Washington in the Wilderness
By Charles Morris
CHAPTERS IN UNITED STATES HISTORY.* NO. 2.
Washington in the Wilderness.
Claims to the Valley of Ohio—Governor Dinwiddie's Messenger—The Incursions of the French—Washington's Journey—Crossing the Alleghanies—The Half King—At Venango—Fort Le Bœuf—Canoeing on French Creek—A Treacherous Guide—The Perils of the Frozen Alleghany—The End of the Enterprise. IN the middle of the last century the people of the American colonies were seriously alarmed. They claimed as theirs the vast region which lay west of the Alleghanies. The French of Canada laid claim to the same broad domain, and were preparing to move southward from the great lakes, to take possession of it. A war for the ownership of the valley of the Ohio was about to take place, a fierce struggle that would have momentous consequence on the history of this country. We have already described the first event caused by this coming conflict, the convention at Albany. We have now to describe a second, in which another of the heroes of American independence took the leading part. On Oct. 31, 1753, there left the small town of Williamsburg, Va., a young man, yet unknown to fame, but who was destined to make the world ring with the story of his deeds. The name of this man was George Washington. He was then just twenty-one years of age. Yet five years before he had begun active life as a surveyor on the Virginia frontier, and, at nineteen, had entered upon his military life as major of militia. Since then the death of his brother had left him manager of a large plantation. He was, therefore, already an active man of business, had gained some military experience, and was familiar with adventure in the wilds. This was the man whom Governor Dinwiddie, of Virginia, chose to undertake a journey of peril and hardship, and one whose successful prosecution would need not only the boldness and endurance of youth, but the judgment and discretion of older years. There was war in the air. The French were encroaching on lands which the English held to belong to them. The English were encroaching on lands which the French held to belong to them. Both were encroaching on lands which the Indians held to belong to them. It was a triangular claim, in which the Indians had the right, but their rivals had the power, and the old possessors of the land were much in the position of the corn between the upper and nether millstones. The English were pushing slowly westward toward the Alleghanies, and had sent their pioneers into the valley of the Ohio. The French, having advantage of extensive water ways, had gone much farther inland. They had made their way in canoes from the St. Lawrence River to Lake Champlain, which they claimed as theirs. They had traversed the great lakes, had reached the Mississippi, and sailed down it to its mouth. It was all theirs, with all affluents. The vast valley of the Ohio particularly was theirs, and they were now in motion to take possession of this imperial domain, in despite of rival claims. They were not forced to make long journeys overland. It was only fifteen miles from Lake Erie to the head waters of French Creek. The waters of this stream ran into the Alleghany River, which, in its turn, became one of the makers of the Ohio. An easy waterway thus lay before the French, and they were about to avail themselves of it. They had already built a fort near the source of French Creek. They had a station at Venango, where this creek joined the Alleghany. A party of French and Indians had made their way to where Pittsburg now stands, and seized there some English traders, whom they took as prisoners to Presque Isle, in Lake Erie. They were becoming decidedly aggressive, and if the English proposed to sustain their claim it was time for them to act. Tidings of these movements came to the ears of Governor Dinwiddie. He wrote a letter to the French commander at Venango, asking what he was doing there, and bidding him to leave that region, which, by God's will and his Britannic majesty's right, belonged to the great British Empire. And, in seeking a messenger to convey this epistle, he settled on Major George Washington as the man for the occasion. He had been in the wilderness; he had met the Indians in their villages; he had military training; he had courage, dignity, and judgment. He was the one man needed. Washington, young, hardy, and vigorous, fond of adventure, and full of youthful ardor, willingly undertook the mission, and, leaving Williamsburg with the governor's letter, made his way through the thin settlements of Virginia to Fredericksburg, where he was joined by two companions, one of them an Indian interpreter, the other a Dutchman, named Van Braam, from whom he had already taken fencing lessons, and whom he now wanted as French interpreter. He reached the outpost of civilization at the mouth of the Will's Creek, on the Potomac. Here was the cabin of Christopher Gist, a man already famous as an explorer, and who was to act as guide and aid to the party. Four other men also joined them here, two being Indian traders, and here packhorses for the journey were procured. Four hundred miles of wilderness still lay before them, much of it over rugged mountains, with no paths but the narrow and difficult Indian trails, much of it through dense forests, crossed by swollen streams, chilled by the coming winter, while on the mountain summits snow already lay ankle deep. Day by day the party of adventurers