Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-06-30
Saved the
Declaration"
From British

1OnpdFhIiNeiy lew OF LnS present
generation know how near to being
lost was once the most precious Of our
national documents, the Declaration OF
independence. 1t was during the war
Of 1872. The Declaration of %Tndepend-
ence hung, for many years, In a frame
In the state department in the room
then occupied by Stephen P%leasonton,
who moved to Washington in 1900
with the government. Mr.. Monroe,
when he was elected president, Gre
ated a new Office, which was conferred
upon Mr.. P|leasonton, that of chief of
the lighthouse establishment, 10 which
was added the auditing of the minis
terial and consular accounts. This
Office was retained by Mr.. Pleasonton
under all the succeeding administra-
tons until his death, which occurred
in 1855.
Mr.. Beaseley, commissary Of prison.
ers OF war in London, forwarded to
the state department some London
newspapers stating that the English
fleets and transports were receiving
troops at Bordeaux, France, with the
intention of operating against Wash
ington and Baltimore. Soon after it
was learned that the British fleet was
in the Chesapeake bay, and that it was
ascending the Patuxent. The officials
and citizens of the little capital city
were hourly expecting an attack.
Upon receipt of this information,
which was a few days before the enc
my entered Washington, Mr.. Monroe,
then secretary of state, James Madison
being president, mounted his horse,
rode to Benedict, a small village on
the PatuXent, where the British forces
were being landed, and climbed an
eminence within a quarter Of a mile
of the village, in order To ascertain the
strength of the enemy. Being con-
WINGED after his inspection that we
had no force available that could sue
eessfully resist them. he sent a note to
Mr.. P~leasonton by a vidette, advising
him to Sc that the best care was taken
of the books and papers of the state
department.
Acting at once upon this authority
Mr.. P%leasonton purchased some coarse
linen and had 1t made into bags of
suitable size, in which he, assisted by
the. others of the office, placed the
books and other papers.
Mr.. P%leasonton had the bags earted
to a grist mill which he selected as a
suitable depository. The mill. which
was unoccupied. belonged to Edgar
Paterson, and was situated on the Vir
ginia side of the Potomac, beyond the
Chain bridge, two miles above George
town.
The last load had left and Mr.. Pleas
onton was just quitting the vacant
rooms. when, turning back suddenly
to see whether anything had been left
behind. to his CONSERVATION he saw
the Declaration of independence.
which had been overlooked. still hang
ing upon the wall. He hastily cut 1t
out of the frame and carried 1t away
with the otheN papers.
He then began to be uneasy about
the place he nad chosen, for If the
British took Washington, which he
firmly believed they would do. and
very 500 at that. they would in all
probability detach a force for the pur-
pose of destroying a foundry for the
making of cannon and shot in the
neighborhood. and of course would
consider a grist mill too valuable a
thing 10 be left standing in a country
they meant TO subdue. Mr.. Pleasonton
therefore visited some of the Virginia
farm houses. whose owners were only
too willing to loan him wagons in
which to convey the documents to
Leesburg. a distance of 80 miles. There
they were deposited in an empty
house. the keys of which were given
to Rev. Mr.. Littlejohn. who was one
of the collectors of internal revenue.
Worn out with his labors, Mr.. Pleas
onton states in a letter. he retired
early to bed that night and slept
soundly. Next morning he was in
formed by The people of the little tav-
ern whore he had stayed that evening
that they had seen during the night,
the same being the oath of August, a
large fire In the direction Of Washing
ton, which proved to be the light from
the public buildings, which the enemy
had set On fire and burned to the
| ground.
When he returned to Washington on
the 26th he found the public build
ings still burning, and learned that the
British army had evacuated the city
the preceding evening, in the belief
that the Americans were again assem-
bling in the rear for the purpose Of
| cutting off their retreat.
But as the British fleet still lowered
in the neighborhood and threatened
| Washington with a second invasion,
It was not considered safe to bring the
papers of the state department back
for some weeks. In the meantime Mr..
| Pleasonton made occasional trips to
Leesburg for particular papers to
which the secretary OF state had occa-