Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1853-09-21
4 VIRGINIA. TRADITION.
To tie Editors ofHe Enquirer

1 beg leave to lay before your read
ers simple narrative, which may amuse
some of them at an idle hour. [: does
not concern the destiny OF our Republic,
the great principles of Virginia politics,
or the great names which aIorn her an
nails. 1t relates simply to the origin Of
one OF the names which distinguish
her streams-and [ doubt much whether
the very name itself is not as strange to
many of your fellow citizens, as l confess
it was to me till Il few days past.
MIR. Caleb Cushing, the present accom-
plished Attorney General of the U. s..
has, YOU know, lately visited Bath, in
BerkIey county, one of the mineral
spriurs of the State. l saw him after
his brief excursion, when he asked me
what was the origin Of ''Sir Johns Run"
which he had crossed ON his way to the
Springs. 1t runs into the Potomac.
was obliged to confess my entire igno-
rance Of the whole subject, but told him
l would attempt to trace out the name
(Defere fCnfeS) l accordingly addressed Il
letter to Dr. Strother, the respected pro-
prietor of the only hotel which Is at Bath,
and received from him the following We
~ civil and very interesting reply, which
1 take the liberty OF laying before the
public without his knowledge:
Rrpr-r,,- >Spr,>,:. Aur. 9Th, 1888
Rr,n r',I1--,;I SIe In Tho. WhirI in which |
havc bc.n for some time, [ have been
unable 70 find mvscIf sufficiently collec-
InJ To ranIy to vnor letter.
rrbe military rvrcli,ion of Ger. Brad
docI in 1T55 nosi,I tlrnu,h this rc,tiop
:, ,,vo or tl,ra, Iiyi-i,ns one of Which
r1.J. its ro,tr tTrop,rh the then county
of FrrI4ricL, cras.i1o. the Potomac Mt
W;IIianenort. and stri2inu the Canon Ri
vor at lis forks near this place. The pio-
neers on rLi, route were headed by an Of
fcor of the Fn.,'i.l army. Sir JnIn Sin
cIa;, and five route marked out by him
i 70 this div calIeJ .,5Ir Johns road in
BerkIa,, cnIIntv ANA in Moran county.
onne rorr nf RarkI-v-botb Of which. ut
the nari,I referred to. were parts Of
FradGricl, county.
TLcre is no uues.i,o but he cave the
,,oD,n oIso +, th,. ..Iir Jnln's Run " up2n
which he NAV have eucamped in the
course of his examinations OF The country,
in SELECTING the route for the passage of
that IN. .rltGd ryDeGi.i1n.
Sir John Sinclair was q C4p'ai1 in the
Rritisb army. and some Of the Old patents
des;rrate tb,. run rs ssCaplniu Johns
Run,
Tha only, orhrr matter of interest in
correc,;on with tL;s snot i. The fact that
It w,,s an1orr, the frs- nrrba,s the very
g. ,.Loro f3rr,soz. ,,thihff,tI Nj st.ari-
boot
IN a., ov-,,,;r,tion of tEr naror.. Of nv
f,tLar,i,y I,,,, ILo I,Ic C,,l B,Iil Iirn.+r
~ M,r1fnsLrr,r (,vF, Inv rrc Wv was
''tI'',,.;,I. 49,. n,rtt,, ~ iva Sir
Ir{,, r,,,II t,rvG I,., vintcr, two
orf-in,f U.,'s ',1 Is,n1J, - Hr,rsrv written from
Ta66,n,, I,yI.,.r, Lc ,.,s c,,hf,;'fno f., tive
AIn,;,n',r [is i,yr,,;or ! in t701 The
me-, ,,!,i,rI Inv rrrsn Ir1 ,o soma nv-
nr,iratinn .'rrr of tho srbinct in ,,c c2n,sa Of
TrL;nL f..nnI - ca~.itfc,+c of C}an WASH
;rrtor d,tn4 Mt rhis rlacn about the f h
Ss1temhcr Iz85. s,atirr The fact Of his
bnyinr Witnessed an exnerimento of James
Rumsev's boat, which was propelled
AGAINST The current 4. the rate Of some i
OF = miles m hour, and EXPRESSING his
conviction Of the value of his invention.
had heard from some old persons in Ibis
region, fifteen or more wears ago, probl-
blV, that Hunsev had first exhibited his
boat at tl,c month of Sir John's run. but
had not attached much credit TO it until |
found the authority Of General Washing
ton, which proves the fact of its having.
been exhibited at that point when sup
ported by raGI,jon-and, from its date il
may very well have been the first. 1t