The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-01-20


news from the front was so dis.
quieting that he proceeded to
Fort Stephens, five miles north of
Pennsylvania Ave on he
Seventh street pike, and took
command of a line he had never
before seen.
Every man was utilized for de
Tense. The hospitals were drawn
on for cOnvalescents; the quarter
masters department for employees;
the National Guard of Ohio; the
District of Column ia militia the
Veteran Reserves. and the few I'M
assigned regular detachments and
unmOunted cavalry, sailors, fire
men, and citizens were in the
trenches and on picket line. Five
hundred MANNED men left Finley
Hospital for the front. Many of
them had arrived but short time
before from the bloody fields of
strife around Petersburg, and as
they trudged along on crutches to
reach the front line which defend
ed Fort Stephens, were called by
some of the officers the four legged
infantry. With this organization
was the writer, and well does he
remember how the pace was quick
ened as the reverberating sound
of the Confederate guns was heard
echoing over the dome of the
National Capitol.
When General Grant realized
the gravity of the situation. and
General Hunter could render no
assistance, he first thought of re.
turning from Petersburg to Wash
ington to take command i'll person.
On reflection, however, he decid-
ed to send the Sixth Corps, COM
manded by General II. G. Wright.
A New York cavalry regiment
which left City Point. Va, on
July 7th, as | now recall the date,
seems to have been the first to
reach Washington from the James
and went into camp about mid
night of July 10, as my memory
now serves me, near Fort Stephens.
On the same day the First and
Second Division of the Sixth
Corps left City Point for Wash
ington. A few hours later Gen
eral Emory, with a part of the
Nineteenth Corps just returning
from New Orleans to join Grant,
lett Fortress Monroe for Wash
ingtOn without disembar k Il G
from their ocean transports.
What picture! Early with
his fighting legions advancing on
The Capitol from the north, while
fleets bearing the veterans of the
Sixth and Nineteenth Corps were
on their way from the James river
and the Gulf of Mexico to save
the Capitol they loved so. North
and South looked on with abated
breath and wondered which in
this race of armies, would reach
Washington first.
On the morning of July 11thI
am not certain to the exact dates)
General Early left his camp near
Rockville. The Confederate Col.
McCausland with his cavalry.
taking the Georgetown pike, the
infantry preceded and fianked by
cavalry taking the seventh street
pike. The Union cavalry com
manded by a major, met the Con-
federate cavalry skirmishers a
short distance beyond the picket
line near the old stone Tavern, be-
fore noon, and forced them back
on their reserves. He in turn
was driven back by the Confed-
crates, who fred few shots from
battery of light artillery.
About noon the signal officer at
Fort Reno observed clouds Of dust
and army wagons moving up
Seventh street pike. About the
same time message from a Cap
tain commanding an Illinois com
pany said that the Confederates
with artillery, cavalry, and infan
try, was moving in the direction
of Silver Spring. General Nc
Cook. ordered the picket line to
contest the ground and retire
slowly on approach of the John
MES until within range of the
guns of Fort Stephens, Slocum
and DeRussy.
Shortly afternoon, riding in adj :
vance with Rhodes; whose divi.
sion, consisting of Given's and
Cox's North Carolinians, Crooks
Georgians, and Battles Alaba-
mians, in the van General Early,
came as he said in his report to
his Government, and which pub
lished soon after his return to
Virginia, in full view of Fort
Stephens and found it feebly
manned, as had been reported to
him. Smith, of EN- bode n s
cavalry, according to this same
report of Early, drove a small
body of Union Cavalry before him
into the works. No time could