Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-02-24
SEES HOPE FOR BILL
TO BUY BATTLE FIELD
Mr. Cnriin Thinks Measure to Acquire
Hall Nun VIII lie TnkcR Care
of In Senate.

chas" by the government OF lands on
tho battle field OF Bull Run. Va. near
Manassas. for the creation of a park.
TO succeed in having the project
tackled on to tho military appropria-
ton biz in, the Senate.
The bill Mr.. Carlin said. has al
ready been favornbly reported by tho
House Military Committee. and there is
much interest in it. Ii 1t passes. as
its friends hope it viii. on it's morits.
it would mean the creation OF Il small
national park ncar washington--@7
acrcs--within automobile ride of onc
and half two hours from tho
capital
The road to ccutcrviilc and Bull Run
Is historic "u" Braddock marched
part Of his army over it in 1853: Ro-
chamhcau marched tho French contin-
Cont Of Washngtons army over It IN
1881. ou the way from New Jersey to
Yorktown; during tho civil War. Me
powcll. Mcclellan, burnside. Meade
aud Grant used The road continually
In any campaign for The defense Of
| Washington in the future. IL is said
The same road would be used. Tho
road as far as Fairfax Courthouse IS
nov reported as being in good con
dition and the Warrcnton Turnpike
COMPANY IS reported as placing the re-
mj,HdCr in good order.
elves History of Battle Fields.
Lieutenant George Carr Round. OF
Manassas. Va. has prepared and is
sending 10 ali members of Congress u
brief giving some Of the history OF the
Sui Run battle fields. the monuments
placed thereon, which. it is pointed
out, should be on government property,
Ia Their than on private property. where
they have. boon for half ~ century.
The brief. which is headed with the
question. is tho uuitcd states too
poor to own it's own monumcnts?" and
with the phrase. ~ national disgrace"
applied by Corporal Tanner to tho fact
that the Bull Run monuments are on
private ground. rather than in n gov
crnmcnt park. recitcs many interesting
incidents snd events In connection with
tho battle fields.
Immediately after tho grand review
Of the Army OF tho Potomac In Wash
nE;on tho brief records n monument
was dedicated. with Imposing patri-
oiic and religious ceremonies. Sunday
June II. lS65, on the spot WHARF 1T
suffered its first defeat. and there was
inscribed thereon: In memory OF tho
patriots who fell"
Abiding to this first monument. the
brief says:
II, Was built by n dctail OF veteran
soldiers. pursuant to Special Orders,
Of Illinois. approved by Generals An
CUR and Meade and Ivy Quartcrmastor
General Mcigs.
~ second monument was dedicated
the Same day whore tho second battle
began. These two were tho only mon
umcnts ever erected by tho soldiers
themselves. their last service before
final discharge.
since 1900 dozen more moun
ments and markers have hrcn erected
by veteran organizations. North and
South. and many more desire to do so
as soon as tho nation acquires title 10
the land. The custodans Of the Con-
Tolerate cemetery ana monument adj
iacont also desire to cmtrust the care
of the Same TO tho government.
Plan Favored by &. 4. II.
The Grannd Army Of the Republic.
after several years considerations
unanimously resolved. at their national
cncampmcnt At Minneapolis in 1895.
that the United states should acquire
title to the land on which the Bull
Run monuments were erected and
such roadways and adjacent areas as
arc necessary Ia enable comrades and
citizens Of our country To see the first
battle ncld OF the great war without
trcspassins on private property. ~
special committee on Bull Run monu-
mcnts' was maintained for nine years,
Of which General T.. w. Whitaker.
General Lewis Wagner and Colonel
William j. Wells were successfully
chairmcu. At ihcir request Mr.. Car
in. in whose distyfct the monuments
stand. secured hraliuCs before tho
Military Committee Of tic House. ON
March > 1919. President Taft signed
II bill authori1iu= tho Secretary of War
to report on ACCESSIBILITY and price, and
in Dcccmh"r. 1915 Secretary Garrison
made IL favorahl" report.
Addresses were mado at tho dcdica-
ton in 1865 ny Representative F'arns-
worth. 1T Illinois. Judge Olin. of the
Wilcox and IIcintzlomRn, who led tho
charges on Horny I'M So it appears
that the legislative. the judicial and
executive departments were all rep
resented in the most interesting ccrc-
mony
Forty years after the war tho So
cic,y Of the Army OF Potomac met
on Henry nm. Major John w. Daniel.
standing ." the bias" of the moni-
mont. gave an ardent welcome, in
which he said: The civilization Of any
people can he Judged 10y its care 1T
it's dead FIFTY years after the first
battle the Blue and Gray lined IN
in tho field where tvo battles ended
and shook hands in tho Manassas Eit-
tional jubilee OF peacc'--the first in
stance Of the kud in Tho annals OF
tho human race. ON no battle field OF
Tho civil War have there been 80 many
and cordial reunions from North
and South on this nearest field TO
the nations capital"
Lieutenant Rounds brief also SANS
while cNpcmdinc billions in pre-
parcdncss for the future, submit wo
ought to cNpcud a few thousands to
preserve these uNiuuc memorials, as
/ 'eS"us for prStcrit N."
Representative CaYlin has had print
ed extra ""pi"s OF House Document
No. ISL: siNty -third Congress- contain
10.