The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-12-26
THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY.
shepherdstowa During tbs war-Devnst
rs tt0n In tho Valley,

shepherdstown During the war-Dsyusta.
t,on In the Valley.
Cur. Springfield (Mda.) Republican. 49,
Having crossed tho Potomac We arc now
in the Northeastern corner Of West VII.
ginia. and in shepherdstown, enter its
oldest settlement, founded In 1884 BY
Thomas Sheppard whose descendants still
live there and own some Of tho original
land. The pioneers were Germans from
Pennsylvania chiefly, and tho village has
more tho appearance Of n Maryland than
II Virginia town.. This community WINS
active In revolutionary days, and from II
sprung the first OF these companies OF
"Bucktail" mountaiueers who, recruiting
as they went, hastened ON foot TO aid
Washington ut Boston in 1775 when lie
first called for troops. No incident In
local history, however, Is more important
than the experimentation which was
carried on here by James Ramsey in 1855
toward the Invention OF tho steamboat.
The plan Of the Chesapeake and Ohio
canal was then under consideration and
projects for inland navigation were
stimulating inventive thought. Washing.
ton and others became specially interested
IN what Mr.. RAMSEY was doing, and aided
his experiments. Finally there was pro.
duced and tricduponthe Potomac a steam.
boat which undoubtedly antedatcs the
discoveries in tho amc direction Of both
Fitch and Fulton. Ramsey's steamboat
was n flat boat propelled by n steam
engine working n vertical pump IN tho
middle OF the vessel, by which the water
was drawn in ut tho bow and expelled
through a horizontal trunk at tho stern.
The impact Of this forciblc stream against
tho static water Of the river pushed the
boat along just rs a cutie fish swims. The
boat was 50 leet long, and with n cargo Of
three tons attained n speed up the current
Of iour miles an hour. She was soon dis.
abled, however, by the explosion OF her
boiler, but relics Of her are preserved.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES IL THE WAR.
During tho late war Shcpherdstown
and its environs were Il theater Of exten.
sive army operations and the town itself
was shcllcd more than once. It's position
made it an impracticable point for either
army to hold, but its neighborhood was
desirable to both. Hence in tho evenly
contested encounters OF 81 and 'G2, and
in the great marches and countermarchcs
which took place later, Sllcpherdstown
was alternately occupied by both
"enemies' to its peace and prosperity.
Walking in the evening OH the high bluffs
at one end ofthe fine bridge and ~feastinc
our eyes upon the beauty OF the river
picture, we eau see II mile below the town
ripples upon the water which betoken n
shallow place. That is the famous old
Pack-horsc ford, which got its name in The
colonial days when all the mountain paths
were merely trails, and the pack-horsc
tho oply means Of transportation, At that
point the northern sayages would
cross when they went on their war expe-
ditions against the southern tribes. and
there cmigrants, hunters and surveyors
found their easiest transit OF the river. In
the general destruction OF bridges these
lords became of great Importance during
the war, and especially to Lee. BY it 4
part Of his army marched to the field of
Antlctam, and after that battle the whole
OF his force on the night OF September IS
recrossed to the Virginia side. The main
body Of the Coniederates continued their
retreat, but q part Of Jackson's army un-
der A. L. Hill remained in partial con-
cealment, and on the cleared bluff (yisi.
bic from tho railway bridge and opposite
the iord) batteries were planted. This was
on September 10, two days after the An
tietam fight.