Fredericksburg, Virginia 1608-1908. Author:Sylvanius Jackson Quinn

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СКАЧАТЬ settlers of Fredericksburg, and many of whose descendants are now among us.

      These Germans "did not happen' to come to Virginia, but came upon the invitation of the Baron de Graffureid, who was a friend to Governor Spotswood, and for the express purpose of developing the iron ore deposits discovered by the latter upon his lands in the present county of Spotsylvania. These people came from the town of Musen, which was then in the old province of Nassau Siegen, Westphalia, Germany. At Miisen there is an iron mine which has been worked since the early part of the fourteenth century, and is operated to this day. They were skilled workers in iron and steel from the Musen mines and built the old furnace in Spotsylvania county."

      These pioneers remained at Germanna until about 1720, when, owing to some difference with Governor Spotswood, they removed to what is now Fauquier county, then Stafford, later Prince William, and in 1759 the portion they settled became Fauquier. They settled about nine miles south of Warrenton on a small stream called Licking Run and named the place Germantown—thus keeping up the German identity,— which is one mile north of Madison station on the Southern railroad.

      Rev. James Kemper, in the paper referred to, says the first year they were in Germantown they "packed all of their provisions from Fredericksburg on their heads and raised their first crop with their hoes, in both of which the women bore a part." This shows that the village, afterwards called Fredericksburg, was the trading place of the country above the falls at that period.

      The names of the twelve men who, with their families, settled Germanna, are John Kemper, John Huffman, Jacob Holtzclaw, Tillman Weaver, John Fishback, Harman Fishback, Harman Utterback, John Joseph Martin, Peter Hitt, Jacob Coons, —— Wayman and ——Hanback. The Rev. Henry Hagen was their minister.

      These people were picked men for a special purpose, to do that which no one then in Virginia could do well—manufacture iron. Their descendants are scattered all over this country and have filled high positions in the Army and Navy, as well as in State and Church. They did two things worthy of note: They laid the foundation of the German Reformed Church in the United States, and also the iron and steel industry, which now requires billions of dollars to carry on successfully, and both of these were done at Germanna, in Spotsylvania county, Virginia.

      It has also been contended that the fort, built near the falls of the Rappahannock river, was constructed on the north side of the river and that the place where Falmouth now stands was the center of the military district.* This assertion is not substantiated by any record we have seen, and we are not prepared, in the absence of proof, to accept it.

      There are two reasons which may be given which, we think, will show that the site of Falmouth would have been an improper and unsafe location for the fort, both of which would have suggested themselves to the constructors of the fort. One is, that the place is on the bend of the river and is surrounded by high hills, now known as Stafford Heights. From the crest of these hills the fort could have been attacked by the enemy and captured by any small force. And if it had not been captured the elevation would have given the Indians great advantage over the garrison, making their arrows very effective. To have placed the fort on either one of the high hills would have thrown the garrison too far from the river to protect their sail vessels, and in case they had been compelled to give up the fort they could not have reached their vessels in the river, which, in the past, had proved a safer refuge than the poorly constructed forts of that day.

      The other reason is, that to have constructed the fort on the north side of the river would have placed the almost impassable Rappahannock between the garrison and their remote friends on the south side, from whom alone they could look for relief in case they had been besieged, or if they had been compelled to retreat. For these reasons, if for no other, we are satisfied that the fort was not located on the north side of the river, but on the south side and in the vicinity of where Fredericksburg now stands. But this author, in speaking of the fort, says "not one stone or brick of the fort is left on another, but the terraces on the long hill back of the riverside houses still bear traces of ancient work."

      But this does not prove the contention. It should be remembered that forts were not constructed in those times of stones and bricks, nor even of earthen walls, as they have since been, but of wooden poles or logs, and very temporary at that. British Lieut. John Fontaine gives a minute description of the fort built by the Germans at Germanna in the year 1714, which will help us to understand what a fort was in those days.

      "We walked about the town, which is palisaded with stakes stuck in the ground, and laid close the one to the other, and of substance to bear out a mussket-shot. There are but nine families, and they have nine houses, built all in a line; and before every house, about twenty feet distant from it, they have small sheds built for their hogs and hens, so that the hog-sties and houses make a street. The place that is poled in is a pentagon, very regularly laid out; and in the very center there is a block-house, made with five sides, which answer to the five sides of the great enclosure; there are loop holes through it, from which you may see all the inside of the enclosure. This was intended for a retreat for the people, in case they were not able to defend the palisadoes, if attacked by the Indians." Col. Byrd, in 1732, called this a fort.

      [6] Memoirs of a Huguenot Family-"Knights of the Golden Horseshoe."

       CHAPTER II.

       Governor Spotswood and Others Start on an Expedition over the Blue Ridge Mountains — They Pass Through what is now Fredericksburg — They Join Others at Germanna, where they make Extensive Preparations — The Country Rough and the Woods Dense — Bears, Deer, Turkeys, Squirrels and Snakes Plentyful — The Summit of the Mountain Reached — The Sublime Scene — The Health of the King Drank and the Country Taken Possession of in His Name — The Shenandoah River, &c.

      THE KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN HORSE SHOE

      Two years after the settlement of Germanna Governor Spotswood visited the place, in company with gentlemen and others who were to accompany him in his famous expedition over the Blue Ridge mountains, which has been the theme of the writers of song and story, and upon which has recently been founded a secret benevolent order. So much has been written about this expedition, in this country and in Europe, into which so much romance has been woven, and yet so little is known about it by the general public, at the expense of length and tediousness to the reader of the narrative, we propose to give John Fontaine's [1] diary, written daily as they progressed on the journey, from the time he left Williamsburg with the Governor, until he returned to that city, that we may be thoroughly informed of all the particulars.

      [1] British Lieut. John Fontaine was the son of Rev. James Fontaine, of France, a Huguenot [French Protestant] who fled to England to avoid religious persecution, and thence settled in Scotland where he ended his days. The name originally was De La Fontaine, but John's grandfather, "from motives of humility, cut off the De La, the indication of the nobility of the family." John came to this country In 1716. with his brother Rev. Peter Fontaine, and at once became a friend and companion of Governor Spotswood, while Peter became a minister of ability and was very popular. From these two brothers sprang the Fontaines and many allied families of this country.

      The expedition was made in August and September, 1716, and the following is extracted from Lieut. John Fontaine's diary:

      Williamsburg, 20th August, 1716. — In the morning got my horses ready, and what baggage was necessary, and I waited on the Governor who was in readiness for an expedition over the Appalachian mountains. We breakfasted and about ten got on horseback, and, at four came to the Brickhouse, upon York River, where we crossed the ferry and at six came to Mr. Austin Moore's house[2] on Mattapony River, in King William County; here we lay all night and were well entertained.

      [2] Austain Moore lived at Chelsea, on the Mattaponi river. He was СКАЧАТЬ