Evening star., 1932-02-21

Washinetons birthday was celebrated In
this city with the dedication OF The
equestrian statue IN washington Circle.
= erected to the memory Of Americas
greatest citi5en-George Washington.
The United States at that time was prAc-
tiealN sitting upon q volcano, for the rumhaing
noise Of civil war could already be heard by
way Of threats and inttmtdatsons; Jonn Browns
raid and the execution OF odd OsaWaocsnac
were still news and 1t was election year. Tne
Democrats were to hold Their conVcnuon t~o
months hence at Charleston. S. c., to select
a standard bearer from a field Of IL. including
Hunter Breckinridge, Douglas, Lane DAVIS
Guthrie Houston, SlideIl Orr, Stephens and
Pierce.
In the "Wigwam" at Chicago the Repub-
icans were to follow still a month later. Win
the outstanding candidates Seward, Bates
Banks. Pennington, Chase, Mclean Cameron.
Fremont Lincoln, Bell and Clay-quite an ar
raw of talent to select from. No one could
predict the changes the next five years would
bring; no had an idea Of the extent 10
which the threats of war would be carried
Indeed the people we're again, as 1t happensd
to live over times that would try mems souls
What an appropriate time. then, it was to
unveil q statue to the man who did more then
any ore else toward achieving our independence
and who through an the trials Of the Revo-
lutionary War, made more sacrifices and fewer
complaints than all the rest Of the patriots,
and here at the Capital of the Republic that he
helped establish was to be bronze image CT
him who was first in wa, li.S in peace and
first in the hearts Of his countTymen."
The weather was threatening, but by the
time the exercises began the SKY had partially
cleared The famous 7th Regiment Of New
York had come on to be present, and rennsyi-
vana avenue crowded with people anxious
to see this much heralded military company.
Eut how soon all this was to be changed, for
in little over a year, on April 25. 1851, this
same regiment arrived here for the protection
OF the Union and was encsnlped in the hall
OF the House of Representatives in the United
States Capitol Building Upon this occasion
the New York boys were met with di1ere::
reception, for Washington was equally divided
in The causes that brought about the be-
tween the States-s.arery and States rights.
"A nth the New York TIN, in 1861 was Theo-
w dore Winthrop, whose display CT genius
soon to be terminated with bullet at Zig
Bethel. He wrote two articles for the Atlantic
Monthly, and his coming to Washington at the
beginning Of the war tells us OF his tenting in
the Capitol He said in part:
I'VE marched up the hill and when the dus.
opened there was big tent ready pitched.
1t vas an enormous tent, the Sibley pattern
modified. simple soul in our ranks looked up
and said, Tents! Canvas! don't see IT,
That's marble whsreupon a simpler soul in
formed u.s. Boys that's the Capitol And SO
it was the Capitol as glad to the New
York 7th Regiment men they to see it. The
Capitol was to be our quarters and I was
pleased to notice that the top Of the dome had
been left OF for ventilation. The 7th had had
wearisome and anxious progress from New
York. We had marched from Annapolis.
They gave the Representatives chamber for
quarters. Some Of companies were
marched upstairs into the galleries. The sofas
were to be their beds Most of us were
hocf in fbe
ceived its man. He was to scribble on it by
day and sleep under it by night. When the
desks were all taken, the companies overfowsd
into the corridors and into the lobbies. The
staff took committee rooms. The colonel reign
ed in the Speakers parlor
''Once in, firstly We washed. . After we
washed We showed ourselves to the eyes OF
Washington marching in companies each to a
different hotel to dinner. This became one OF
the ceremonies Of our barrack life We liked
it. The Washhgtonians were amused and en-
couraged by it: But the best Of the
entertainment was within the Capitol Some
5000 or more OF us were now quartered there.
The Massachusetts, Sth were under the dome.
No fear for yant Of air for them. The Massa-
chusetts 6th were eloquent for their state in
the Senate Chamber. In the recesses caves
and crypts of the Capitol what other legions
were bestowed do not know The men
wore sworn into the service of the United
States the afternoon Of April g. We
were drawn up BY companies in the Capitol
square fer mastering in. When We had
been 10 days in our snowy barracks, we began
to quarrel with luxury. {" The May sun
shine, the birds, and the breezes of May in
vfted us to camp the genuine thing under
canvas. Besides. Uncles Sam and Abe wanted
our room for other company.
n\ A /ASHINGTON was filling up fast with
w uniforms. One afternoon my company,
the 9th, and the Engineers. the 10th, wze
detailed to follow Capt. Viele and lay out q
camp on Meridian Hill. AS we had the first
choice, We cot, on the whole the best site for
a camp. We occupied the villa and farm Of