Evening star., 1934-02-25
SHELLS FOUND
AT FORT STEVENS
Hand Grenades Also Un-
earthed Near Spot Where
Lincoln Saw Battle.

Three artillery shells and q crude
hand grenade, grim war relics OF a
day 10 years ago when President
Abraham Lincoln stood on the para
pet Of Fort Stevens and saw Gen.
Jubal Early's Confederate cavalry
driven back from the threshold Of
Q fearful washington, were dug up q
few days ago in the Battle Ground
National Cemetery on the site Of the
historic skirmish.
P. w. A. workmen engaged in dig
ging In the cemetery uncovered the
war relics with their picks and also
gathered up a handful Of rife car
tridges buried under a foot or two
of ground. One of the workmen ac-
cidently smashed the hand grenade,
which fortunately lacked q kick"
after its 10 years Of undisturbed
slumber.
There was some CONSERVATION
among the pick-and-shovel crew as
one by one they dug up the three
artillery shells, each about 2 feet in
length and described by Harvey H
Mitchell, foreman, as being Of 3-inch
caliber. Like the grenade. however,
they were apparently harmless. This
also was fortunate, for a pick had
broken of the percussion cap Of one
OF the "duds."
No Trace Of Earthworks.
Mitchell examined the grenade
about the size Of an orange, and
emptied out the powder. The shells
were carried gingerly to cemetery
work shed for safe keeping.
The spot in the cemetery where the
discoveries were made is fiat and nc
trace of an earthworks was found
Federal artillery may have been placed
along the section, which is just -four
blocks from Fort Stevens Park, to re-
pulse the attack of Early's cavalry
Park officials also reasoned that the
spot might have been used as an am
munition dump. Whichever Is so, the
fact remains that the battle took
place along this point and the shells
are Of Civil War origin.
The find occasioned no small
amount Of interest among officials OF
the Office Of National Capital Parks,
which recently acquired the Battle
ground Cemetery as one Of the reser-
vations under its care. Forty Union
men, killed In the skirmish which
saved Washington from possible cap
ture July 11-12. 1864, are buried with
in the cemetery.
That skirmish and the part that
President Lincoln played in 1t was
one Of the thrilling events Of the war
Only Skeleton Force Remained.
In the Summer Of 1864 Gen. Grant,
pressing Lee In Virginia, withdrew
practically all of the seasoned troops
from the Capital defenses for partici-
patton in his Virginia campaign, leav-
ing only q skeleton force to man the
Washington defenses, of which Fort
Stevens was the principal one along
the Seventh street pike.
Early had advanced through the
Shenandoah Valley. crossed the Po-
tomac at Harpers Ferry, met and de-
feated Gen. Lew Wallace at Monacacy
and was marching toward Washing
ton, 35 miles distant. With 10000
seasoned troops, he headed for Fort
Stevens on the afternoon of July IL.
His cavalry, advancing via George
town road, met a small detachment of
Federal cavalry and forced them to
their picket lines. Gen. Early led the
main body of his troops over the
Seventh street pike.
Outwitted by the Federals and mis-
informed by his own scouts, Early
withdrew his army after brief fight
in which his forces lost about 500
killed and wounded
Lincoln hastened to Fort Stevens to
encourage the men and witness the
fight, the first time q President Of
the United States had ever been
under fire of enemy guns while hold
ing Office. As he stood on the para
pet a surgeon at his side was wounded.
Lincoln took refuge behind the para
pet only at the repeated insistence of
Gen. Horatio q. Wright, who felt the
responsibility for his safety. A monu-
ment and tablet have been erected at
Fort Stevens by the 9Th Army. Corps
on the spot where the President stood
and saw Early lose the biggest prize
of the war.