The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-11-09

In run line from near Sweet Air, the site of
the Fork cabin as given i'll the report, not
northeast. as the report has it, but l.. N. Il.
twelve miles, which is also the T. al distance
from the Fort tn the first Cuhin though official
ly set down fifteen miles. | run to the little
stream marked on the map, Bear Cabin
branch For two reasons | run to its head
~ To keep as near us possible ii n. Il. c"ursc,
as called for ny the report. C2) Because such
IL cabin would naturally he located ,,t some
good spring; and the foiIntain- head Of this
stream is the splendid Rock spring. 1t would
therefore be an IDEAL spot Tor Il forest home, in
the matter of convenience, II not of beauty.
As one of the duties of the Indians i'll the
cabins Was 10 furnish game Tor The supply oil
the Fort, it is certainly not altogether fancliui
to suppose that the hI.inble garrison OF III
supplemenlaiy f"rI distinguished itseii 10y thr
amount Of bear-uIcut furnished, and that IL
was named accordingly.
From this second cabin draw line n. f., or
parallel with my buse line, and i'll accordance
with the report. But although the report call
Tor ten miles. stop ut eight, which is about
the other distances so incorrectly given, and
find that it reaches another fountain head
that, namely, OF stream bearing, in old sur
Veys the name Green Coat Cabin Branch"
though on the county map it is nameless. |
run the line to its head-being. as in case OF the
seconi cabin, attn act; q 10y ti,o spring.
"A strange Fame tIiS YOU will say for Il
stream" Yer! true. But, if you recollect,
the order for est. blishng the cabins stipulated
mat the indiuns who were to occupy them
were TO be paid i'll uatchcouts.n A matchcoat
t., or was, Tor DON'T know that the name is
now uSeu. Il coat iE.dr II i coarse sort of wool
ell cloth lew, II is mr!l known that hunter
nf Il scout - .iwdyS nn rt' successful the more
completely lie can conceal himself from the
view OF the animals which he hunts, or from
the enemies whom he watches. Hence it is
highly desirable that his garb should cores
pond iii color as near as may be to that of the
oD1ec by which he is mostly surrounded
while performing his duties. The colnrs which
predomnate i'll the forest, AS everybody knows,
are green, russell and tawny, varying with the
seasons. 1t may very well be, therefore, that
some, or all of the occupants of this particular
CABIN were-perhapS at thir own requeSt-sup-
piled with green matchcoats, to make their
services more effective. And even if there was
only one such coat among the little garrison,
surely its outlgndiSh appearance would justify
the rearward settlers i'll beStOwing the name
upon the cabin. Its application to the stream
would almost necessarily follow and il is just
such name as would be apt to stick. Indeed,
the green coat whatever may have been its
origin, has 50 completely asserted itself i'll the
name for the two hundred intervening years,
that the lar more important cabin has been
who still Though no doubt ignorantiy, like the
Athenlans who worShIped the unknown god"l,
call it Green Coat Branch"
But, as have before said, all this amounts
to little or nothing except il may be, as IL slim
illus to the gathering OF traditions of ruins seen
or even talked of 10y puSt generations from the
older inhabitants Of the upper portion of the
county. The late Rev. Andrew b. Cross in his
published sketch OF Bethel Church says that
tradition tells of II Place somewhere near the
church where settlers hi. Int gather for defence
against the Indians. As, however, there was
not any church or even any congregation with
In many miles of Bethel until about the middle
OF the eighteenth century this place for de- |
fence must have been built many years after the |
of the line of forts and cabins |
probably after Braddock's defeat in 1855 when |
the Indians were for several years very trouble |
some on the northern and western frontiers of |
Maryland.