The Washington herald., 1907-07-21
Young District of Columbia Soldiers in Camp on
Historic Field Near HarperS Ferry.
From a staff Correspondent.


than the beautiful farm Of 200 acres.
known as Camp Ordway, where the Ma
tional Guard of the District of Columbia
Is living, as nearly as possible. under
war conditions, and training for the
field
In the peaceful valley the slOping pas
ture-land is dotted with the khaki tents
OF the soldiery. who. TO the number of
fourteen hundred. are camped here.
Along the country roads the farmers stop
their work TO watch the youthful troop
ers marching by to the screechiug Of the
fife and the monotone OF the drum; across
the fields officers on horseback, dash 10
the music Of ringing sabres and clinlling
spurs, and from reveille at 5:15 in the
morning until taps AT 10.15 at night the
camp is ringing with bugle calls. which
are echoed back a hundred times from
the grim, thickly wooded heights that
shut this valley in, a natural ampitheater.
Nor IS it only the beautiful natural
lay of the land that makes this camp
remarkable. Every foot of this attractive
terrain is replete with historic memories.
The soldier boys of to-day are drilling
on the very spot on which their fathers
fought grimly for the nations honor. or
these gaunt hills. so peaceTuI now. where
only wild goats have their habitation,
there is not one that has not belched
forth deadly shot and fame from a hun
dred concealed batteries. Right on the
spot where the camp is pitched. is the
scene Of a great disaster to the Federal
arms during the civil war. It was on this
gentle slope that Gen. Dixon Stanbury
Niles awoke TO the realization that the
ConfeGerates had him hemmed in as IN a
trap. Before him on the hillside and hid
den by the treec the guns Of the Southern
artlerymen deCimated his troops. To the
left in Maryland. were other batteries IN
force, and to the right the hidden ex-
tended in a line down the valley above the
gentle Shenandoah River. and there was
no escape there!
On Bolivar Heights.
On the slope Of Bolivar Heights to-
day are pitched the headquarters tents
and there flies the blue flag Of the Ma
tional Guard Of the District Of Columbia
marking the fact that here rests the
4.
George H Harries- It was on this spot
that IN the civil war Gen. Miles sent for
ward the flag Of truce, acknowledging
that he was beaten. and on this plain
below twelve thousand Federal soldiers
laid down their arms and became pris-
oners.
Higher up on Bolivar Heights back Of
the present militia headquarters; there
where the cavalry and the artillery are
camped the old-timers will point out the
spot where Gen. Miles was killed after
the surrender. Some say he was killed
by shot from his own ranks; q shot
fired by some desperate soldier angered
at the surrender. which, even to-day,
seems SO unnecessary.
Standing here at the door OF Gen. Har-
rles' tent one can survey the whole battle
field; an ideal spot With ones back to
Bolivar Heights and looking south, thsre
rises Loudoun Heights. on the Virginia
side. At the foot Of the terrain there is
a heavy fringe Of trees. and these hide
the sparkling Shenandoah that ripplez
through the valley at the foot of those
mountains that rise so blue and hazy in
the distance and blend so picturesqueIv
with the sky. To the left. LOudOun
Heights run down sheer to the gap that
makes the point known as Harpers Ferry.
where the Potomac and the Shenandoah
wed. Across the gap thus made there
rises Maryland Heights, as sheer and
precipitous as those in Virginia. 1t was
up these heights that Gen Rufus Z. Sax
ton dragged the heavy guns which fought
back successfully the Confederate force
under Gen. Stonewall Jackson; that force
whose proud objective was the Nations
Capital
Farther 10 the left yet. on Maryland
Heights, the natives viii point out where
that figure so gigantic on the pages Of
htstory-John Brown-lived. Il was from
among the scrubby trees such as these
which even now conceal the rocky sides
that he and his men cut the STATS for
the rude speaTheads with which weapons
they crossed the quiet Potomac and cap
tured the United States arsenal at Har-
peTs Ferry. There IS hardly "a stick or
stone hereabOuts that does not shout its
story Of war and breathe the spirit of the
noblest sort of patriotism into the young
men here encamped learning To be SOL
diers.
Historic Ground.
Antietam, they viii tell you, lies sixteen
miles over there. across those blue hills.
farther beyond lies Frederick CITY, and
at once the mind conjures no a vision of
Barbara Freitchie, who gayly Haunted
her nations flag in the faces Of the vic
tors:
SHOE. if you must, this old gray head.
But spare your cJuntrys flag she said
Do you suppose the young fellows here
who seem 10 stagger under the broiIlng
sun as they do sentry-go in full marching
kit do not remember these pages from
the past?
There Is literally not an inch Of this
ground that has not been fought over:
every foot Of It has been bought with
blood. Here we are in the valley Of the
Shenandoah. that valley which it was
Sheridan's task 10 clean up" infested.
as IL was, by the Confederates Down
this valley, where nov It is all so peace
ful Serbian drove Jubal Early before
him. This was the great stOrchouse. the
wonderful granary, so richly endowed by
nature, from which the COnfederates were
drawing the strength that enabled them
10 fight so manfully. Clean it upr' cried
Sheridan. Wen make the Shenandoah
Valley so clean that a crow flying across
1t will have 10 carry his rations with
him. " And he did.
SOWed with Bullets.
To-day, when the farmers here plough
up field, should it chance to rain on
the newly-ploughed ground, they 20 out
and pick Up great numbers OF bullets. The
ground is s0wed with them. as with
dragons teeth. and although this is forty
years after the war, the ground is foul