Virginia, 1492-1892 a brief review of the discovery of the continent of North America, with a history of the executives of the colony and of the commonwealth of Virginia in two parts |
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| LIX. |
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 | XLIX. Virginia, 1492-1892 |  |
XLIX.
ALEXANDER SPOTSWOOD.
XLIX. Lieutenant-Governor.
XLIX. June 23, 1710, to September 27, 1722.
We now approach a very interesting period in the history
of the Virginia Colony. Up to this time, both Governors and
people had been content with the territorial restrictions
which hostile Indians on the border, and multiplied difficulties
at home had enforced. They knew nothing of the country
which lay hidden by that billowy range of mountains
which ever on the sunset sky would trace suggestions of a
great Beyond. It had been a capital maxim of the French in
their American policy, to conceal all knowledge of the country
between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi
River, so that the English knew only such uncertain accounts
as had been given by straggling travelers and by Indians.
Yet now, the hour had struck when these mountains were no
longer to be a barrier to advancing civilization, but rather,
"a stepping-stone to higher things." On June 23, 1710,
there arrived in the Colony a man whose coming marked a
new era in its history. Colonel Alexander Spotswood had
been appointed Lieutenant-Governor to George Hamilton,
Earl of Orkney, the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of
Virginia. He was a man of uncommon enterprise and public
spirit, a friend to learning and to religion. He came of a
long line of distinguished ancestry and was a noble son of
noble sires. His great-grandfather was John Spotswood,
Archbishop of St. Andrew's and author of the "History of
the Church of Scotland"; his grandfather was Robert Spotswood,
Lord President of the College of Justice, and author of
the "Practicks of the Laws of Scotland." Sir Walter Scott
narrates that this Robert Spotswood (who was one of the
which consisted wholly of Covenanters), while at private
prayer on the scaffold, was interrupted by the Presbyterian
minister in attendance and asked if he did not desire his
prayers and those of the people. Sir Robert replied, that he
earnestly desired the prayers of the people, but not those of
the preacher, for that, in his opinion, God had expressed his
displeasure against Scotland by sending a lying spirit into
the mouths of the prophets. Governor Spotswood's father
was Dr. Robert Spotswood, physician to the Governor of
Tangier, an English Colony in Africa. His mother was
the widow, Catherine Elliott, when she married Dr. Spotswood.
The portrait of Mrs. Catherine Elliott's son, General
Elliott, now hangs in the State Library at Richmond,
Virginia. Alexander Spotswood was the only son of Robert
and Catherine Spotswood. He was born in Tangier in
in 1676; was reared among soldiers and educated for a military
life. He became aide to the Duke of Marlborough, and was
badly wounded in the breast at the battle of Blenheim.
Exchanging, however, now, the hardships and honors of
military life in the Old World, for the high position of
Lieutenant-Governor of Virginia, he turned the current of his
energies to the promotion of her welfare. His soldierly
experience and genius enabled him to wield the militia with
great effect against the hostile Indians, and his interest in
matters civil and religious is evidenced by many acts during
his administration.
A number of German Protestants having about this time
settled above the Falls of the Rappahannock River, at a place
afterwards named Germanna, to the great advantage of the
Colony, and the security of the frontiers from the incursions
of the Indians, the Assembly passed an Act to exempt them
from levies for seven years, and for erecting Germanna into a
distinct parish, by the name of "St. George." Here Governor
Spotswood established a furnace and built a "Castle," in
which he occasionally resided. He endeavored to develop
the mineral resources of this section, and the Rev. Hugh
Jones, one of the colonial clergy, says:
"Beyond Governor Spotswood's furnace, within view of the vast
mountains, he has founded a town called Germanna, from some Germans
sent over by Queen Ann, who are now removed up further. Here he has
servants and workmen of most handicraft trades, and he is building a
church, court house, and dwelling house for himself, and with his servants
and negroes he has cleared plantations about it, proposing great encouragement
for people to come and settle in that uninhabited part of the
world, lately divided into a county."
At this time pig and bar iron were first made in Virginia.
The dangerous extent of the French claims upon the
Continent had for a long time attracted the attention of the
Colonies. To resist it, was one of the earliest efforts of
Spotswood, who hoped to extend the line of the Virginia
settlements far enough to the West to interrupt the chain of
communication between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico.
