Existing comment:
Guard at ferry landing on Mason's Island examining a pass
A common exigency of wartime Washington was a pass system that severely restricted all travel in and out of the city for civilians and military alike. Armed sentinels guarded all city approaches and inspected travel passes issued by local military authorities. Taking an oath of allegiance to the United States was required of all applicants. The pass shown below was granted to two young boys in the winter of 1865, allowing them to cross the Aqueduct Bridge from Georgetown into Virginia and return, for the purposes of ice skating and "play." The oath of allegiance was printed on the back of the pass. |