Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-01-03

ere clothed for the most part in deerskins or
some similar kind Of covering, which hangs
down behind like cloak. They wear aprons
round the middle and leave the rest of the
body naked.
THE young boys and girls go about with
nothing on them. The soleS of their feet are
as hard as horn, and they tread on thorns and
briars without being hurt. Their arms are
bows and arrows feet long tipped with stays
horn, or white flint sharpened at the end.
They shoot these with such skill that they
can stand off and hit sparrow in the middle;
and in order to become expert by practice,
they throw a spear up in the air and then
send an arrow from the bow string and drive
it into the spear before it falls. But since they
do not string the bow very tight, they cannot
hit mark at great distance. They live by
means OF these weapons and go out every
day through the fields and woods to hunt
squirrels partridgeS, turkeys and wild animals.
For there is abundance of all these, though
we ourselves do not yet venture to procure
food by hunting, for fear of ambushes.
'"They live in houses built in oblong. oval
shape. Light is admitted into these through
the roof by a window 4 feet long; this
also serves to carry off the smoke, for they
kindle the fire in the middle of the floor and
sleep around the fir. Their kings, however,
and chief men hal- private compartments,
as it were. Of their own, and beds made by
driving four posts into the ground and ar
ranging poles above them horizontally"
1t is almost impossible to comprehend how
wild this country really was nearly 300 years
ago, when all of this taking place. What
different sort of picture Leonard Calvert
would have seen if he had sailed up the river
SO years ago for instead of seeing 500 Indians
on the site of Fort Washington he would
have seen at least many Sunday school chill
dren on the bluff having the time of their lives,
by special permission of the War Department,
Tor regular excursions never held at this
place or at Fort Foote, to the north and nearly
opposite Alexa ndria, where private parties also
frequently held their excursions years ago.
THE site of Fort Washington, originally the
- Manor of Warburton was patented October
20, 1641- When the city of Washington was
laid out George Digges the proprietor of
Warburton, and according to the census of
1890, had living with him one son over 16
years of age, wife and one daughter, and had
los slaves Presumably his brother William
owned % slaves, and Mary, who may have
been his sister in-law, owned rs.
The placing of a fort at this strategic place
In the river due to the request of President
Washington made in 1894 for it on May II
of that year that Henry Knox, then Secretary
Of War, received a letter which said: 1.-THE
President of the United States, who is well
acquainted with the river Potomac, conceived
that certain bluff of land on the Maryland
side, near Mr.. Digges', a point formed by an
eastern branch of the Potomac, would be
proper situation for the fertilization about to
be erected
The expense attached to the construction of
the fort was rather small and included only
proposed expenditure of 50 600, and from what
is stated, probably even less than this amount
expended, for find that when
deemed imminent with Great Britain Maj
LEnfant directed to proceed to Fort
Washington and to ascertain and report its
condition for defense, which he did on May
%, 1913 and though he not favoraby
impressed with the design of the fort yet he
urged suitable appropriation for putting
in proper condition for the defense Of the Po-
tomac.
However when the Britishg sailed up the
river three days after the burning Of Washing
ton by Gen. Ross Capt. Samuel T. Dyson, the
American officer in charge, did not attempt
to test the resistance and stability of the fort,
but forthwith blew it up and made hasty
retreat, for which he was later court-martisled
and dismissed from the service.
@APT. GORDON of H M S. SeahorSe, in
~ command of the eneny's Potomac squad
ron, later made this interesting report on
what happened after his arrival off Fort
Washington:
The following morning. August 81, 1914 to
our great joy, the wind became fair, and we
made all sail up the river, which now assumed
q more pleasing aspect. At O'Clock in the
afternoon, Mount Vernon, the retreat of the
illustrious Washington, opened to our view, and
showed us for the first time since entered
the Potomac a gentleman's residence Higher
up the river the opposite side, Fort Wash
ington appeared to our anxious eyes, and, to our
great satisfaction, it considered assailable.
A little before sunset the squadron anchored
just out of gunshot the bomb vessels at once
took I'D their positions 20 cover the frigateS