Fire at General Augur's Headquarters

[Linda Anderson]

General Augur's Headquarters were located at 15th and 1/2 Street, right next to Secretary Seward's house on Lafayette Square. However, on April 1, 1865, a fire broke out in the frame buildings on Penn. Ave which then spread to the headquarters. Shortly after the fire, the headquarters were moved to 14th Street where they were still located on the night of April 14. William H. Bell testified that he "ran down stairs, and out to the front door, hallooing “Murder!” and then ran down to General Augur’s headquarters. I did not see the guard, and ran back again. By that time, there were three soldiers who had run out of the building, and were following me. When I got half-way back to the house, turning the corner there, I saw this man run out, and get on his horse. He had on a light overcoat and brown hat; he had not his hat on when he came out and got on his horse. I did not see his horse when he came to the house, and did not know he had a horse until I saw him get on it. I hallooed to the soldiers, “There he is, going on a horse!” They slacked their running, and ran out into the street, and did not run any more until he got on his horse and started off."

Has anyone ever connected the fire to Booth's plot against Seward? It seems awfully convenient to have the headquarters that are right next door to Seward's house to be out of commission.

Evening Star April 3, 1865
"DESTRUCTIVE FIRE - About ten o'clock Saturday night [April 1] the frame buildings on Penn'a avenue, between 15 and 15 1/2 Streets, occupied by Provost Marshal Ingraham, Captain LaMotte, mustering officer of the Department of Washington, and Captain Slipper, pass officer, were discovered to be on fire...The brick house on the corner of 15 and 1/2 Street, occupied by Maj. Gen. Augur, is badly damaged and will require some time for its repair. The investigation by Colonials Ingraham, Ludington and Kent confirms the belief that the fire resulted from a defective flue, although the fire having gained such headway in the upper rooms before it was discovered, nothing definitive is known."

Articles in the April 3rd edition of the Daily National Intelligencer and the Evening Union blame the fire on the defective flue.

[Jim Garrett]

It's too bad there aren't more details. The tough thing is that fires were so common back then. The Provost building would certainly be a good target.

[BettyO]

I remember reading about this too, Linda! Thanks....

Seems to me that it was charged as a "flue fire" - but the speculation is exceedingly interesting! I'm sure that both Booth and Powell probably knew that Augur's headquarters were in close proximity to Seward's house and thought that they would have to take extra precautions -

[Linda Anderson]

Of course, at the time of the fire, Seward wasn't housebound due to his carriage accident on the following Wednesday. Now if we can just find out why the door on his carriage wouldn't close properly thereby causing the accident that almost killed him....

[BettyO]

The carriage door probably just had a problem with the latch. That's pretty common, really in most cases, Linda.

[Jim Garrett]

I have problems with my carriage latches all the time.

[BettyO]

I would imagine that locks and things had problems with them pretty much as they do today -

[Jim Garrett]

Remember, the lock latches at Fords were broken. A lockset was not as well machined as they are today and much much lighter.