Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-10

proper discharge. To this end he employed a
practical drill master and a teacher Of the
sword exercise and speedily mastered both
| manuals.
THE EXPEDITION TO FORT La BoEUF.
When in 1853 the governor Of Virginia
wanted man of address, courage and perse-
verance to execute the difficult and hazardous
task Of penetrating for several hundred miles
into q wilderness which sheltered many hostile
savages and the armed forces Of an unfriendly
nation. all voices counseled the appointment
| of Maj. George Washington to this embassy.
| / refer, Of course, to the occasion Of Gov Din
| widdies serving a notice upon the commandant
| of the French forces at Fort La Boeuf that
they we're trespassing upon the territory Of his
majesty, the King of Great Britain, and warn
ing them to depart
Washington declined the chief command of
the armed expedition Immediately set on foot
| by Governor Dinwiddie to build a fort at the
forks of the Ohio, as recommended in his Jour-
| nal, but accepted the position of second to the
commander-in-chief. In this service as lieu
tenant colonel, he won the distinction of hay
| ing led the first body of armed American troops
across the Allegheny mountains to reclaim the
great west from the forest. the savage and the
French. The death of the commander in chief,
Col. Joshua Fry, occurred at what is now Cum
berland, Nd, May 81, 1854, while he was en-
/ Eoutc W usouuc dCuNo COum6uu, WueTeupOn
the whole conduct of the expedition devolyed
upon Col. Washington.
| The failure of the Virginia troops to estab-
lish forts west Of the Allegheny mountains led
| the British ministry to send to America Gen.
Braddock in 1855, with two regiments Of regu-
| lars. which were largely reinforced BY colonial
| troops, but with no colonial officer of higher
rank than a captain, to drive the French from
Fort Duquesne. and hold that position at the
head of the Ohio. The gallant service which
l Col WaahipUfnD cd xrh
aid in this expedition Cfor he held no COM
mand) in extricating Braddock's shattered
forces after the engagement and their defeat
| on the Monongahela, July 9, 1755, is a part of
| the history of our country. His conduct and
bravery met unqualified praise alike from
British and colonial officers and men. This dis
| aster left the frontier of Virginia for time
without adequate military protection, but
speedily the praise bestowed upon Col WASH
ington for his generalship in the late engage.
ment assumed the nature OF a universal, popu-
lar demand to the governor for his appoint
ment to a command for the protection Of the
frontier settlements.
Washington was commissioned by the gov
ernor August IA, 1855, colonel Of the Virginia
| forces to be Immediately raised to build forts
and protect the people on the frontier against
the incursions of the Indians. He accepted the
appointment and continued at the head of the
Virginia forces until the French we're by the
Forbes expedition Tin which Washington took
-
abandon Fort Duquesne in the fall of 1853. l
have dwelt somewhat in detail upon this period
OF WashingtOn's life because these were the
years in which he was acquiring military expe-
rience and ripening. by study and reflection,
into the grandest military character and philo-
sophie statesman the world has ever produced.
In July, 1853, while with his regiment in the
field, he was elected from Frederick county to
seat in the house Of burgesses of Virginia.
The French had been driven from Fort Du-
quesne. He therefore resigned his command
In the army in December Of that year.
AT WORK on HIS PLANTATIONS.
Washingtor's diary for 1760 notes very briefly
the events occurring at Mount Vernon, and
especially matters relating to the management
of his plantations. These memoranda. brief
as they are. show that he was giving close per-
sonal attention to the improvement Of his
estates, which was only interrupted by occa-
sional visits to Williamsburg to attend the meet
ings of the assembly. The following extract
from his diary at this period gives a good ex-
ample not only Of his love Of agriculture. but
in especial manner shows his ingenuity and
fertility of invention and desire to improve the
implements of husbandry:
Thursday, Mar. 9th, 176O-Fitted a two-eyed
pillow instead of duck-bill pillow, and with
much difficulty made my charios wheel-horse
pillow.
"Wednesday, Mar. 10Th Peter (my
SMITH and after several efforts to make a
irving, was feign to give it out at least for the
present"
March 81 Washington records the fact that
he had this day grated fOrty-one cherry tree
gratis, twelve magnum bonum plums and
planted four nuts of the Mediterranean pines.
The cherrys and plumb came from Col. Masons,
the nuts from Mr.. Green's"
To the close of the month Of March the diary
shows that he was daily grating and planting
fruit trees to the number of several hundred
For his Hiuriaa ohnvv hat in fbo
months of February and March he was much
occupied in setting out and grating choice
fruit trees.
"Wednesday, Mar. 2eth. .. Spent the
Of my own invention"
Thursday, Mar. 9th Set my pillow
to work and found she answered very well in
the lower pasture, web I this day began
blowing with the large bay mare and Rankin.
Agreed to give Mr.. VIM. Triplet Els
to build me two houses in the front of my house
clustering them also) and running walls for
palisades to them from the great house and
from the great house to the wash-house and
kitchen Also
pillow, the same as my former. except that it
has two eyes and the other one."
Monday. April 14th Fine warm day. wind
30 ly, and clear till the even g, when it clouded
no hsh were to be catched today either. Mixed
my composts in box with ten apartments
each having different fertilizer"
AN AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT..
May Washington records that he inspected
the grain planted in the ten boxes, each con-
tanning different compost. as a test. These
experiments show how close an observer he
was, but they are too extended to be given in
full here. He concludes. all things considered
that boxes 8 and 9 promised the most satisfac-
tory results.
At this period nearly all the trades essential
to serve the wants Of an independent commu-
nifty were represented and carried on at Mount
Vernon-such as milling distilling, tanning,
blacksmithing, wagon making, shoemaking,
tailoring, spinning, weaving, knitting, carpen-
tering coopering. harness making, brick max
ing and laying. stonemasons, &c.
Washingtons exactness in charging to each
enterprise its just expense is illustrated in his
noting the number Of days labor re-
quired by his carpenters in building his
schooner at Mount Vernon, which we transfer
in his own language from his diary:
Sept. Is, 1765-To this day my carpenters
had in all worked 50 days on my schooner
'.22d This week they worked ~ days upon
her.
''2sth This week my carpenters worked %
days upon my schooner-and John Askew
DAYS.
10th This week carpenters worked 10 DAYS,
which mako in all 100 days & 10 of John
Askew."
Washington was noted for owning fine
horses. He also enjoyed, on proper occasions,
extending their use to visiting friends for a
dash after fox and hounds over the Mount
Vernon plains. He was a rapid rider in his