portant defenses of the Chain bridge, are
plainly marked, though it is forty-one years
| this month of May since columns of uni
| formed men went double-quick across the
| Potomac over the Long bridge, AQueduct
! bridge and Chain bridge to throw up lines
of defense to protect Washington from in
vasion on this it's most vulnerable side at
that time.
Grew in Night.
Fort Marcy and it's sister fort, Ethan AL
len, grew almost in a night, it is said, and
| for five years these two sentinels held the
bridge head against all enemies. The para
pet of Fort Marcy and the bitches, with a
| little work, would present formidable de-
| Tense today, Mrs. Ball reported. The plat
| forms for the gun carriages and the en-
| brasured bastions are quite perfect, while
the rocked roadway for the ammunition
| wagons is firm, she declared, as many
! of the cobblestone pavements of Washing
| ton.
| Inside the ramparts of the old fort apple
| and peach tree, fruited deep" with here
and there a cherry tree, bear evidence that
| the boys in blue had many feast from the
old farm orchards during their service in
Fort Marcy, while strawberries and black
and red raspberry brambles droop over the
| old well.
| Gen. Vincent gave the following as the
general heads of the papers which will
comprise this addition to the historic liter
allure of the war period, which. 1t is
| thought, will be particularly valuable be-
cause, taking into consideration the au-
thors of the articles, the data and state
| ments will be authentic and correct.
Table of Contents Prepared.
| the Beginning of the War; to be followed by
| papers on Preparations for It's Defense, -
THE Early Years of the War Early
| Campaign on Washington Battle
of Fort Stevens" Naval Operations, -
| Death of Lincoln CLOSE of the War"
| 1.-The Grand Review 1.-The Recruiting and
| Disbanding of Troops" washington Hos
| pitfalls During the War THE Prisoners"
| and THE Humanities" the laSt-named sub
| ject being intended to include the sanitary
| commissions work and the care of the sick
| and wounded before they reached the hos
| pitfalls. The booklet will close with a de-
scripton of Arlington and the other ma
| tional cemeteries within the environs Of
Washington. Many Of these chapters will
be written by men who served in the Union
army. The book will be handsomely printed
| and generously Illustrated, and is expect ed
to prove a valuable addition to the history
| of the war period. The committee also Sc
lected Mrs. lisa bella Worrell Ball secre-
tary of the committee.
Committee on Reunions.
Col. John McElroy presided last night
over a meeting of the subcommittee on re-
| unions. By general desire the committee
men first considered the question of tenn
porary hospital for the care of exhausted
and sick veterans during the encampment
and it was voted to establish one on the re-
union grounds. Dr. A. E. Johnson, past
surgeon general of the G. A. R., was ap-
pointed to execute the plans of the commit
tee.
subcommittee were announced as fol-
On the entertainment Of the survivors Of
On the entertainment of the survivors of
| the Sd Army Corps-M Maj. A. H. G. Richard
son, chairman; w. H. Doolttle, first vice
chairman; NJ. J. Foote, second vice chair
| man; Charles F. Benjamin, secretary; ].
D. Strattin, treasurer: Thomas H. Martin,
| Edward S. Pierce, E. ]. Sweet and Joseph
Dickerson. members Of the executive board.
| On the LIST Army Corps-Gen. w. w. Dud-
ley. chairman: e. P. Halstead, vice chair
man; w. s. Odell, ]. H. Steine, Henry Hun
terson, J. F. Johnson, N. B. Prentiss, J. ].
Jenkins, ]. Edwin Brown. s. c. Holds, A.
B. Jameson, w. E. Murray and Joseph E.
Hart.
On the entertainment of the colored vet
Grams Of the military division of the Mis-
| sissippi-Richard Henderson, chairman; C.
B. Fisher, q. l.. Graham and w. A. Col
bert.
Division Of Mississippi.
All veterans Of the cavalry corps Of the
| military division of the Mississippi are in
vited to meet at headquarters tonight for
the purpose Of organizing survivors asso-
citation for the encampment. Interest in
this movement is thought to have spread
largely since the first announcement of the
project, and a notable attendance is ex-
pected.
Committee Meeting.
The executive committee of the woman
citizens has been called to meet in the red
parlor of the Riggs House Thursday morn
ing at II o'clock. Mrs. Mussey, the chair
man, requests that every member of this
committee make it her business to be pres
ent and that each be prepared to make a
concise report of the work of her commit
tee up to date.
The revised committee is as follows: Mrs
E. s. Mussey, chairman; Mrs. L. " McCul-
Tough, secretary; Mrs. U. S. Grant. Mrs
Jas. Tanner, Mrs. B. H. Warner, Mrs. ].
]. Edison, Mrs. Thos F. Walsh, Mrs H.
c. Evans, Mrs. Phoebe Hearst. Mrs. ]. B.
Mrc Choc 1,ir