The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-07-21

w.
period, and the irreparable damage that
would have been done to the Union cause.
"On behalf of the committee having the
matter In charge it is my pleasant duty
TO present to the reg iment and the Fort
Stevens Battlefield Association this monu-
ment. which has been erected through the
generosity Of the survivors and some de-
voted friends of the regiment, in memory
Of our comrades who here gave up their
lives in the service of their country, of
those other comrades, living and dead, who
were wounded on that memorable day. and
also i'll honor Of a regiment that never
failed Of its duty in its three years. service
III the glorious Sixth Army Corps"
THE ACCEPTANCE.
The monument was accented by Cant.
u. Il. easier, who said in part
ION behalf of the Veteran Association of
the 122d n. Y. of which l have the
honor to he President, and in the name
of that Association, I accept this beautiful
monument, which will ever stand as me-
mortal Of the love and affection of the sur
viying members of the regiment for the
memory of their comrades who were killed
and wounded on this battlefield 40 years
ago to- day, and to mark the spot where the
regiment, in the presence of the immortal
Iincolo. in the very fore front of the bat
tie. helped to beat back the army of Gen
Early as it surged up to the very gates Of
the Capitol"
Of extreme interest was the address of
Capt. Caius Weaver. the manned veteran
of the 122d N. T., who left his good right
arm on the battlefield of Fort Stevens
Capt. Weaver said in part: I'VE are
standing stan fa.h now W. where 40 years ago today
is also the same day of the week and about
the same hour of the day that the old Third
Brigade of the Second Division of the Sixth
Corps, to which the 122d Regiment be-
longed. advanced to the attack of Early's
forces.
while that battle of Fort Stevens was
not one of the great battles Of the war, it
was one OF the most important in it's re-
suits, as we judge battle more by the
RESULTS obtained than by the number of
troops engaged or the great loss of men,
by our victory here we saved the Capital
Administration from the humiliating effect
such direful results would have produced
Had the old Sixth Corps not arrived at
Washington on time and Early's tried
veterans taken possession of the city it
would have been feat of arms that would
done much to encourage the then dying
Confederate cause and it would have given
it hope of recognition abroad
''The battle of Fort Stevens was the only
battle fought in the District of Columbia
ard the only one witnessed by the Presi-
dent of the United States.
when we filed through the works on the
9TH street road and advanced in front of
Fort Stevens, we saw standing on the
parapet of the fort the tall form of Abra-
ham Lincoln. In vain he was warned that
his position was swept by the fire of sharp
l.
in a few feet of him, when he reluctantly
stepped down. Sheltered from the enemy's
fire were some of the Cabinet officers, citi-
Gems and ladies, breathless with excitement,
as they watched the fortune of the battle
in their front. Strange as was this scene
at the gates of the National Capital, it
would have seemed much more so to those
who were beholding it could they have
known that in the camp of the enemy a
short distance from them, as if in typical
contrast to the tall figure on the parapet
of the fort, stood man who, four years
before, had been the Vice-President of the
United States John G. Breckinridge).
Here we will leave our honored dead.
sleeping where they fell, until the sound
of the archangels bugle calls them to as
semble on the other shore"
As the last words were spoken Capt
leased the folds and the flag Immediately
opened, revealing the monument, amid pro-
longed applause and the booming of the
guns of the 4th Battery stationed east of
the grounds
The unwilling of the monument was per-
formed in harmony with the idea that the
draping American flag should never fall to
the ground after unvailing, but on the con-
trary should be carried above and allowed
to float in the breezes. So the flag ascend
ed on q wire rope run above where it took
its position like other large flags among
the spaces between the trees. Mr.. Fred ID.
Owens. Of the War Department, did the
decorating for the unwilling.
The monument is q beautiful memorial
]. +. Manning, of the District, under the
personal superintendent Of Col. B. f.
Bingham.
Dr.. Thomas Calver, Medical Director
of the Department Of the Potomac. then
presented fine original poem, 1.-The March
Of the Gallant Sixth Corps"
By urgent request of the survivors of
ham. Past Commander of the Department
of the Potomac, G. A. r.; and Chairman
Of the Committee on Arrangements for the
dedication of the monument, delivered the
principal address. Col. Bingham's address
was fully descriptive of the movement upon
Washington. and of the battle, and is i'm
portant historically because of his active
PARTICIPATION in it, He said in part:
ION the dome of yonder Capitol stands
the statue Of Freedom, and on the globe
upon which it rests is cast in imperish-
able bronze words, e Pluribus Unum,'
which most fttingly represent our great
Union. The sentiment for to-day is, then,
Saving the Union"
He then sketched In graphic manner and
IT, s. Treasury RECEIPTS.