WASHINGTON. 



753 





Companies of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, 

 were stationed near and on the Long Bridge. 

 About midnight two companies of rifles were 

 advanced across the bridge to the neighbor- 

 hood of Roach's Spring. Scouts were sent out 

 in all directions, who managed to get past the 

 line of Virginia pickets. Somewhat later the 

 latter, getting the alarm, set spurs to their 

 horses, and made off down the road towards 

 Alexandria in haste. Volunteers of the Dis- 

 trict of Columbia were also advanced towards 

 Alexandria. At Georgetown, above, a move- 

 ment was made about half-past eleven over 

 the aqueduct by the Georgetown battalion. 

 They drove off the two or three pickets on the 

 Virginia side of the river, and soon established 

 themselves in position. Next followed the 

 Fifth Massachusetts Regiment, Twenty-eighth 

 Brooklyn Regiment, Company B of the United 

 States Cavalry, and the Sixty-ninth Regiment. 

 The last-named regiment scoured Alexandria 

 County, and went back as far as the London 

 and Hampshire Railroad. The sight of the 

 troops crossing the aqueduct, with their bur- 

 nished weapons gleaming in the bright moon- 

 light, was strikingly beautiful. About 2 o'clock 

 in the morning another large body of troops 

 passed over from "Washington and the neigh- 

 borhood. The Seventh New York Regiment 

 halted under orders at the Virginia end of the 

 Long Bridge ; the Second New Jersey Regiment 

 went to Roach's Spring, half a mile from the 

 end of the bridge ; the New York Twenty-fifth 

 and one cavalry company, and the New York 

 Twelfth and the Third and Fourth New Jersey 

 regiments, proceeded to the right, after cross- 

 ing the bridge, for the occupation of the 

 heights of Arlington. They were joined by 

 the other troops, which crossed at the George- 

 town aqueduct. 



Ellsworth's Zouaves, in two steamers, with 

 the steamer James Guy as tender, left their 

 camp on the East Branch, and made directly 

 for Alexandria by water. The Michigan Regi- 

 ment, under Col. Wilcox, accompanied by a 

 detachment of United States Cavalry and two 

 pieces of Sherman's battery, proceeded by way 

 of the Long Bridge directly for Alexandria. 

 At four o'clock A. M., at about the same 

 time, the Zouaves landed at Alexandria from 

 the steamers, and the troops, who proceeded 

 by the bridge, reached that town. As the 

 steamers drew up near the wharf, armed boats 

 left the Pawnee, whose crews leaped upon the 

 wharfs just before the Zouaves reached the 

 shore. The crews of the Pawnee's boats were 

 fired upon by the few Virginia sentries as the 

 boats left the steamship, by way of giving the 

 alarm, when these sentries instantly fled into 

 the town. Their fire was answered by scatter- 

 ing shots from some of the Zouaves on the decks 

 of the steamers. Immediately on landing, the 

 Zouaves marched up into the centre of the 

 town, no resistance whatever to their progress 

 being offered. Thus quiet possession was taken 

 of that part of Alexandria, in the name of the 

 48 



United States, by that portion of the troops 

 immediately commanded by Col. Ellsworth. 

 The Michigan regiment, at the same time, 

 marched into the town by the extension of 

 the "Washington turnpike, the cavalry and ar- 

 tillery marching in two or three streets be- 

 low. The destination of both these detach- 

 ments was the depot of the Orange and Alexan- 

 dria Railroad, which they instantly seized. They 

 also found near by a disunion company of cav- 

 alry, of thirty-five men, and as many horses, who 

 were made prisoners, not having heard the alarm 

 made by the firing of the sentries below. A 

 portion of the Virginian force escaped in cars. 

 Thus was possession taken of the Virginia 

 shore. Intrenching tools were conveyed over 

 from "Washington ; the next day intrenchments 

 were thrown up, and about noon a large na- 

 tional flag was raised within them, and thrown 

 out to the winds. Great numbers of spectators, 

 of both sexes, lined the heights on the east bank 

 of the Potomac, watching the movements of 

 the troops with eager interest. The only dis- 

 astrous event occurring was the death of Col. 

 Ellsworth, commander of the Fire Zouave regi- 

 ment of New York. (See ELLSWORTH). The 

 intrenchments thus commenced, subsequently 

 became of immense extent, and with those on 

 the other sides of "Washington, consisted of 

 forty-eight works, mounting 300 guns. The 

 whole defence perimeter occupied was about 

 thirty-five miles. 



On the 9th of June a movement of troops up 

 the Potomac took place from Washington. The 

 Rhode Island battery, tinder Col. Burnside, was 

 sent to join the force under Gen. Patterson at 

 Chambersburg, and on the next day three bat- 

 talions of District of Columbia Volunteers, 

 numbering 1,000 men, moved up the Rockville 

 road along the Potomac towards Edwards' 

 Ferry. This point is about thirty miles from 

 Georgetown, and equidistant from Washington 

 and Harper's Ferry. It is the only crossing for 

 teams between the Point of Rocks and the Dis- 

 trict. The road passed from Frederick (Md.) 

 across a bridge over the Chesapeake and Ohio 

 Canal, to the established ferry across the Poto- 

 mac, and terminated in Leesbnrg, Va., which 

 is only four miles distant from the crossing. 

 This route was at the time a general thor- 

 oughfare for the transit of secessionists from 

 Maryland, and also for military stores, provis- 

 ions, &c. 



The quota of 1,000 men required from the Dis- 

 trict of Columbia was furnished to the Gov- 

 ernment by Washington and Georgetown at 

 once. The supplies of military stores held by 

 the Government at Washington were of the 

 most extensive nature. The issues of ordnance 

 and ordnance stores for the space of four months, 

 between the 1st of July and 31st Oct. 1861, 

 were as follows: 152,347 small arms, 14,454 

 sabres, 3,740 swords, 48,000 sets of accoutre- 

 ments for foot soldiers, 16,465 do. for mounted 

 soldiers, 16,685 sets of horse equipments, 2,554 

 sets of artillery harness. Ammunition. 18,- 



