Evening star., 1922-07-09

Old Fort Washington. on the Mary
land bank of the Potomac, twenty
miles below this city and nearly op-
posite Mount Vernon. has been the
scene of several interesting events In
the history of the United States. Long
before the establishment of the fort
the site was occupied by village OF
the Piscataway Indians. and Gov.
Calvert and his party. exploring the
Potomac, there found about 500 war
riors in full war paint, prepared to
oppose his farther advance. Several
pow-wows followed, but it was not
until the Indian chiefs were satisned
of the friendly purposes OF the ex-
plorers that they were permitted to
land. Gov. Calvert found the loca-
tion ideal, and even thought OF set
thing there instead of at st. Marys,
farther down the river.
Subsequently in 1645 the province
of Maryland decided that the better
defense of the province against hos
tile Indians required the establish
ment Of a garrison at the mouth of
Piscataway creek. AT the same time
Thomas Watson was authorized Ito
assemble all the freemen of Saint
Georges Hundred and assess upon
them the charge of the soldiers whom
they had sent to serve in that gar
rison."
In 1895 the last stand of the In
dians was made at Tidewater, where
Fort Washington now stands. About
1900 Maryland and Virginia militia,
under command of Col John Wash
ington. met and defeated a force of
about $500 Indians. Col. John Wash
ington was the grandfather of George
Washington. These Indians consisted
of various tribes. chief among whom
were the Piscataways, Yoamocoes and
Susquehannocks. Their defeat was so
decisive that they left that section OF
the country.
In 1908 the United States govern
ment purchased three acres of land
from George Digges and began the
first fortifications of what is now
Fort Washington.
THESE fortilcations consisted OF
l mere earthworks and a water bat
channel in the ascent of the river
They were impotent, however. the
moment a vessel had passed. That
work was seated at the foot of a steep
ACTIVITY. from which the garrison
could have been driven by musketry
located at the summit. To provide
against that contingency. block
house was placed at the summit, but
the blockhouse. calculated only
against musketry. was defenssless
against twelve-pounders. At that
time the post was named Fort War
burton, but in 1913 was changed to
that of Fort Washington. in honor of
George Washington.
In the latter year Maj. L'Enfant
was sent by President Madison to in
spect and report upon the condition
of the fort. Maj. LEnfant was an
engineer officer, who served under
GEORGE Washington during the revo-
luton and who laid out the city of
Washington. In his report Maj Len
fant stated that "the whole original
design was bad, and it is therefore
impossible to make a perfect work Of
it by an alteration"
The major believed firmly in ade-
auate sea and coast defenses, and
that the best way to prevent war was
to be prepared In letter to Gen,
Washington, dated September II.
1889. he said:
And now that I am addressing
your excellency, I will avail myself
of the occasion to call to your atten-
ton an object of at least equal i'm
portance to the dignity Of the nation
and with which her quiet and pros
perity Is intimately connected-1
mean the protection of the seacoast
of the United States. This has hith-
erto been left to the individual states.
and has been so totally neglected as
to endanger the peace of the Union,
for it Is certain that an insult offered
on this (and there Is nothing to pre-
vent it). however fmmaterial1y 1T may
be in it's local effect, would degrade
the nation and do more injury to its
political interests than much
greater depreciation on her inland
frontier. From these considerations,
should argue the necessity of the
different ways and seaports being for
titled at the expense of the Union, in
order that one general and uniform
system may prevail throughout, that
being as necessary as a uniformity
in the discipline of the troops to
whom they are to be intrusted.
I flatter myself your excellency
will excuse the freedom with which
] impart to you my ideas on this sub
ject.. Indeed. my confidence in this
business arises in a great measure
from a persuasion that the subject
has already engaged your attention.
having had the honor to belong to the
Corps OF Engineers acting under your
orders during the late war and being
the only officer of that corps remain
ing on the continent"
+ \ + \
HOWEVER, Mr.. Armstrong. the Sec
retary of War, believed that it
was an utter impossibility that the
capital would be attracted either by
a land force or by a feet ascending
the Potomac. AS result, Fort
Washington was not reinforced.
In August, 1914, the British fleet
ascended the Potomac. At that time
Fort Washington was garrisoned by
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