The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1902-03-14
George Washington.

George Washington was born in a
plain old fashioned house in West
Moreland county Virginia on Feb. 22nd,
1872 George went to what was called
all old field school house. The teacher
was man named Hobby. dn Virginia
at that time the land was left to the
oldest son as was the custom in England
at that time and Virginia was an Eng
l!sh colony, Georges elder brother
Lawrence was heir to the lands of
Georges father, and he was sent to
England to acquire All education.
when Lawrence came back with many a
wild tale to tell Washington grew proud
or his brother Lawrence and his brother
was equally pleased with his manly
little brother George. When Georges
brother went off TO take a captain .
position in the army, George thought a
good deal about war and drilled the
boys of the old field school house. Bows
in Virginia, at that time rode horses.
swan and fiShed.
George could Tide any colt and horses,
he sometimes rode colts that had not
been ridden before
Georges schoolmates brought their
quarrels to him to settle.
Georges father died when George was
only eleven years of age. His mother
took pains to bring him up with manly
ideas
He was now sent to school to man
named Williams who taught him read
ing, writing, surveying and arithmetic.
Washington's copy books are kept
until this day to show how. neat he was.
(ranrnppc I
George to be a seaman and George liked
the idea, but his mother did not want
him to leave her so he stayed at school
until he was sixteen. George took pains
in his studing and when he was only a
large boy Lord Fairfor who owned
whole chunties in Virginia, hired
George to survey some of the widest
parts of his laud. Washington slept un-
der trees with only the stars for shelter,
sometimes many people would sleep un-
der the trees with Washington and it
was "happy is he who gets closest to
the fire." One night the straw on which
| Washington slept caught fire and had
not some of the people present awakened
| him he would have been consumed.
The food of the surveyor was wild
game and he cooked it by sticking a
| it over the fire.
Washington must have done good
| work for he got from seven to twenty
one dollars day. Washington led this
life for three years. 1t was during this
| life that he made his first acquaintance
with the Indians.
When Washington was only nineteen
years old he was made major in the
militia by the Governor of Virginia.
He studied drilling under an old soldier
and took fencing lessons from a man
named Van Broom.
The French were building forts on
| land Of the English, on the Ohio river.
And the Governor of Virginia wanted
| to send an officer to tell them, 80 the
| French would not move their forts,
they knew but it was their duty to lei
| them know. Nobody else except brave
Major Washington could be chosen to
execute tins mission, so Washington set
out with band of hardy frontier men
and on the way Washington called a
| band of Indians together, and an Indian
named Half King accompanied him as a
guide. They soon found the French and
delivered their message and set out upon
| their return.
They soon got back to where Half King
was to leave them and Washington and
a man named Gist set out alone and as
| they came along little furthur An Indian
came out from behind a tree and shot at
them. He had been hired by the French
to do it, before he had time to reload
Washington and Gist had him, Gist was
for killing him but Washington would
not lei him.
When Washington came back he was
the hero of Virginia. BY the answer the
French sent TO the English it was evident
that there was to be struggle.
When Washington was on his mission
to the French he noticed nice site to
build fort. It was at the junction of
the monongahela and allegheny rivers
Here he took his men and started tC
build fort
The French drove them away anC
built = fort of their own there. 1t wa.
named Fort Duquesne
There were not many French in
America at this time but what wer,
here were nearly all soldiers.
After leaving the fort from which the
French drove them Washington hearc
that, a French party was dogging hi
steps he surround, d them in the nigh
and the French fed but Washington
captured most of them. Washingto
was driven to a place called Grea
Meadows where he built fort an
called it Fort Necessity.
The French defeated him here an
he was let go on the terms that h
would go back to the settlements.