Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-15

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the keenest interest
happanann0cK. to the people of this
city. 1t was obvious that Gen. Lee in
tended to carry out the campaign of
invasion which sentiment in the south had
forced upon him, and every day brought
Its rumors of Confederate activity. with
little or no public information as to the
exact whereabouts of troops. In The
Star Of June 9. 1853. is a report Of a
severe engagement at Beverly's ford on
the Rappahannock, between Rappahan-
mock Station and Sulphur Springs. No de-
tails of the fight were printed in that
issue. but the next day a long account
OF the engagement appeared under a
headline which characterized it as the
biggest cavalry battle Of the war. 1t
was declared that this move on the part
OF Gen. Hooker had prevented the Con-
federate leader Stuart from starting on a
proposed raid 1t was the belief in Wash
ington Immediately after this fight that
1t had caused the complete disarrange-
ment of Gen. Lees plans. This, however,
was soon proved to be far from the fact.
x :.
In The Star of June D. 1868 was the
following paragraph: About two and
one-half o'clock this aft
Explosion at ernoon heavy ex-
D. plosion. making smart
0"0' conclusion in Alexandria
and even in this city, took place across
the river, and as We go to press with this
edition -four and one-half O'clock We
hear that the magazine at Fort Lyons ex-
ploded at that time through the careless
ness of some of the soldiers stationed at
the fort. 1t was occupied by company
OF German soldiers. We have no report
yet of casualties from the explosion
In the issue of the next day are further
particulars Of this disaster. An extract
from the Alexandria News was printed
in which "a gentleman just from the
fort gave terrible account of the ex-
plosion." He reported twenty men at
tached to the garrison killed and about
thirty seriously wounded. Many of the
killed We're thrown great distance in
the air and mangled in a shocking man.
ner. Two men were thrown nearly 2UO
yards and landed on their feet not being
seriously injured. Most of those killed
were in the magazine procuring powder
for practice on the garrison guns, and as
their death was instantaneous the cause
of the explosion can never be known"
said he noticed that two of the men who
went into the magazine had pipes smok-
ing. Fortunately another magazine Of
larger size and filled with powder did not
explode, although but short distance
away. A later report. placed the dead at
twenty-three and the injured at seven
teen
So we'll did Gen. Lee keep his plans
and movements secret that the first
knowledge of an advance
Maryland in the line of his invasions
Invaded came June IL: 1853. in the
AA'"uou. form of dispatch from
Poolesville. Md. stating that the Con-
federate forces had that morning crossed
the Potomac into Maryland, at Muddy
branch three miles below Seneca. About
goo cavalrymen drove in the pickets of
Col. A. b. Jewett, commanding in that
vicinity. Col Jewett reported to the
War Department that after this force
had pursued his pickets to within three
miles of Pooiesville, 1t then retreated
to Seneca, burned the camp Of Company
l, 9th Michigan, and returned down the
towpath and recrossed the river.
That this was not regarded as a lseri-
Gus movement Of invasion was noted by
an editorial comment on the news az
count, as follows:
We have every reason to believe that
the invading force is no larger than that
which attacked Col. Jewetts picke.s,
nothing more than an Independent raid
undertaken by Mosby on a small scale.
An ample force of Union cavalry is al
ready on his heels. The Potomac is
tween Great Falls and Harpers Ferry.
so it will be a Difficult. task to catch
him ere. he jumps back again into
Loudoun.
This raid was part of Lees general
policy of feinting in one direction while
he was actually moving
Lees Plans his troops in another. The
public belief was that his
0ecIet. main body was still south
Of the Rappahannock. and the impress
sion prevailed in Washington that he
had abandoned his plan for an early
northward movement. In The Star of
June IL, 1863, is this news item:
Affairs along the front of the Army
of the Potomac remain as at last adj
vices. The enemy, we'll as our own
troops, maintain their original lines of
battle below Fredericksburg. Occasion
ally gun is heard and some scatter
ing shots from the skirmishers. In
tel1igence received here from Caroline
county. Va, shows that the enemy have
no strong force there. Several picket
guards are at the fords and landings
one at Bowling Green, the county seat,
and one at the railroad comprise our
entire strength. The neck this side of
the Rappahannock is quiet. and none
of the enemy'S forces are known to be
there. The health of the army is repre-
scented as excellent.
In PENNSYLVANIA there was keen app"e-
hension of an invasion by Lee. In The
Star of June IL.
Apprehension in 1868. is this news
Pennsylvania. Gen Couch has
fully assumed command Of the Depart
ment of Susquehannah eastern Penn
sylvania. Yesterday Gen. Couch. Gov.
Curtin, Gen. Schenck and others were In
consultation at the capital of the state.
The Harrisburg correspondent of the
Philadelphia Inquirer says:
The governor, after due considera-
ton, comedies with Gen. Couch that there
is positive danger of invasion. and that
it is absolutely necessary to call out the
militia for state defense. He has there
fore telegraphed to Washington to have
all recruiting for the regular or volunteer
service in this state stopped. SO that all
our citizens may be available in the de-
Tense of the borders, and the general gov
eminent has consented to the measure as
necessary and eXpedient in the effort to
repel the invasion. Gen. Couch posi-
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