Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

at Rockville and the attack on and the
defense Of Washington is exhaustively
covered by the report of Brevet Maj Gen.
j. G. Barnard on the defeDses of Wash
ington.
1t is Illuminating to quote from that re-
port the following:
At the period Of Gen. Harle's inspection
March s, 1SG4) there were within the limits of
the command tdeferses Of Washington, -, l6i
troops. Of which Is, s63 attached to the
lines and thoroughly instructed. not only as ar
tillerymen but in all that concerned the defense
On the initiation Of the campaign In Virginia.
under Lieut. Gen. Grant in the spring OF 1864.
the services of Gen. Abbott's brigade Of heavy
artillery was deemed essential to the operation.
in the field. and withdrawn from the d.
lenses. At the same time the governors Of Ohio.
Illinois. Indiana Iowa and Wisconsin undertook
service" TO I've employed for guard and garrison
duty during the campaign season. As these ar
withdrawn and sent to the front. On the 10th OF
July. 1864. the line nfrth of the Potomac. thu
soned by the 10th. I5ist and 10th Regiments
Of Ohio National Guards 600 days men, and
fifteen companies Of heavy volunteer, artillery,
two companies Of light artillery and two compa-
MES OF United States artillery. all under COM
mand of Brig. Cen N: ID. Hardin. The effective
cavalry north Of the Potomac. There were b.
sides. in Washington and Alexandria, about 1903
eneers veteran Reserves and detacb,nans
der Gems. Wisewell and Slough doing duty "a
guards. etc. and about 400 tsix regiments of
When Early marched Washington in 1864
the defenses had been stripped of the disciplined
about $4,000 which had constituted their garri-
son. Under such circumstances much anxiety
flushed with success and melted by the prize he.
fore their eyes. Yet. inadeGuatply manned as
they were. the Notifications compelled at least
Il concentration and arraying OF force on the
part OF the assailants and thus gave time Tor
the arrival of succCr.
A mile to the east by a little south of
Stevens stood Fort Slocum. This work
was on the Blair road on land belong
ing to a prominent landholder. of the
period named Walker. An old inhab-
liant of the locality. with whom The
Star man talked. could not recall the
full name Of this gentleman. but re-
membered him merely as Mai. Walker
A few traces of Fort Slocum may be
found today. but its site is now SUBJ
divided into building lots and houses
are being erected there. Directly after
the close Of the war the Walker prop
erty was bought by Christopher OHare.
and the better to carry on farming OPP
eratiOnS he caused most of the earth
works to be leveled. Two of O'Hare's
children are living in fine old stone
house off the Blair road. They are
Miss Elizabeth and Stanley O'Hare. The
driveway leading from Blair road to
the O'Hare house is bordered by very
old holly trees and a double row of
pines. In the grounds are gardens of
venerable lockwood. The O'Hare house
stands on the site of the Walker house
which was burned about forty years
ago.
A mile south by east from Slocum are
the fairly preserved outlines of Fort
Totten. They are on a wooded crest
close to the settlement of WOODBURY..
The land on which Totten was built
was owned in 1861 by Thomas Brown,
and the land is still owned by his chill
dren and grandchildren. The old Brown
home is intact. with holly trees and
box hedges in the garden, and the land
around the hill on which Totten stands
is still farmed or "trucked." Wash
grown there.