The evening times., 1902-05-30

infantry and artillery The signal Of
ffCer wires: The enemy is within twenty
rods of Fort Stevens Early reports
finding the fort 'feebIy manned He
prepares for the attack, but mis- men
are exhausted. He must give them a
feT NOM lls' rest. The old settlers tell
Us th;y fell down when halted. and III
staBtly dropped asleep, even in the dust
OF tLc nishway under that burning July
sur
--Eeanfime a portion OF the second
Ziv 5sic1- @t the Sixth Army Corps ar
-ives ana .,-rly loses his opportunity
Ae CJn5sde-.tJS skirm:shers are driven
back aui he two armies bivouac for
th5 night Early prepares 70 ATTACK
with fUs, :sTce in the morning IN
fortuna,eiv 20 him. the hours that in
Lervels e.5s..ir General Wright to land
the remainder OF the second and tie
entire third division Of The Sixth -lrUy
Corps These combined forces though
less then CO men all told. prove tco
strong fo. ZarIys worn and exhausted
troops. and on the twelfth they trium
rUghan-ir s. ept the plains crossed
yDuGer gJ.llIes. and before mOrning
Earfy had Tetreated beyond the Poto-
mac.
is it any wonder these brave boys
in blue fought like demOns2 On the
parapet watching with anxious eyes the
effect Of every she'll and witnessing with
intense interest and anxiety the gallant
charge, stands Abraham Lincoln, the
only President of the United States
whose person, during his term of Office
was ever exposed in battle. and no SOL
der Of any rank ever exhibited greater
bravery.
AS compared with other engage
meEts Of that most sanguinary war. the
battle Of Fort Stevens has never taken
high rank Four hundred killed and
wounded on the Union side and 500 Con
federates did not count for much in
those days. This little plot Of ground
which contains the remains Of those
only who we're killed here has received
scaut recognition among National GENE
tcTies. But one who was present that
day describes the burial scene as fol-
lows: We gathered our dead comrades
from the field where they had fallen and
gave them the rude burial of a soldier
on the common near Fort Stevens. Nc
officer Of State. no lady of wealth. nc
citiDRn o. Washington was there. but We
laid them in their graves. within 5ignt
of the Capitol. without cofins, and with
only their CORY garments and their
blankets around them. With the rdde
tenderness of a soldier We covered them
in the earth and marked their names
with our pencils on the little head
boards OF pine, and turned sadly to Othe.
scenes
The Importance of this engagement
is not easily overestimated. other bat
ties could have been lost and the final
result of the war remain unchanged
perhaps not so with the battle OF Fort
stevens With the National Capital il
the hands of the enemy it would have
been impossible to pTophesy the prob
able foreign complications. to say moth
ing of the decentralization of the people
of the United States And 1t must be
torpa IN mind that the result turned or
Providential General Wallace was de
featei on the 9th. but ne delayed the
Confederate army twenty-foUT hours
at Rockville, but he entertained Early
foI nearly two hours, and who shall say
that on the 1Ith Of July 1864. those two
hour. U!d not hold the destiny of the
National Capital if not the Natior
itseIf?"
The Soldiers Home Band rendered
The Gates of Paradise when the Sec
retary had finished speaking Another
song by the schoolchildren followed, anC
the Hon RedfeId Proctor, United State.
Senator, next spoke. His address, while
brief. was full of meaning 1t was il
keeping With the celebration of Me
mortal Day, and was a strong eulogy o
the soldier and the veteran
Schoolchildren lent their aid toward