Editing Federal Triangle (section)

==Federal Triangle and the Bonus Army==
In June 1932, thousands of homeless [[World War I]] veterans, their families, and their supporters occupied the recently condemned assemblage of buildings at the Federal Triangle site as part of the [[Bonus Army|Bonus March]] on the capital to win better veterans' benefits.<ref name="Wentzel" /><ref>The main Bonus Army camp was actually across the [[11th Street Bridges]] in the [[Anacostia]] neighborhood of D.C., more than three miles away.</ref><ref name="BonusArmy">Dickson, Paul and Allen, Thomas B. ''The Bonus Army: An American Epic.'' New York: Walker and Company, 2004. {{ISBN|0-8027-1440-4}}</ref>

On July 28, 1932, President Hoover ordered General [[Douglas MacArthur]] to remove the "Bonus Army" from the site.<ref name="BonusArmy" /> At 4:45&nbsp;p.m., MacArthur led 1,200 infantry, 1,200 cavalry, and six battle tanks (commanded by Major [[George S. Patton]]) to Federal Triangle to remove the Bonus Army.<ref name="BonusArmy" /> More than 20,000 civil service workers (leaving their offices for the day) watched as the U.S. Army attacked its own veterans.<ref name="BonusArmy" /> Patton personally led a cavalry charge (with sabers drawn) into the mass of homeless people, and several hundred rounds of [[adamsite|vomit gas]] were launched at the marchers.<ref name="BonusArmy" /> A Bonus marcher was killed on the site of the Apex Building.<ref name="Eyesore">"Fine Arts Chairman Asks Eyesore Elimination on Lower Mall." ''Washington Post.'' April 25, 1934.</ref> The Federal Triangle site was cleared and these members of the Bonus Army marched to Anacostia—where, at 10:14&nbsp;p.m., MacArthur led a second attack on the 43,000 protesters and burned their camp to the ground.<ref name="BonusArmy" />