Evening star. [volume], February 21, 1932, Page 14, Image 80

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Hiding, Hunting and Fishing
Were His Favorites, and
His Diary Contains Many
JnterestingAccounts
Which Prove His Fondness
for the Outdoors.
[ BY MARIE DE L. KENNEDY.
George Washington was always
an ardent sportsman. He tells us
so himself. At 16 he was ‘ big of
bone, strong of muscle, much
larger for his age than boys usual
ly are, and exceedingly silent and
reserved.” His sister Betty, who had a merry
tongue, delighted in teasing him and on one
occasion said: "George never talks except to
answer questions.* We should therefore be
eternally grateful to the unknown benefactor
whose casual query regarding his favorite
games, drew forth from the quiet youth this
admission: "I have not much inclination toward
games which have no lasting result. At any
time I prefer for my play to ride, or fish, or
shoot, when allowed, or to measure lands and
plot them.”
Years later, at Mount Vemon, entries in his
famous diary, bear out the fact that his en
thusiasm for hearty outdoor sports had not
abated. His horses and hounds were known
to him individually by names carefully chosen
by himself. February 2, 1789, he wrote: "Met
Mr. George Calvert on his way to Abingdon
with the hounds I loaned him: Viz. Vulcan and
Venus from France: Ragman and two other
dogs from England; Dutchess and Doxey from
Philadelphia: Jupiter and Countess, descended
from French hounds.” His mounts were the
finest in Virginia from Magnolia the noble full
blooded Arabian to Hero, the horse named for
the first pony of his boyhood at Ferry Farm.
His hunters, Blueskin, Ajax, Valient and
Chinkling, were unmatched for speed and sa
gacity. It has been said of him in those latter
days that "it was first to the stables for him
in the morning and then to the kennels.”
Good horsemanship, precision as a marks
man and a thorough knowledge of woodcraft
were the requisites in Washington's youth of
a true Virginia gentleman. His skill in the
three became proverbial.
His father was his earliest instructor in
horsemanship. A story is told of his mother’s
concern for George’s safety during one of these
lessons. Mr. Washington was training the lad
"to leap the pony,” but the sturdy, stubborn
little animal refused “to take the hurdle, again
and again.” George persisted, with the spirit
which characterized him through all his future
years. ’’This being near the house, his mother
ran out, crying that he would be murdered.
But his father was a man who hated defeat.
He told young George it was ill-riding and to
try it over until successful. At last the boy
got the pony over, but it fell with him and his
father insisted that he try it again ” This
was continued until horse and rider acquitted
themselves to the instructor's satisfaction. Since
Mr. Washington died when Georage was 11
years old. some idea may be gained of the
early age at which his training as a sportsman
began.
ASHINGTON’S elder brother, lAwrence,
then became his hero. The things Law
rence admired, George strove to excell in and
the high-hearted courage and honor of the
former had an enduring Influence on the life
of the younger brother. Prom Pall until
Spring, hunting for fox, was the popular
pastime of the Virginia cavalier. "When George
was 14, he took an active part In this sport.
Mounted on his favorite horse, with the hounds
bellowing ahead, the lad went sweeping along
at full speed, enjoying to the top-notch, the
exhilarating joy of the chase.”
Stalking the deer, hunting smaller game,
training his ears to detect accurately the mes
sages of the forest, he is said to have become
"stealthy as an Indian and graceful as a deer.”
But he loved best his horse’s back and the
training of his father may well be thanked
for the incident told of the old Indian chief,
coming many years after the French and
Indian War to see the young Virginian whom
"during the Monongahela fight he had tried to
Unseat. 15 times under Are, as often failing to
reach his aim.”
In the Pall or 1747, wnen wasnington was
15, he went to live with his brother Lawrence
on his estate, Mount Vernon, and there met,
admired and was helpfully Influenced by Lord
Fairfax, an Oxford student, a soldier, a gentle
man in the finest sense of the term, who was
visiting his cousin, William Fairfax, father-in
law of Lawrence Washington.
At the Parfax estate, a noble country seat,
on the Potomac, not far below Mount Vernon,
George became a favored guest. The most
happy memories remained with him to the end
of his life of Belvoir, as the manor house was
called, and of all who therein had contributed
to a certain Old World atmosphere of grace
and culture, that had its own sterling effect
Upon the boy’s career.
