Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1915-04-30
The Pate The Hessians.

the thousand unfortunate hirelins
soldiers whom General Washing on
captured at Tt. 'lton on that fog J
December morn ng l776.
History, except to record theil
cap ure, is silent about them. The
Treaty OF Paris does not men.io.
them, nor does any writer of thai
iay say ANYTHING about their fate
Virginia correspondent OF the
Youths Lo.np MON gives the fol
owing information.
At the time OF their capt;re, the
Federal gov ,rnment Was finding il
difficult to supply food and cloth
ing to its own starving, freezing
troops. Congress cheerfully agreed
to the sugg, stion of General Wash-
iagton that he take his prisoner;
down to Alexandria, Virg MIA,
whe e they could earn their own
living
WashiIgton's motive was shrewd
and thrifty one. Alexandra wa, the
nearest town to his own estate
Mount Vernon The street, over
which the considerable traffic IRON
the river passed stood badly in
need OF paving. and Washington
thought 1t much better to have the &
sturdy fellows contribute to the il, =
pro cement OF the little city rather
than to eat the bread of idless III
prison
And so the Hessians ma rched to
Ale xandria and went to work to
turn the Alexandria mudholes into
well paved streets. The records OF
Alexandria bore evidence OF these
facts, but, unfortun ,tely, they were
DESTROYED in The Civil War. s me
OF the older citizens, however, car
remember having seen the entri s
With The spring, Washington sent
the Hesslans into northern Virginia,
at the base of the Blue l,ldge
Mountains. The land there was
held by families in estates OF
thousands of acres. Those grea,
landowners were glad enough to
permit the dessians TO till as much
land as would comfortably support
them Eich tenant paid sLa,l
rent for his land; sometimes the rent
took the form of some service rem
der, d to the landlord.
And thus the Hessians took root
in Virglaia. And as it is not good
for man 10 be alone, they married
generally finding their wives among
the bond servants sent over to
Virginia from the houses Of correc-
ton in England before the hevo-
luton The Hessians did not
mingle socially with the old families
Of Virginia any more than the black
slaves did. They desired com
panlonship, and so in time most Of
them gathered III small district in
Fauqnier county. There for a
Numbered years they have lived. as
separate from the other whites as
the negroes. From the earliest
days they have steadtastly refused
to pay any taxes, and, as the cost
and trouble Of collection were mere
than the taxes were worth, they
have been allowed to 60 scot-free
Hence the name by which they are
universally known-the Free
otaters,'
Living in their primitive cabins
the Free Staters have few wants
aud are virtually independent O
the outside world. A little coffee
trl1ing amount of brown sugar, ;
few yards of bright calico for sta ,
occasions, are ali that the Free
Staters ask OF civilization. The,
raise their own food, make theiJ
own shoes, and kill possums anC
coons when they want hats. None,
is almost unknown among them
The few articles they need ar,
obtained at the orossroad stores b,
the barter OF chestnuts, buckle.
berries, and sang, Or ginseng root
They have their primitive manutsc
lures, dress skins into creditab,,
lea her, and make their wagons ant
| household furniture Fl ON the abun.
dant timber.
The evidences OF their foreig,
descent are plentiful. The typica
POI white of the South is long an,
lank, with a thin face and dark hair
The Free Slater is short, with
large, round head and light hail
The Free Staters are fond of musi
and dancing.
None Of the preeent generation
know who the Hessians were, bu
the most insu ting ep,thet they app
to one aho her Is, You old Hes ian
The word is used nowhere else i
the lifted States today, and ha
doubtless survived among ther
from the days OF their captivit,
WI IN the term was applied to thel
10 reproach.
Only few hundred Free Slater
are now living in Fsuquier county