Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-06
THE FIRST DEFENDERS
Troops Which Came to Res
cue Of Capital in 1861.
VOLUNTEER SOLDIERS
COMPANIES CHARTERED IN SEN
ATE AND HOUSE CHAMBERS.
Incarceration of the First Man Ar
rested by Military Authorities
His Offenset

His OHensee
An interesting account of the arrival Of
the first troops in Washington In 1861 was
handed to Mr.. w. P. Van Wickle, chairman
of the G. A. r. encampment committee on
historical sites, by Mr.. James ]. Mcdonald,
president of the First Defenders Associa-
ton of Pennsylvania. 1t gives much valua-
BILE information on some points not gener-
ally known. and is as follows:
Thursday, April IS, 1861, about shutdown,
five organized companies Of Pennsylvania
volunteer sodiers-numbering in all $50 men
reached the Capitol building in this city
in response to President Lincoln's first call
for 600 troops. These were the first vol
unteer soldiers to reach Washington after
the outbreak of the civil war, and together
with the District of Columbia militia
which was already on duty-were the only
volunteer soldiers in the city of Washing
ton. or in the District of Columbia, guard
ing the capital of the nation, the succeed
ing twenty-four hours-to shutdown of April
49, 1861. when the 9th Massachusetts, Regi-
ment also reached this city.
Upon arriving at the Capitol building
two of these companies, the Washington
Artillerists.' of Pottsville, Schuylkill coun-
ty Pennsylvania and the Allen Infantry of
Allentown. Lehigh county, Pa, took up
their quarters in the United States Senate
chamber. The other three companies, the
National Light Infantry of Pottsville, the
Ringgod Artillery of Reading. Berks coun-
ty, Pa. and the Logan Guards of Lewis
town, Miff1in county, Pa, were quartered In
the hall of the United States House Of Rep
reSentativeS. They established on the same
night-April 10, 1S61-a guard house in the
room now occupied as the House of Repre-
sentatives post office, in the southeast cor
ner of the ground floor of the Capitol build
ing. This was the first guard house eStab-
lished by volunteer soldiers during the civil
war, aside, perhaps. from that established
by the District of Columbia.
First Man Imprisoned.
'In this guard house was imprisoned the
first men arrested by the military authori-
ties during the civil war. In response to a
request from the officer then in charge of
the United States arsenal in this city, foot
of AZ street, a squad of these Pennsylvania
troops was sent to the arsenal to arrest and
confine this man. He was accused of filling
shells with sawdust while employed at this
latter named place. He was confined a
prisoner in that room from April 20. 1881, for
about ten days, when, through the interces-
sion Of his friends in this city, he was re-
leased. 1t was rumored that he was sub
sequently engaged as gunner In the confed-
crate forces at Matthias Point, Va.
Upon arriving at the Capitol building
the soldiers barricaded the doors and the
windows with the building material. such
as lumber and barrels of cement and some
of the iron plates which were then on hand
for use in the construction of the present
iron dome of that building. These iron plates
now in the dome of the Capitol, have an
additional historical value, inasmuch as
they did service upon the occasion men
toned.
THE two companies-the Washington Ar
tilerists and Allen Infantry-above men
toned occupied the Senate chamber until
about shutdown Friday April 10, 1861 when
the 9th Massachusetts Regiment arrived.
These two companies then took up their
quarters in the committee rooms upon the
gallery floor of the Senate side of the Capt.
toll building and surrendered the Senate
chamber to the 9th Massachusetts Regi-
ment. They continued to occupy these
rooms until about the last Of April, when
they were ordered to take possession Of and
guard Fort Washington, on the Potomac
river. The other three companies con-
tinued in the Capitol building until about
the same date, when but squad of their
number was left to guard the Capitol, the
remainder being divided on duty in the
United States arsenal grounds, on the
steamers patrolling the Potomac river and
on other duty about this city. At later
period some of these troops were sent to
join General Patterson before the battle
of Failing Waters.
1.-The survivors of these five companies
d
the First Defenders
Il beg leave to call your attention to the
following historical facts, briefly stated:
Seeding States.
South Carolina seeded from the Union
December 20, 1860, followed by Mississippi,
January 8, 1861; Florida, January 10; Ala
bama, January II; Georgia, January 10;
Louisiana, January 20, 1861. These six
states sent delegates to a convention which
met at Montgomery, Ala, on February a,
1861 to form a 'confederacy.' February l,
1861 Texas seeded, followed by Virginia,
April II; Arkansas, May 6; Tennessee, May
Z and North Carolina, May 90 1861. These
latter five states completed the southern
confederacy' December %, 1860 Major
Robert Anderson, then in command of the
defenses of Charleston harbor 5. C., moved
his command from Fort Moultrie and took
possession of Fort Sumter for the federal
government.
January o, 1861, the steamer Star of the
West which was sent by the federal gov
eminent with men and ammunition to the
aid of Major Anderson at Fort Sumter,
was fired upon from masked battery on
Morris Island. in Charleston harbor. This
was the first gun fired during the civil war
by the south. The vessel returned to New
York without rendering any aid to Fort
Sumter.
April II. 1861, demand was made by
General Beauregard of the confederate
forces
Anderson for the surrender of Fort Sumter.
This demand was refused.
April i, 1861, Fort Sumter was fired
upon.
April IA, 1861, Fort Sumter was evacu-
ated by Major Anderson and taken posses
sion of by the confederate forces then in
South Carolina. April 10, 1861, President
Lincoln issued a call for $4,000 troops from
the militia of the several states, declaring
that the laws of the republic had been and
were then opposed by the states of South
Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mis-
sissippi, Louisiana and Texas, by combina-
lions then too powerful to be suppressed by
the ordinary course of judicial proceedings,
or by the powers vested in the marshals of
law At this date, you will observe, that
Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North
Carolina had not seeded.
Ready for Service.
April II, 1861, the five companies of
Pennsylvania troops heretofore first named,
assembled at Harrisburg. Pa, in the after
noon of that day. One of these companies
had rendered it's services to the governor Of
PENNSYLVANIA and to the Secretary of War
at Washington, April II, 1861. April 10,
1861, the day after Fort Sumter was fired