Lord Fairfax, tall, ruddy, courteous and wise,
took a fancy to the "strong young athlete” and
saw in him qualities too fine and unusual to
he overlooked or neglected. Lawrence Wash
ington and Lord Fairfax combined their ef
forts to give George every opportunity for Self
Advancement that such an "Indomitable and
high-purposed” lad should have. An old Dutch
Boldier, van Braam, whom Lawrence had brought
from the West Indies, superintended his fenc
ing lessons and doubtless much of Washing
ton’s esse, grace and dexterity osme from these
Instructions. Lord Fairfax made the boy his
companion in long jaunts through the woods,
CO fishing expedition*? on hunts, on holiday
One of the First Presidents favorite sports was horseback ridin g. Reproduced from a painting copyrighted by the Osborne Co.
trips to his forest lodge In the Blue Ridge,
where, before a blazing log he drew shy con
fidences from the silent, but deep-thinking
young hero-worshiper.
Hearing, during one of those long talks, that
Washington’s mother wished him to go to Ox
ford and study. Lord Fairfax said brusquely:
"Young man, this Is your country: stay here.
What do you, yourself, really want to do?’*
Unhesitatingly George answered, "I should like
to be a surveyor.” Knowing him to be an
expert woodsman and a brave and earnest
worker, although almost entirely self-taught In
his favorite profession, lord Fairfax com
missioned him at 16 to cross the mountains
and survey his lands, which lay somewhere "In
the thickets” between the headwaters of the
Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers.
it is at this time that Washington's famous
I habit of keeping a diary seems to have be
gun. At least, we have a charming record in
his own words of his adventures in the wilds:
"March 13th, 1748—Rode to his lordship's
quarters. About four miles higher up the
•River Shenandoah, we went through most
beautiful groves of sugar trees and spent the
best part of the day in admiring tree* and the
richness of the land.” "March 15th—Worked
hard till night. After supper we were lighted
Into a room, and I, not being as good a woods
man as the rest, stripped myself very orderly
and went into the bed, as they called it, when
to my surprise I found it to be nothing but a
little straw matted together, without sheet or
anything else but only one thread-bare blanket
with double its weight of vermin, such as lice,
fleas, etc. I was glad to get up and put on
my clothes and lie as my companions did.
Had we not been very tired, I am sure we
should not have slept much that night. I
made a promise to sleep so no more, choosing
rather to sleep in the open air before a Are.”
TTiere is a sly flash of boyish wit in a later
reference to their arrival in Frederickstown,
whence their baggage reached them. "We
cleaned up, to get rid of the game we had
caught the night before,” he tells us, with
cheerful adjustment to the rough and arduous
life the enterprise entailed.
He speaks of wild animals which they shot
for food. Of roasting "wild turkey on a split
stick and eating it with the aide of a pocket
knife.” On Sunday, March 20, he writes:
"Finding y. river excessively high, we in y.
evening swam our horses over and carried them
to Charles Polk's in Md. for pasturage till y.
next morning.’’
"Monday, 21st—We went over in a canoe and
traveled up the Maryland side all y. day in a
continued rain • • • about 40 miles of, I be
lieve, the worst road that ever was trod by man
or beast.”
They met a band of Indians, which he de
scribes ss "an greeable sight.” They were in
paint and feathers and consented to do a war
dance. Young George was boyishly excited.
His journal proceeds: “The best dancer jumped
up and ran about the ring In a most comical
manner. He was followed by the rest. Then
began their music, which was performed with
a pot half full of water an3 a deerskin stretched
tight over it, and a gourd with some shot in It
to rattle and a piece of horse’s tail tied to It
to make it look fine. One person kept rattling
and another drumming all the while they were
dancing.”
This youthful record, written so naturally, is
highly prized because it is the first account of
his early life written In his own hand.
He makes no personal mention of his im
portant part in the trustworthy work accom
plished on this mission. He outlines the tasks
of each day in brief sentences, written In the
plural, such as: "Began our intended business
of laylr^ out lots.” • • • We have run off four
lots this day.” • • • "We surveyed 1,500 acres
of land and returned about 1 o'clock.” • • •
"We rode down below Trough to lay off lots
there.”
