Connecticut western news., 1911-10-12
SURPRISING EARLY
Roberts Relates the Incident of Wash
 ington's Rescue
RY E. s MOMENTS

BY K. S ROBERTS
 Comrades In my last we were march ing slowly through Washington listen ing to the musketry at the north door of the city, and all was excitement. It was fearfully hot and dusty. At the time we did not know how heavy force was so near Washington. We did not know then that the third division of our corps had preceded us by a day or two, via Annapolis and Baltimore, and had as- sisted General Lew Wallace (the author of Ben Hur'O in checking the march of Early, "only temporarily, but sufficiently to allow us to get into position at Fort Stephens and thereby save the Capitol from destruction
 To perface somewhat the difficulties before us. let me take advantage of the eneIny's own account of what brought us up to save Washington, General Lee had ordered General Early to pro- ceed down the Shenandoah Valley and threaten Washington, with the view of drawing forces away from Grant at Petersburgh. This Early did, crossing the Potomac at Shepherdstown and around Marylands Heights. driving the small force of Siegel's on to the work ol Maryland Heights, and passed on to Frederick and there levied S200, 0,000 on the city. At Monocraoy Junction Gen. eral Wallacs met them with a small force. Although defeated this resulted in checking Early, thereby giving us time to reach Washington the same day that he was at our door with his force. The losses of each oontending force at Monocraoy were about TOO killed and wounded. Then Early pushed for Washington after burning the railroad bridges over the Monacracy," Early says, "he marched 90 miles to Rockville and had an engagement with the Union for the night"
 The next day, l1th, at daylight Early with his force of about 12,000 troops started. There were two bikes leading to Washington, the Georgetown pike and the Silver Springs route. These two routes are the principal ones--one past Fort Reno and the other Fort Stevens, and here is where we found Early and his forces, He, as he says, approached Fort Stevens by the Silver Springs road, leaving the 7th street pike a little after noon, and discovered that the works were but feebly manned" He says, "I ordered Rodes to throw out shirmishers and move into the works, if he could" And he says, Before Rode's division could be brought up we saw a cloud of dust in the rear of the works, towards w WashinRton and soon the enemy filed into them on the right and left and their skirmishers were thrown out in front while an artillery fire was opened on us from number of batteries. This defeated our hopes of getting pos session of the works by surprise"
 This shows EArly's position, so near getting into Washington. If he had been an hour earlier his forces would probably have gotten into Fort Stevens, and if the 9th Corps had not arrived as it did, Washington would have been sacked and burnt. But, providentially, we were kicking up the dust that Early saw. and we filed to the left into Fort Kearny and the works were manned by our forces and hot time resulted. Gen. eral Early found that he could not carry the works. OIr skirmishers were thrown out and met Early's forces, with loss of about 300 on our side, and theirs was full as great as ours.
 The rebels began retreating about mid night, so Washington was safe. At 10 O clock in theevening gourregiment moved two or three miles and after much man, euvering we lay down on our arms till daylight Daring the night Early had concluded that it was n dangerous un- dertaking to assault the works with the sixth corps behind them. It had been our province to assault the rebel works now the situation was reversed.
 In the morning you had a chance to see how formidably the defenoos were constructed. you know. Enclosed forts were built on prominent grounds once in every eight or ten hundred yards, clear around Washington, with embraEures for heavy guns bastioned so that guns were placed so as to sweep the ditches about the forts. These were about ten feet deep and about the, same in width. Outside of these ditches was a scarp and counter. scarp, which were surrounded by abatis and just below these forts another line of breastworks with em- brasures for field guns and emplacements for two lines of infantry. These lines were connected and roads were built for convenience of moving guns or troops from one point to another and under cover of these works.
 Outside of these outer works. were ] ahntis and Rvarv cnnneiunhln nhatrnnAinr,