Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-07
1907


the first and only time as they arrived here
ana marched out of the depot on the
streets This depot, the Baltimore and
O emo IS To-Day as 1t was during the war
save tnat the raising Of the grade OF the
street now affords an entrance to it's second
story, whence stairway leads down to the
leVei OF the train shed. The earlier ar
rivals In 81 disembarked In the sheds, but
many thousands left the trains north OF
the depot, particularly those who We're to
remain short time. Meals were served
Inem at the Soldiers Rest" and Soldiers
Retreat" conducted by the quartermaster
and commissary departments, respectively
Naturally, on arrival the Capitol was the
first point looked for. The two wings OF
the extension had been erected and occu-
pied, but were not completed. Neither was
the dome completed at that period, and 1t
was then an object of great interest Prep
aratlons were being made for setting the
statue of Freedom on the summit of the
dome for which purpose hosting apparatus
was being arranged.
Magnificent Only in Width.
The usual route taken by way of
Pennsylvania avenue, and from the depot
into this the march was over open ground
till the corner of list street was reached,
when the cty's principal thoroughfare
came into view. 1t was then magnificent
only in width It's paving was of COM
monplace cobble stone on the carriage way
and red brick pavement with blue stone
curb for the footway There was scarcely
fine Improvement in the shape OF dwell
ing or business house its entire length
A three-storied brick store and dwelling
at LIST street, on the north side, came frst
into view. and between it and 2i street,
where q brick arch spanned the FIBER,
were a few brick and frame houses-the
one at I'd street of three stories having
been erected for use as printing once:
The Tiber was then open stream IN "a
street emerging into the Botanical Gardens.
nf ha dc
dens was nature left 1t. On the north
west corner of I'd street and the avenue
stood an old building, narrow three stored
dwelling-like structure, which Tor twenty
years or more had been used as the Balt1-
more and Ohio depot. when the train shed
extended nearly to B street West were
some two-story and three-story bulldlngs,
among them the iron structure OF the
Adams Express Company, still standing,
and the three.story st. Charles Hotel,
forming the Sd street end Of the square.
Westward on the north side to 10Th street
the territory was well built up, but with
moderate buildings, and on the south slde
there were some vacant lots; one or two
wood yards, and stone yard between 4H2
and 9th streets. The most conspicuous OBJ
jects up to 18th street were the Nat1onai,
Metropolitan, Irving and WIZARDS hotels;
Jackson Hall Congressional Globe build
ing), and the National Theater on the north
side. The ruins of the recently burned
theater building. which had been the arm
Clarendon and the European hotels, The
Star office and the rickety sheds known as
the Marsh market were on the south side.
Off the avenue was the Ebbitt House on F
street, the city hall or court house, the
jail, known as the blue Jug" on the north
east part of Judiciary Square, and the CEN
trail guard house on Louisiana avenue.
Predictions of Quick Work.
With the coming Of the soldiers there was
of Con-
gress and others were calculating that the
impending hostiities would be Of short du-
ration In fact, SO sangune were some that
they looked upon the asSemblage OF troops
in the light of a monster picnic. Some, too,
whose sympathies were the other way cal
culated on the speedy triumph of the cause
of the south, and 1t is known that on more
than one occasion afterward preparations
were made to entertain their friends upon
their entrance into the city.
With thousands in the camps, and quar-
tiers and hospitals and barracks being
erected giving employment to hundreds OF
people, there was no stagnation of bust
ness. More hotels, restaurants and saloons
were established and there was no section
in which the wants of the inner man could
not be supplied. The police force of about
one hundred men was soon handicapped,
for neither the soldiers nor the camp fol-
lowers were inclined to be orderly. In
a.,
rived soldiers undertook to clear the ave-
nue., commencing at Sd street, but they
were stopped by the cavalry. on one oc-
casion District soldier was killed by a
police officer on Pennsylvania avenue near
9th street and it was with the utmost
difficulty that mob was deferred from ex
ecuting lynch law at the central guard
house. A soldier was killed In noted
house on Maine avenue near AZ street.
Newly arrived troops being apprised OF
1t the house was attacked furniture thrown
out and the building set on fire, the crowd
forming a line about 1t and keeping back
the fremen who arrived with their appa-
ratus These soldiers were also dispersed
by the regular cavalry-not however, until
every vestige of the place was in ashes.
The fact that most or the AuXlllary
Guard were known to be democrats, placed
them in an uncomfortable position, some
being regarded as out and out disloyal, and
more than one was forced to resign. Others
were arraigned at the central house for ex-
pressing disloyal sentiments Numbers of
soldiers looked on the entire population of
Washington as disloyal. and were quick to
resent any act or word or onense toward
the colored race. The numerous cases Of
lish a provost guard. and the principal
duty of the patrol was to pick up strag-
glers AS may be supposed, there were
times when the police and the military
clashed. Nevertheless, the two bodies
worked mostly in harmony, military JUS
tice being administered on one side of the
central guard house ana CIVIL law on the
other.
The Old Camp Grounds.
The Calumet place, then Stones farm;
Meridian Hill, then known as the Porter or
Cox farm; Kalorama, then Bomfard's
woods, near the head of 7th street; Ber-
rvs woods, lexington or Gales-in fact,
every place suitable for camp or hospital
purposes within easy distance of the city,
and within the corporate lines, and much of
the then unimproved sections, were whit
ened with canvas tents or dotted with
frame barracks and occupied by the SOL
diers. In the first months the camps were
busy places and were literally schools for
the soldiers, for outside the militia or state
guards few were acquainted with the ele-
mentary principles Of military life. 1t was
a new experience to the mass of the people
and the camps attracted many persons, par
ticularly to the dress parades, reviews and
extra occasions. AS the military forces i'm
nroyed in efficiency they were assigned to
brigades and divisions nearly as possible
made up of soldiers Of the same or adioin-
ing states In that way divisions were
made up of troops ffem the larger states
and brigades frof4 the smaller states AS
before stated many looked for the speedy
triumph of the efforts to avert actual war
The confederate capital. however, on the
21st of May was removed from Mont
gomery. Ala, to Richmond Va, and the