Evening star., 1948-07-25

In Washington, on the morning
of August "a, 1914, conditions were
In decided jam. No one knew
whether he was coming or going.
Toward evening, however, there was
no doubt as to the direction in which
he was headed, since most all were
undoubtedly going, and dlsorganized
and unceremoniously at that.
Ihe day was warm, sultry one,
betting the season. The people of
Washington were naturally excited
and alarmed at the approach of the
British, which had been anticipated
for months. but over those in au-
thority hung a cloud of optimism
through which the light Of argu-
ment and reason failed to penetrate.
In the early part of April, 1914,
the attention of the President was
called to the defenselesS condition
of the city and of Alexandria, but
little notice was taken of it, and
even when delegation Of business
men of the city called at the White
House and urged that several places
around Washington should be i'm
mediately fortified. no action was
taken and the warning was ignored
until too late.
in June of that year only 2,145
effective men of the Regular Army
were in reach-one-ha at New
York, one-fourth at Fort McHenry,
Baltimore. and the other quarter di-
vided among Annapolis. Fort Wash
ington and st. Mary, besides COM
pany Of Marines at Fort Washing
ton on the Potomac and 500 Army
recruits from North Carolina in a
camp for instruction near Washing
ton. The latter were actually sent
to the Northwestern frontier as late
as one month before Washington
was burned.
Warned in June
On the 9Th of June it became
known to the authorities in Wash
ington that the Emperor of Russia
and the King of Prussia had en-
tered Paris on March 80 with $780,
600 men. Official information was
also given the President that Louis
XVIII had assembled the French
throne, that Bonaparte was priS-
oner, and that peace reigned in
France. He was also acquainted
with the fact that the actual en-
barkation of the British had begun
including number of Wellington's
veteran regiments, and that it was
no secret that their destination was
Chesapeake Bay. Yet no adequate
plans were set to save the Nations
Capital from capture and destruc-
tion., -.
A typical illustration of the con.
dition then existing in Washington
is in connection with the Virginia
regiment under Col Minor. Wher
this regiment arrived here on the
evening preceding the Battle Of Bla.
densburg. instead of being immedi-
stely supplied with arms and am
munition, the colonel in charge was
instructed to make his men put in
order the few guns which they hao
brought with them and, in the
morning, to report in person to Col
Carbery, who would furnish him
with additional arms.
Complying with instructions, the
following morning he applied. bright
and early, for the arms, but was
informed that Col. Carbery hac
gone out to his country seat the
evening before, his farm then being
included in what is now the Walter
Reed Hospital grounds. After sew
eral hours spent waiting for his re-
turn, Col. Minor was authorized
by Gen. Winder to get the arms by
any means. However. almost imme-
diately thereafter Col. Carbery rode
up and the arms were ordered dealt
out, but without the necessary f1ints
which were later procured and dealt
out one by one. and not thrown out
by the handful as the exigency OF
the situation would have warranted
Flints Were Counted
1t is related that they were count
ed as carefully as if they had beer
coins, and that. after counting out
considerable number. the mar
doing the counting, fearing he hac
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