Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-02
FIFTY YEARS Ago
IN THE STAR

No time was lost in putting Prof. loves
military balloon, which had its first test
In this city, TO practical
War Balloon use at the front. fifty
years ago. In The Star
III OcIslco' of June 81. 1861. is the
following dispatch from Taylors Tavern,
Fairfax county. Va. received by pony ex-
press:
Prof. Lowe reached this point with his
balloon at about 10 am. yesterday. At
II m. he attempted an ascent. but the
wind was too high. and he gave up the
experiment until It lowered At pm.
he tried 1t again, and claimed TO have
ascended perhaps 500 feet. Yet he could
see nothing that indicated the presence
Of the enemy except huge cloud of dust
in the direction Of Fairfax Court House.
caused. he thought. by the rnaneuvering
Of a considerable body OF the enemy s
cavalry. He could not even distinguish
the courthouse village. saw him make
the experiment. and do not think he went
up more than 200 feet I expect ne forgot
to bring along a sufficiency Of cord to
make his balloon serviceable. In a still
later ascension. at 10 pm, l hear, he
failed to see any camp fires. This point
is as high, l believe, as any ground in
Fairfax county. and it is unaccountable
that nothing distinctive can be seen from
a proper elevation above 1t with good
glasses. I trust Gen. Mcdowell will have
him get more cordage. so that the balloon
may attain an elevation OF 1000 feet, and
may also send competent military oh
server with the professor. Such an OBJ
server will doubtless be able to render
q M Nnr c1f iefn .,H<
is visible In a military way from the
balloon than the professor himself can"
It is evident from the newspaper files
OF dates shortly preceding the battle OF
Bull Run that the caI-ac.
Southern ity Of the southern army
r- assembling in Virginia t.
ooPS' meet the northern forces
was moderated. In The Star of June p
1861. is a special telegram from Alexan
dria, as follows:
"A reliable citizen OF a neighborine
county of this state has just reached
here. having been held a prisoner a.
Manassas Junction for three days. in the
fore part of last week. He was arrested
at his home for Unionism. and was car
was kept there for three days, with five
other prisoners. In all that time he was
neither given a piece Of bread nor DROP
of water though repeatedly begging pite
ously for both. He saw but two buckets
Of water carried around the camp to the
soldiers in the vicinity Of the hut in which
he was confined in the course of the
whole three days His estimate of the
force encamped at the Junction Sunday
last is 10O1O. Two thousand more were
said to have arrived from Richmond be-
tween Sunday and Tuesday. On being
liberated. he made for the Potomac to es-
cape into Maryland, taking the Dumfries
road, which he found obstructed by nu-
merous felled trees, as low down as a
mile below BANDS ford over Cedar run
point five miles from Junction. He was
examined by three very pompous fellows
William Porcher Miles of South Carolina
being chief among them Miles. on dis
missing him, said that they expected t.
be in Washington in a fortnight, and il
catching him there would surely hang
him. While being examined, he heard
them conversing among themselves abou,
the immensely of their force, evidently
with the design Of impressing him with
the idea that 1t was overwhelming. He
reports that full a fourth of ali the troops
ne saw there are armed with shotguns
and portion are wholly without arms
apparently. He saw but two apparently
we'll drilled regiments On the whole
what he saw of the camp at the Junction
did not serve to impress him with the
move upon Washington with the means
at his command for an assault
The following paragraph in The Star
OF June q, 1861, affords an indication
OF the Official activities
Official in the direction of the
Activity Union army in this city
at the outset of the war:
Nothing has transpired in and around
the general-in-chiefs Office of late diff
ferent from what has been of almost
daily occurrence there since the war
fairly opened. 1t is. Of course, neces-
sary that he should be frequently con-
suited BY the President, sometimes In
conjunction with one, two or all of his
cabinet upon the constantly arising
question connected with the defense Of
the Union in its present difficulties. In
Difference to the multiplicity and abb
sorbing nature of the cares Of his posi-
ton, and his superior age, instead Of
requesting his presence at the tsXecu-
tive Mansion or War Department when
a consultation is necessary, the Presi-
dent and the cabinet are accustomed to
repair to Gen. SCOTS Office, often re-
pcdteuly III d udy. luoy are not uU-
frequently there when business neces-
sariiy calls there either Gen. Mansfield,
commanding this military department,
or Gen. Mcdowell, commanding that OF
eastern Virginia, or both. Upon the
fact that half dozen such parties are
not infrequently there at the same time,
the men Of the press around us found
all their stories about civil supervision
of Gen. Scott's military plan, changes
in them, etc"
Northern optimism regarding the out
come OF the impending collision between
the two armies in Vir-
Beauregard's ginia was fostered by
Forces. dtsarso.,on - ave
ranks, such as the following special dis
patch to The Star from Falls Church,
printed June 20. 1861:
Il learn through a party who should
know that on the night before last the
total number OF the enemy at Center
vile and east of that point was about
5000, in five or Six regiments. and two
or at the most three Independent COM
panies. Two of these regiments are
Col. Gregg's and Col. Kershaw's South
Carolinans. They have been paid, since
reaching Virginia. altogether in Vir-
ginia state obligations. which they
force on the people when buying any
thing. These two regiments are the