pressed onward, now wading through the soft, new-fallen snow, now crossing the streams on rafts of logs, or fording them where practicable, now passing for miles under the dense shadows of the primeval forest. They at length reached the Monongahela at the mouth of Turtle Creek, and, following this stream, in ten days after leaving Gist's cabin, came to its junction with the Alleghany, where the two streams meet to form the Ohio, that great stream, the command of which was to be fought for in nine years of war. This locality seemed to the eyes of Washington a most favorable one for a fort, since, from its command of three important streams, it would give control of the whole surrounding region. It was the point where Fort Duquesne soon afterward rose, and the site of8the subsequent great city of Pittsburg, but as yet an unbroken wilderness. Twenty miles further brought them to the Indian village of Logstown. Here Washington found an Oneida chief, to whom he gave a string of wampum and some tobacco, and asked him to send for the Seneca chief, Tanacharison (half king), then absent at the hunt. This important personage among the dusky warriors had been to the French forts, had asked them what they meant by presuming to take possession of Indian soil, and had threatened them with the wrath of the tribes if they persisted. "Fathers, both you and the English are white," he said; "we live in a country between; therefore, the land belongs to neither one nor the other. The Great Being above allowed it to be a place of residence for us; so, fathers, I desire you to withdraw, as I have done our brothers, the English; for I will keep you at arm's length. Our brothers, the English, have heard this, and I now come to tell it to you; for I am not afraid to discharge you off this land." The Half King was seeking to drive the wolves from the sheep-cote. The French commandant heard him with contempt, and bluntly answered: "I tell you, down the river I will go." Tanacharison, having heard the French ultimatum, now wished to know what the English had in view. Washington, whose first purpose was to win the aid of the Indians, told him that he had come to warn the French off the land of his Indian friends. He wanted a guide to lead him to the French fort, still 120 miles away, and when there he would do what his red friend had done, bid the intruders to depart. This statement pleased the chiefs. The English were evidently their friends. In the simplicity of their hearts they imagined the newcomers had no purpose but that of peaceful trade. Days of waiting and ceremony passed, and then the Half King and two other chiefs, with a hunter of noted skill, volunteered to go with the party as guides. The journey was resumed. The route now to be traversed was one of terrible hardship. Winter was upon the travelers; rain and snow fell almost unceasingly; the forest proved nearly impassable. At their first camp, a place called by the unpleasantly suggestive name of Mutheringtown, some corn and dried beef were procured. Further on, the Indian hunter shot two bucks. At length, after days of severe toil, the French outposts of Venango were reached. It was an Indian village, with the French flag flying over one of the huts. Captain Joncaire, the French commandant, treated Washington with civility, and invited him to supper, where, over their cups, the officers boasted the French would soon possess the Ohio. The English could raise two men to their one, they admitted, but they were too slow to keep the French from doing what they pleased. While this was going on Joncaire was cunningly trying to rob Washington of his Indian companions, whom he plied with drink and promises. In this treacherous scheme he failed. The chiefs were not to be cajoled, and were ready to set out with the party when the journey was resumed. The route now lay up French Creek to Fort Le Bœuf, on the head waters of that stream. It was a wearisome journey, but at length, on December 12, the fort was reached. The journey thither had consumed forty-two days. Here Washington found himself in different company from that of the half-breed Joncaire. The fort was commanded by M. de St. Pierre, an elderly man of true French courtesy, cordial in tone, hospitable in manner, ready to do everything for his visitor except to comply with Governor Dinwiddie's peremptory order. It was his duty to obey orders, not to discuss treaties. He was there under instructions, and there meant to stay. This and more to the same effect he wrote to the governor of Virginia, and gave in a sealed letter to the governor's envoy. It was courteous in tone, but it clearly indicated that the French had no thought of withdrawing. Meanwhile Washington was making excellent use of his eyes. The fort, in all its details, was photographed upon his brain. He counted the boats in the river. There were fifty bark canoes, and a large number of pine-tree dugouts, while many more were constructing. The French evidently intended to move in force in the spring. The letter delivered and the reply received, Washington was prepared to return. But snow was now falling fast, and it was decided to return to Venango by canoe, while sending the horses through the forests with the baggage. St. Pierre continued civil. He supplied liquors and provisions for the canoe. But like Joncaire, he sought secretly to win over the Indians. The Half King was well worth winning, and each of the chiefs was offered the present of a gun if he would