Evening star., 1937-11-21
LAFAYETTE SQUARE HISTORIC
Fame of Decatur and Story His Duel Always Associated With
This Point in Washington Here Of Gen.
Grant-Homes of Foreign Diplomats.

between Nineteenth and Twentieth
streets.
On March .. 1905. Decatur had
married Miss Susan Wheeler of Nor.
folk, Va, = fascinating Southern
beauty. and 1t was not long after
purchasing the house on the Avenue
that he found he needed . residence
equipped with better accommodations
for entertaining his friends and those
Of his accomplished wife. For this
reason-purely social-he built the
Lafayette Square house. which Is from
designs drawn by Benjamin H. La
trobe, one Of the architects Of the
Capitol. who also designed st. Johns
Church, Ut Sixteenth and H streets;
the Van Ness mansion, the home Of
Robert Brent, known - Brentwood,
and other Warrington homes, and
buildings elsewhere.
The second war with the mother
country was brewing for some time,
and even here IN Warrington, . num-
Der Of years before 1t took place. militia
companies were being formed and
drilled. The affair that did much
to stimulate the filling Of the Dis
trict's quota, under the provisions
of the militia law, strange TO say, also
resulted in causing the Decatur Bar
ron duel IL years later, and, Incl
dentally, the death Of Stephen De-
catur.
Commodore Barron-then q post
captain, as was also Commodore De-
catur-had hardly left the Washington
Navy Yard with the United States
frigate Chesapeake. where his vessel
had been fitted out, and had only a
short while before arrived at Norfolk,
which he left in June. 1907, when the
entire country was thrown into a state
Of excitement over the news Of the
forcible detention and search Of the
Chesapeake by the British ship
Leopard.
Several American seamen, claimed
by the British as deserters, were taken
from It's decks. and without the fir-
ing Of q single gun. Naturally the
AFFAIR created great indignation
throughout the country, resulting, of
course, in the appointment Of a court
Of inquiry to Investigate the conduct
of the Chesapeake's commander.
Commodore Barron.
THE inquiry was followed by
oourt-martial resulting in Bar
ron's suspension from the service for
five years from February 8, 1908. After
the trial, Barron's feelings were not
kindly toward Decatur, who, he
claimed should not have served rs a
member OF the court after having
formed an expressed opinion as q
member of the court Of inquiry.
When the War Of 1912 was over
Barron, who. during the interval. had
resided abroad, applied for restoration
to his rank. and here entered another
element which famed the smolder-
ing fire Of resentment into a real flame
of hatred, Decatur's argument and
contention was that he ought not to
be received again into the naval serv-
ice; that there was not employment
enough for all the officers who had
faithfully discharged their duty to
their country in the hour Of trial; and
that it would be doing An act Of in
justice to employ him to the exclu-
sion Of any Of them"
His further statement that he be-
heved he was performing . duty he
owed to the service, and that he was
contributing to the preservation Of its
respectability," no doubt aided In
bringing on the Bladensburg affair.
There was never any question in the
mind Of any one. except perhaps Com
modore Barron. as to the worthy mo-
tives Of Decatur. He expressed no
enmity toward the former and only
spoke in the interest of the service
upon which he had reflected so much
glory. Barron, however, did not con-
slider it in this light.
NATURALLY, Barron felt ag-
grieved, as any one would under
the circumstances, though Decatur was
undoubtedly fair and honorable in his
stand. However, Barron issued . chal-
lenge to fight it out on the field Of
honor" which was duly accepted by
Decatur Seconds were chosen, wea-
pons decided upon and the field Sc
lected. and on the morning Of March
~, 1920. Decatur crossed Lafayette
Square and entered Pennsylvania ave-
nue., walking to Beale's Hotel on Capt.
tol Hill, where he dined with Commo-
dore Bainbridge and Samuel Hamble-
don of the Navy. From here the trio
drove to the dueling grounds, situated