Evening star., 1951-05-06

ington-and for that matter, but
few throughout the United States
who witnessed the Grand Re-
view in this city on May % and "a,
1865, when. during these two days
the victorious Union Army, of
about 100000 men passed before
President Andrew johnson, Gen.
U. S. Grant, Secretary of War
Stanton, Gen. Hancock and others.
These leaders had taken their
station in stand built for the
purpose in front of the White
House, while along the Avenue
the many other stands erected by
the Government and private par
ties were filled by a multitude of
people who wished to see the vet
Grams before they were disbanded
and again entered peaceful pur-
suits.
The first day, the Army of the
Potomac of about 10000 men, in
dense column which filled the
wide Avenue from curb to curb,
marched by from early morn to
late at night. At its head rode
Gen. George Gordon Meade, who
was in every battle but two fought
by the Army of the Potomac, and
who as commander of the Army
had checked, at Gettysburg, Gen.
Lees invasion of Pennsylvania.
Sheridan was not there, having
departed to his new command in
the Southwest, and in his stead
rode Gen. Wesley Merritt, in front
of the cavalry. Custer was also
in the first days parade and gave
an example of his wonderful
horsemanship. An idea of the
vastneSs Of the parade may be
formed from the fact that there
were in line 20 regiments of cav
airy. 33 batteries of artillery, 1870
regiments of infantry, and many
stats Of divisions and corps COM
manderS,
Sherman's Army
On May "a, the second day of
the review, Gen. William Tecum-
sch Sherman's great army pa
raded up the Avenue, led by the
same man who had marched from
Atlanta to the sea, and to victory.
Beside him rode Gen. o. o. How
ard, known as the Christian Sol
dier," and for whom Howard Uni
versity is named.
| Gen. John A. Logan, said to
have been the greatest volunteer
general of the Civil War, rode at
the head of the Army of the Ten
nesSee, and Francis P. Blair, sr.,
a brother to Postmaster General
Montgomery Blair of Lincoln's
cabinet, commanded the 17th
Corps.
In reading of this grand review
in The Star, the writer came
across an interesting description
of Pennsylvania avenue as it ap-
tpeared upon that occasion. In
part, it said:
ut was supposed to be paved
with cobblestone, but so great had
been the travel over it by Govern
ment wagons and teams, batteries
of artillery, ETC., that in compari-
son. with it today it was simply
miserable. In muddy weather it
was at times SO cut up as to be al
most impossible. Then the side
walks were almost exclusively
of brick and in many places in
bad order. The Capitol Grounds
were then surrounded by an iron
railing set on a wall and having
stone gateways. Some of this
railing has since been utilized to
form the north boundary of the
Smithsonian and Agricultural
grounds, and at the National Gem
etery at Arlington the gateways
have been reset.
Peace Monument Site
Commencing at First street,
west, where the Peace Monument
now stands, that portion of the
south side of the Avenue occupied
by the Botanical Garden was
much the same as now. The circle
in which the Peace Monument is
located had not been made, the
west side of First street and north
side of the Avenue forming an
acute angle. There was a three
story building at the corner, where
restaurant was located, and
westward several three story
bricks, mostly used as boarding