stay until the next day. Liquor was also given. The Indians stayed, but Washington stayed too. Finally, finding that the chiefs were not to be won over to the French cause, St. Pierre ceased his efforts, and the party got away, Washington and Gist in one canoe, the chiefs in another. It was no easy passage, even with the advantage of a water route. The channel was obstructed by rocks and floating logs; here were shallows; there, dangerous currents. Ice, too, gave them trouble, and they were obliged to carry the canoe for some distance overland. They met on their way, French canoes, some of which, to the satisfaction of the English, met with disaster. One, loaded with lead and powder, went to the bottom. Another, with its load of wine and brandy, was upset, and its contents floated away. The adventurers at length reached Venango, where they found that the horses had arrived, but in a pitiable condition from the hardships of their route. The worst of the journey still lay before them. The winter frost had rendered the river impassable. It was necessary to proceed on foot, through the cold and snow, which now lay deep. Washington, with his guide and interpreter, clad in Indian walking costume, set out, followed by the horses with their drivers. But the horses were so exhausted that, after three days' journey, Washington and Gist decided to push on alone, leaving the remainder to follow as they could. Equipped with gun and knapsack, the explorers pushed forward, leaving the path they had followed and taking a straight trail through the woods, which would bring them to the Alleghany some miles above the Ohio. Their journey proved to be one of peril and adventure. They met an Indian who volunteered to guide them, and who relieved the weary explorer of the weight of his knapsack. He wished to carry his gun also, which Washington refused to yield, whereupon the savage grew surly. He told them that there were Ottawa Indians in the forest, who might take their scalps if they lay out at night, and pressed them to push on to his cabin, where they would be safe. But after a few miles the Indian fell behind, and, on looking back, they saw that he was aiming at them with his gun. The next moment the piece was discharged. Fortunately neither were hurt, and Gist quickly aimed at the Indian, who was loading again behind the shelter of a large oak. "Do not shoot," said Washington, "we had best not kill the man, but must take care of him." They permitted him to finish loading, asking if he was lost and had fired as a signal; but they gave him no further opportunity to play the traitor, and, after a few miles farther, bade him make a fire at a little run, saying that they would sleep there, advising him to go on to his cabin. The savage, glad enough to escape with a whole skin, set out at once, and the explorers, after going some distance, again made a fire, took a short rest, and then took once more to the route and traveled all night. The next night they reached the Alleghany. They had hoped to cross on the ice, but at a short distance from the shore the ice was broken and sweeping rapidly past. They slept on the snow-covered banks that night, and the next morning found the same prospect before them. Nothing remained but to build a raft, and as they had but a single hatchet between them, the work took all day long. As they did not care to spend the second night at that dreary spot, they launched the raft at sunset and pushed from shore. The journey proved full of peril. Before the stream was half crossed they were so jammed in the floating ice that it seemed as if the raft could not hold together. The current was sweeping it onward, and Washington tried to stop it by the aid of his setting pole. It was a dangerous effort. The ice was driven against the pole so violently as to sweep him from his feet and hurl him into the water ten feet deep. He would inevitably have perished had he not fallen near enough to grasp the raft, on which with some difficulty he scrambled. It proved impossible to reach either shore, and they were forced to spring from the raft to an island, past which the current was sweeping them. Here they were forced to stay without shelter during the remainder of that bleak night, the cold momentarily increasing. Mr. Gist had his hands and feet frozen, a disaster which Washington, tho soaking wet from his fall, escaped. When morning dawned they were glad to perceive that the portion of the stream which they had still to cross had frozen during the night. They hastened to the shore, and the same day reached the trading post, which had been just formed near the locality where Braddock was soon to meet his celebrated defeat. This ended their perils. When Gist had recovered they set out again, crossed the Alleghanies, and in due time reached the cabin of the guide at Will's Creek. From there Washington proceeded alone, and reached Williamsburg on January 16, after an absence of eleven weeks, during which he had journeyed through the wintry wilderness for 1,100 miles. What followed a few words will tell. Dinwiddie, finding that the French disdained his command, sent a party to the Ohio forks to build a fort. But this was hardly begun before it was captured by the French, who completed it and gave it the name of Fort Duquesne. Washington, advancing with a supporting force, met a French detachment in the woods, which he attacked and defeated. It was the opening contest in what was to be a long and destructive war.