Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1895-08-28
Geography of the County.

Washington County is n remarkably
well watered section of country, which
is due to the fact that we have so many
hills; innumerable, and never failing
springs are to be found in almost every
portion of our county.
These springs soon find their way into
the little creeks and the big creeks and
become blessing wherever they 90.
Many of our hills are dividing ridges so
that the rain falling on one portion of
ridge will find its way into the Watauga
River; while the rain dropping on an
other portion of the same ridge, and only
few inches away, will go into the
Nolachucky River. Out on Stuart's
hill near Rhudy's shop the rain falling
within very small space goes off in
three different directions and finds its
way into three of our large creeks, Lit
tie Limestone, Big Limestone and Boons
Creeks, Then up the road leading to
johnson City, Abner Vines has his barn
built on dividing ridge so that the rain
falling on the south side of the roof will
run into Little Limestone, while that
falling on the north side will run into
Knob Creek. Over In North Carolina
all the rain falling on the southern slope
of the Blue Ridge Mountains finds its
way into the Atlantic Ocean on the
shore Of North and South Carolina,
while that falling on the northern slope
of that ridge goes into the Ohio River.
Our own Nolachucky rises over in
Watauga County, North Carolina, on
this side of the Blue Ridge and winding
down by Bakersyille and passing on
down makes its way through the Alle-
ghany Mountains into Tennessee.
Not very far from the headwaters of
the Nolachucky in North Carolina may
also be found the source of New River,
which runs rather northeast through
western North Carolina and on into Vir-
ginia, and finally turning to the north
west enters the Ohio River at Point
Pleasant, place that will always pos
sess more than an ordinary historical
interest to the people of East Tennessee,
especially, on account of the great bat
tie that was fought there October 10, IVA,
between the Indians and the whites, and
battle that saved this East Tennessee
country from an Indian massacre. Capt.
Evan Shelby was there with company
of more than fifty men from this section
and it was two of his men, Jas. Robert
son and Valentine Sewer who first dis
covered the Indians creeping in just at
daybreak, as usual, in order to surprise
the whites. 1t was this timely discovery,
together with the hard fighting done by
Shelby's men during the battle that fol-
lowed, and lasted all day, that saved the
army from surprise as well as annihila-
ton. While on this subject it may be
proper to mention that it has been
claimed, and truthfully too, that the sol
diers of East Tennessee turned the tide Of
victory in favor of the Americans and
saved the country In four great wars !:
at the battle of Point Pleasant in that
Indian war, at Kings Mountain in the
Revolutionary war, at New Orleans in
the war of lSl2-15, and finally by sending
so many men into the Federal army
during the late war saved the Union
Speaking of our rivers again we find
that the French Broad River heads over
in North Carolina on this side of the
Blue Ridge Mountains, and flows on
over into Tennessee. The French Broad
| 1t is said took its name from the follow
ing circumstance. On the south side of
the Blue Ridge is the head waters of
Broad River which flows on down
through South Carolina and into the
Atlantic Ocean. In the early settlement
of that country some of the pioneers
came on up Broad River and crossing
over the Blue Ridge into western North
| Carolina found "broad river" on this
side also, which they called "French
| Water" or "French Broad" from the fact
that that river came on over into what
is now Tennessee, and became part of
the Tennessee River and then found its
way into the Ohio River and finally into
the great Mississippi River at that time
in possession of the French, and con-
tinued a French river until President
jefferson purchased Louisiana from the
Great Napoleon. Hence this broad river
heading in the Blue Ridge and landing
in the Ohio and Mississippi was called
by the early pioneers French Water or
French Broad.