Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-09-15
Old Fort 4, puIun q,

place where Washington was born. IL Is
true that George, the son Of a Virginia plan
ter, was horn 10 Westmoreland county, IN
the year l732-but Washington was born IN
Winchester, twenty-iour years afterwards, IN
l156.
1t was here that his supreme powers Of en-
durance aud resistance were developed
Here he bore the bitter, almost crushing bur
den of the public care. At tSentS-tour,
Young Colonel Washington passed through
that fiery guilt of trial which purified him.
braced bis strength, and hardened every
muscle for the Reyoluti mary struggle. AT
Winchester 10 threw of the boy--bade a
long farewell to tranquility and ease. From
the year lT5G. he was neyes again the sim2ie
country eeatieman-on his shoulders rested
the immense responsibility Of toe public
veal. Before, he had been gay, careless,
fond of tho chase--of the society Of ladies'
and good companions. lie could jest, and
sip his punch, AID amuse himself. After
this time he seldom thought of amusement
he seldom TESTED. Neigh6orho"d gossip
and personal o.atters seemed trivial. MG0'
| ellis pricatd iOqui was said OF C&sa'-I'
might have been said with even greater Jas
tice Vt Washington.
will not retea, the strange ana touching
story Of bis struggles here. |: is ali written
IN the books. There it may be seen how the
Ion..undefcnl2d border looked TO him alone,
lie was cUmmandart Of tJ!t Lyudoun n
Winchester, then sharing with Fort CGmocr'
/ land the p~eriiJus sentIne!sh!p II tbs frontier
aid, thus early, found hims"lt opposed to
q bitter and meroiiess foe. The valleys oi
the West were then ravaged Dy the French
and savage---thG mCst terrible mas,acfca
were Of everyday 0ccurrence-mel lived IN
o perpetual dread. The trontier5man never
went Into his aCant patch Vi eprh, Witn@u:
his rihe-if he stirred from home, the next
wind might bear u hiul tho CRIES OF his "l'e
a. d children p!tliessly scaipcd and murdered
by the Indians; on his return he would pr
babiy .fiud bis once cheerful Cabin, n sulUK'
inc ruin-.he manglGd body e an !alan'
stretched across tie thr3sholt-hls vile a
bleeding corpse besid! 1t. Men lag down
armed, and started at the rustic Of . lea
against the window. All along the Ofequon
-uay. all along the Shenandoah, lie was
mo. worth a purchase'-upOn Tue ialr he!ds
The bloody hand might at any moment be
laid--men went Ill peril OF their lives from
day to day, ready at the least warning to lily
the region, and passing the Blue Ridge, aban'
don the accursed ground forever.
1t was at this crisis tnat Washington was
placed ut Winchester aud directed TO per
form npossibiiItlcs--to which end bis HANDS
we're carefully iettered by his Exceiieucy
Governor DInwiddie. 1t may oil DC road IL
SPARKS edition Of Ills writings. HIS Letters
t. the Executive are I'll tho!c-tGkc away
the dates aad names, and they are the let,
tiers OF General George Washington 10 Con,
eress. o. O smaller theatre lie rcEca:seI
the great contest of the RsY1iation. lire,
as aiterward, it Was TO him that all men
looked; end taoy did not iind him cold, an
sympa;hizing, or unequal to the emerseucy.
The cries Of these poor people, be wrote
Diuwiddie. filed hin with such deadly az
guish, that ii lie knew his " heart. he
would gladly give his best bleed, BIS life, to
succor them. Bot his prayer tor more lcrcea
was disrccarded; III, Letters were LETT unaL-
swered; then, stung 10 the quick, his Paasion
hamel out. lie would resign bis compis'
sion--he would leave the service; seud him
muui;ious and men, UT ne would throw up
his commission, and Ills Exccliency should
bear the awful burden OF responsibility -
The threat was attended to. The youog Col
onel was already known. lie had relnforee'
ments dispatched to him, snd tho trobtier
was saved from death. IL WAS a bard mus
Gle which be bore away from this place;
thereafter, ell yicissitudes, all storm and tenn
pest, however terribly they beat apoH him.
''ler, him rock" IL is no extravaganza OF
language TO say that Washington was born
here, Graded in gloom and tempest, baptized
10 biood, and, tempered by a fence ordoa!'
as OF fire, to be the perfect leader OF men, the
strength upon which a natlon mlSns secure
ly lean.
The old fort which he occupied has long
crumbled-ouly a few stoues remain. Ira
dition SAYS that it was buIlt by smiths and
masons from Mount Vernon, and that Wash
inston occupied an apartment built over the
Southern gateway. Loudoun street no"
runs directly through the old s!!e-'t IS the
main stree, Of the tpwn--and only IN the
private lots upon each side may you discern
any traces OF the old fortress. \ we'll dug
by the garrison. q lew rude masses Of stone,
some feebly indicated h!eastwo!ks--:hst u
nearly all that rcmains, The feet Of chill
dreu dance along over the spot where "nce
was planted the iron heel OF Washington;
CAV pleasure parties pass where roughly
cind continentals mustered; q few hundred
PAGES from tho once frOwning cuGs 81 the
border fortress you may purchase a clSar
and enjoy it over your newspaper mid the
ruins.--Ccrres. Of Rich. South.