Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06

cellent officer. Maj. Peter OF the George
town. and Capt. Burch OF the Washing
ton volunteers. and Capt. Lewis Of Gen
Stuarts brigade. kept up a very spirited
nre These officerS together with Capts.
Stull and Davidson and their brave men.
behaved in the handsomest manner. and
rendered all the assistance their limited
means afforded. The ammunition of the
eighteen-pounder and several of the
skies being expended. and the firc OF tho
enemy from two frigates. two sloops OF
war. two bombs one rocket ship and
several smaller vessels. being very
heavy. II was thought advisable by Gen.
Stuart Mai Peter and myself to retire
a short distance TO the rear. This WAS
their fire for more than an hour. Gen
Stuart and Col Beall we're much OK
posed during the whole time of the can
nonading It would be presumption in
me to speak in commentator Of these
veterans; I cannot. however avoid ex-
pressing my admiration Of their con-
duct"
Most of the officers and troor. mem
toned as acting calamity at the White
House and at Indian Head had a few
days before fought or had not fought
at Bladens5urg.
Commodore Porter eays in his report
that some of the British ships were
much injured. and in Niles Register
one may read the narrative OF a Brit
ish deserter from the frigate Euryalus
wherein he says that on board his ship
five men were killed and seven wound
ed by the FIRE of the shore batteries.
The White House is about two rnfles
below Mount Vernon. and on the vir-
ginia shore. IT was the old Fairfax ee-
tate of Belvoir and that name har
come into print recently I'm connection
with the efforts TO locate a penal insti-
tuition on the property and also in con-
nection with camp of instruction for
militia engineer officers. High wooded
bluffs rise from the gravelly river
shore. and at high tide the river washes
the foot of the bluffs The channel OF
the river here runs in close to shore
Two of the ancient Fairfax buildings.
one of them the office" of the estate
stood below the northerly end of the
bluff on low land that sloped gently
down to the river. The top of the blum
was reached by a road from the point
near these buildings. The office build
ing. which was of brick, stood until
about five years ago. when 1t caught
fire and was destroyed. frame cot
tage-like structure later being erected
on its site.
That old brick building on the shore
was always kept whitewashed and
came to be called the White House
One sees by reference to the reports of
the period of 1914 that IL was called
the White House, and middle-aged
Washington people remember when II
was called White House Landing and
when excursion picnics were held there
by Washingtonians. just as they were
at Glymont
For long time a colored man by the
name of Tait-Robert Tait-lived In
that house by the river. and it may be
that he is living there yet The Ram
bier has not been to that spot for five
years. but twice this summer and once
last winter has loitered along the bluffs
high above the river and the site of the
old house TAFT for many years kept a
coal oil lamp lighted in one of the win
dows of the White House, by which
river boats steered at night. He was
paid for this by the Norfolk line OF
boats. but all boats benefited by it and
relied on the White House light. The
whftewashed walls of the little brick
house were a beacon by day.
1t is in these woods on the top of the
bluff that molder the ruins of the Fair
fax house of Belvoir. and if you have
good imagination you can fancy Just
the position on the BLUM that the Amer
lean guns occupied when the hostile
ships that had held up" Alexandria
sailed by