Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-08-24

wars q tear of its hundred and fifty
years of its existence. 1t ought to he
protected aud cared for in the coming
years, as should all other like memorials
of the colonial period.
To our party every object of the To-
cality, dreary and forlorn as it seemed,
was invested with peculiar interest
Truly we were on historic ground, way.
farers in the 'seats of the mighty
The plow share has within few years
upturned nearly every rod of the old
towns site, and only one of the streets,
that of Essex through which runs the
old highway, can now he correctly
traced. The hour allotted for this part
of the exercises of the programme hav-
ing been spent, our party very reluct-
antly obeyed the captains summons to
again board his little steamer. The trip
back was enlivened by various songs
from the young ladies OF the Education
al Association, and whsn the Occoquan
landing was again reached the llue OF
march was promptly taken up by one
and all with we'll filled box and hamper
for the shaded retreats of the raceway
beyond the gathering old mill. AS our
mission was historical in its significance
as we'll as educational, we fttingly Sc.
ected an his, orcal spot to epread and
enjoy our midday repast. We chose
the old gray granite rocks and cool
green sward about the dismantled walls
of John Balandine's iron furnace and
forge of the long ago, and we were not
only on historic ground, but on ground
made almost sacred by the oftime pres
ence OF hero who for great natural en-
dowments with all the varied attributes
and capabilities which go to make up
the successful soldier, leader and com
mander was not second TO any other
hero who drew sword in our great con.
| tinental struggle, hero whose sacri
fees, patriotism and soldierly deeds our
country has been very slow to properly
appreciate and fittingly recognize.
When Governor Dinwiddie and
General B:addock passed through Col
chester that April morning of 1855 with
their snowy sentinels and escorts on
their way up from Williamsburg to
Alexandria to make ready for that ex-
pedition against the French and Indian
beyond the mountains, which was to
end so disastrou.ly 10 the British and
provincial forces, this hero, then at the
age of seventeen, was filling the humble
role of teamster in the employ of Bal
andine Tor few shillings day. haul
ing iron ore to his furnace. Squads OF
provincial troops he saw almost daily
passing up the same way. His adven-
turous spirit caught the military en-
thusasm of the times. He left GRE and
furnace and turned his horses heads
up the Kings Highway in the direction
of the military encampment at Alexau-
dria, where all was activity and busy
preparation for the war; and henceforth
for many years his hitherto prosaic life
was 10 be one of strange adventures,
more like the marvels of romance than
the actual realities of historic fact. In
The inevitable of his wonderful des;i. y
under Gods appointings, he was to se
most conspicuous actor in the mo-
mentous events and circumstances
which called into being and shaped the
grand conditions of our American Re-
public.
Every one who may read
this sketch of our most historic
picnic may not know that the stripping
teamster who hauled the ore to the
furnace and who many time may
nave eaten his plain repast on the same
gray boulders, as this house rested and
baited in the shadows of the great oaks,
was General Daniel Morgan, the intre-
pid leader of the Virginia rihsmen in
the Continental army, and the real
hero of Quebec, Saratoga and Cowpens,
TWO OF them by far the most important
and decisive of the revolutionary bat
ties.
But the story of his meteoric c. -se
and brilliant exploits is long and
varied one, and fills mary of the bright
est pages of our c. try's histo' y. so,
we now take our leAve ol the granu old
soldier and patriot: the plough boy of
the Shenandoah and the wagon boy OF
the Occoquan.
At o'clock in the Afternoon Our
party oteyed tie summons of the C ang
ing bell, and assembled in the towD
hall where we were joined by the citi-
zens of the town, and the meeting call
ed to order by NJ. D. Hall, Superin
terdent of schools of Fairfax county,
Div ne blessings were invoke by Rev.
Mr.. kloman upon the objects of the
gathering and after the singing OF
"Luve's Old Sweet Song" very ap.
propriale address of welcome WAS de-
ivered on behalf of the good people OF
Occcquan by S. NJ. Janney, which was
followed by an historic paper" recit-
ing at length the many interesting
events and associations OF the vanished
town of Colchester, read by w. II.
Snowden of Andalusia, Fairfax
county. George G. Round, of Ma
passas, then read his very enter
tanning historical romance, entitled
"Mariamne of Belle Air" and
| after the singing of another song the large
| and enthusiastic audience which had listened
with an appreciative attention. adjourned,
aud all concerned seemed glad that they had
had the opportunity Of participating in the
exercises of the first annual picnic of the
two kindred ocieties. whose laudable objects
are the diffusion Of useful knowledge, the
collection and preservation ofcolonial history,
the interchange of thought on national topics,
| the encouragement of virtuous actions among
tho Young and the general promotion of so.
cial interests and fraternal feeling throughout
our communities. Too much praise cannot
be given for the kindly feeling and good
| .lo ,;t.1apc of Ocronuan thronuh