The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-11-12
4lND THE WALLS OF HISTORIC AMERICAN FORTS

, the battles between the early colonistsSS
and the aborigines: others were OFT
comparative modern erection at a tre.S
| rnendous cost. There was Fort Macon.
guarding the entrance to the Harbos-
or Beaufort. n. c., built of brick and
stone. costing s463,7so. and manned.hv
about nifty hugo seacoast guhs. AZ the
mouth of the harbor of Smithyiilea
| stands Fort caswell. for which the
government paid s57t.22f. on the coast
, vi fiorida was one of the most an
cient forts In the United tSates.
1t had been erected BY the Spanish
| explorers when they founded the an -
Client city of ST. Augustine, and named
| inc citadel Castle ST Mark. Around
| TINS ancient fortress swarmed the
| aborsines OF the colonial days The
| English settlers came and named the
citadel tort Marion. lust before the
outbreak of the Civil War, the gov
eminent expended $4,000 on repairs;
out the Confederate occupied it.
The strongest fort guarding tho
| northern entrance to the Gulf of Mex
| ico was Fort Taylor. which had three
tiers of gun platforms and was built
10 contain IT'S cannon. 1t was situated
on the Southern extremity of Florida.
i
that fully occupied a small island OF
| thirteen acres. and which was intended
10 hold $50 huge cannon with a garrI- ;
son OF 1000 men.
Scnfineis of LonRGone Days on This
Scmi-CentcnnIai.
| Standing on the coast of the Gulf OF
Mexico are numerous forts that gal-
| iahtly stood before the terrific bom-
] bardments of Federal navies. The
| most costly @ thpvn Fort
at the entrance of Mobile Harbor, which
had cost S1,242.55o. Across the harbor
is Fort Gaines, walled citadel on
Dauphins Island, which was built at a
| cost OF S221,OOO. In the summer or
1854, Admiral Farragut led his huge
armada against them in conquest For
| several days and nights the shipso the
| Union and the forts OF the Confederacy
| hurled their terrible volleys against
each other Finally, the gallant cita4
dels. literally smothered with thou-
sands of tons OF shells, were forced
| to surrender.
Farther up the bay stood two forts
that had been built by the Confederates,
| Fort Blakely and Spanish Fort From
| Fort Morgan, the land forces marched
| In conquest of these ctadels They
| laid siege to Fort Blakely during the
winter months The gallant fort STOOD
] or the invaders until the day that Lee
surrendered at Appomattcx, when tho
white flag was finally thrown over the
| battlements.
Two powerful forts guarded the ap-
proach to New Orleans. st. Philip cost
the United States s25S,7O4 to build
while Fort jackson cost sS37.60S.
These were the two guards that cost
Farragut 2l0 men to subdue on that
day, Just nifty years ago next April.
| After the battle. the star shaped Forr
jackson was mass of ruins, and many
| OF her siXty-siN guns were disabled.
while the interior of Fort ST. Philip
was literally covered with iron can
non balls and shells.
Fort I'm Which Cannon Ball Nearly
Struck Lincoln.
The scenes that have taken place
about these citadeus of conquest excel
those Of the ancient days of knight
mood. But there Is only one more
anecdote that can be related in these
columns to-day. 1t is an adventure at
fort stevens. outside OF Washington,
In winch Lincoln was nearly killed by
cannon ball. Early's army had APP
peared like an apparition on the plains
before Fort Stevens one of the sixty
hVc fortihcations guarding the national
capital. The Confcdcratcs paused 10
rest after their historic march-onc OF
the longest and swiftest in the worlds
history.
Washington was in panic y mora
handful of soldiers were at hand TO
man the guns of the forts. Tho cita-
Del or the North seemed doomed to fall.
Citizens and government official pre-
pared TO flee to the North while Lin
coin and Secretary Stanton hung over
, the telegraph machines waiting to hear
that reinforcements were on the way
to rescue Early's standards of the
Sonfederacy futtered in the very race
OF Washington. There was no siecn
that night, Even Lincoln was standing
on warf on the Potomac anxiously
awaiting the arrival of reinforcemcnts
from Grant. OF which he had learned
over the telegraph. When the trans
4 ports steamed up the river, and began
10 disSorge its cargo of troops LIN
coin still stood at his post, munching
an army biscuit His gaunt face light
ed up with smile as he greeted the
veteran soldiers. The news was taken
uo and passed along.
1T is the old Sixth Corps. the men
who took Marye's Heights: the danger
Is over" The gloom OF the preceding
hours gave way to a scene of revelry
| as more troops marched down the
gang planks and the citizens recog-
nized the veterans OF Nineteenth Corps.
The troops passed through tho
streets and out into the fortified OUT
skirts of Washington. At early dawn
the Confederate army was astir. Guns
were whirlcd into position, and point-
ed toward the forts. most OF theni
bearing upon Fort Stevens General
l Early came to the front and looked to-
ward the city. The parapets OF Fort I.
Stevens were lined with hundreds OF
soldiers, as was every foot within tho
vicinity.
At any moment the passes toward the
shenandoah Valley might be closed by
the Federal army, thus cutting oft the
retreat of the daring raiders. But
| Early determined to lombard the can't
tai of the Union. as the Federals had
battered at Richmond. The first guns
hurled their shot and she'll at Fort
| q G.,nr L, IL. -l.i...