His simplicity concerning his achievements
was as truly good sportsmanship as his athletic
prowess. This journey led him through 100
miles of forest and the satisfaction his work
produced led to his appointment as public sur
veyor. His life through the next few years was
almost entirely spent in the open. He became
familiar with the ways of the Indian and it
has been affirmed that these experiences fitted
his frame and his mind fear the great future in
store for him.
One biographer has made the bold statement
that Valley Forge and the Delaware crossing
would have been Impossible without the early
Washington background of vigorous sports.
On a trip to the Barbadoes with his brother
George Washington and Lord Fairfax out for a day’s hunting in the vicinity of
Mount Vernon. Reproduced from an old steel engraving.
Lawrence, who was in poor health, Georga
Washington, at 19, gives us an account in his
journal of some deep-sea fishing: "October 6.
1751—Catchd. a Dolphin at 8 p.m., a Shark at
11 and one of his pilot fish; the Dolphin and
pilot fish were dres6d. lor Dinner.”
THE next most interesting record of outdoor
adventure, written by himself, is during
his commission to the French commandant of
the French forces on the Ohio. He was sent by
Gov. Dinwiddie of Virginia because of hla
knowledge of woodcraft, his friendship with the
Indians, his sporting resourcefulness in the face
of danger. He did not fail, although his jour
ney, especially the return, was beset with acute
hardships and perils of all kinds. Let us read
his own account:
"The horses became less able to travel every
day; the cold increased very fast • • • I waa
uneasy to get back to make report of my pro
ceedings to his honor, the Governor; I deter
mined to prosecute my journey the nearest way
through the woods, on foot • • • I put myself
in an Indian walking dress • • • With gun in
hand and pack on my back, in which were my
papers and provisions, I set out with Mr. G.,
fitted in the same manner, on Wednesday, the
26th, 1753. • • • We fell in with a party of
French Indians, who had lain in wait for us.
One of them fired, but fortunately missed us.
"We took the fellow into custody and kept
him until 9 o’clock that night, then let him go
and walked all the remaining part of the night
without making any stop. * * * The next day
we got to the river above Shannopin's. We ex
pected to have found the river frozen, but it
was not, only about 50 yards from each shore.
• * • There was no way of getting over but on
a raft, which he set about with one poor hatchet
and finished just about sunsetting. This was a
whole day’s work; we next got it launched and
set off. * * • Before we were half way over, we
were jammed in the ice in such a manner that
we expected every moment our raft to sink and
ourselves to perish. I put out by setting pole
to try to stop the raft, that the ice might pass,
but the rapidity of the stream threw it with
such violence against the pole that it jerked
me out into 10 feet of water. • • • we were
obliged as we were near an island to swim for
it.’’ • * •
"We found no difficulty in getting off the Is
land in the morning and went to Mr. Frazier’s.
We met here 20 warriors who were going to
the southward to war. • • • For a month there
was not a day that did not rain or snow in
cessantly. • • • Reached Belvoir on the llth,
where I stopped one day to take necessary rest,
and then set out and arrived in Williamsburg
the 16th, when I waited on his honor the Gov
ernor.”
This has been called Washington's first ap
pearance upon the pages of American history.
He w»s instantly famous, because of the suc
cess of the expedition. At 22 he had become a
distinguished man of achievement.
He married in January, 1759, and turned aa
soon as possible to a happy home life at Mount
Vernon, which had been bequeathed to him
by his brother Lawrence. He was now able to
indulge in all the ar i ements, “for which ha
had a true sportsman’s relish.” His chief de
light was the chase and be often rode “two
or three times a week, in season, with friends,
In hot pursuit of the fox.”
Fowling, too, was a favorite exercise. He
roamed the woods, and spent hours alone In
his canoe on the waters of the Chesapeake.
Once he overcame alone and unarmed a poach
er of desperate character, who pointed a gun
at him and took deliberate aim.
Visitors flocked to hospitable Mount Vernon.
Fox hunting, duck shooting and fishing, each
in turn, with its season, rounded out this care
free period of his life.
Called forth from this delightful life gf
• - . . : . ■ ■ ; . .
Continued on Twenty-eixth Fays .£