In 1716, Governor Spotswood, with some of the first gentlemen
in the Colony, led personally an expedition to search for a
passage or gap through "the great mountains." Campbell
says: "The whole company was about fifty persons. They
had a large number of riding and pack-horses, an abundant
supply of provisions, and an extraordinary variety of liquors."
This gay party of adventurers started from Germanna, and
after leisurely advancing through the country reached "Swift
Run Gap," which is supposed to be the now historic "pass."
Governor Spotswood is said to have cut his Majesty's name
upon a rock on the highest mountain they ascended, naming
it "Mt. George," and the gentlemen of the party called the
peak next to it, in honor of the Governor, "Mt. Spotswood."
What must have been the exultation and the triumph
which thrilled the hearts and brains of those explorers as
they beheld the goodly heritage which spread before them!
At their feet lay an unconquered realm, untrodden and
unknown! Here was a time, indeed, to pause and dream of
glories "yet to be." Thoughts such as Columbus had in his
supreme moment of discovery must have shaken those sturdy
forms and filled those wondering eyes with a prophetic meaning.
Now, that those visions are realities, that those hopes have
faded in fruition; now, that the Atlantic and Pacific surges
"Honor the charge they made,"
as this knightly company, breaking through Swift Run Gap,
planted their daring standard on the Appalachian Range,
and grasped in that momentous hour an imperial hope—
Of things to come."
On this eventful Quest, these cavaliers were compelled to
carry a large number of horseshoes, things seldom used in
the eastern part of Virginia, where there were few stones.
In commemoration of the journey, the Governor on his return
presented each of his companions with a golden horseshoe,
bearing the inscription, "Sic juvat transcendere Montes."
By this he intended to stimulate them to return to this wild
region and open the country to future settlers. Any one
entitled to wear this golden badge could prove that he belonged
to "The Tramontane Order," and had drunk his
Majesty's health on wild Mt. George. King George, when
he heard of the expedition, bestowed upon Governor Spotswood
the honors of knighthood, and sent him a golden horseshoe
set with jewels. All who took part in this memorable
trip were recognized by the title of "The Knight of the
Golden Horseshoe."
The following journal of one of the party on this
expedition cannot fail to be of lasting interest. It was
written by Mr. John Fontaine, who came to Virginia, in 1713,
for the purpose of exploring the country and choosing lands
for the settlement of his family. He was an Ensign in the
British army, and shows by his journal that he had the
indomitable spirit of the British soldier. He made the
acquaintance of Governor Spotswood, who no doubt gladly
enrolled him in his band of discoverers:
Journal of Mr. Fontaine.
August 27th.—Got our tents in order and our horses shod.
29th.—In the morning we got all things in readiness, and about one
we left the German-town, to set out on our intended journey. At five in
the afternoon the Governor gave orders to encamp near a small river
three miles from Germanna, which we call Expedition Run, and here we
of one of the gentlemen of our party. We made great fires, and supped,
and drank good punch. By ten of the clock I had taken all of my ounce
of Jesuit's bark, but my head was much out of order.
30th.—In the morning about seven of the clock the trumpet sounded
to awake all the company, and we got up. One Austin Smith, one of the
gentlemen with us, having a fever, returned home. We had lain upon
the ground under cover of our tents, and we found by the pains in our
bones that we had not had good beds to lie upon. At nine in the morning
we sent our servants and baggage forward, and we remained, because
two of the Governor's horses had strayed. At half-past two we got
the horses, at three we mounted, and at half an hour after four we came
up with our baggage at a small river three miles on the way, which we
call Mine River, because there was an appearance of a silver mine by it.
We made about three miles more, and came to another small river, which
is at the foot of a small mountain, so we encamped here and called it
Mountain Run, and our camp we called Todd's Camp. We had good
pasturage for our horses, and venison in abundance for ourselves, which
we roasted before the fire on wooden forks, and so we went to bed in
our tents. We made six miles this day.
31st.—At eight in the morning we set out from Mountain Run, and
after going five miles we came upon the upper part Rappahannock River.
One of the gentlemen and I, we kept out on one side of the company
about a mile, to have the better hunting. I saw a deer and shot him from
my horse, but the horse threw me a terrible fall and ran away; we ran
after him, and with a great deal of difficulty got him again; but we could
not find the deer I had shot, and we lost ourselves, and it was two hours
before we could come upon the track of our company. About five miles
farther we crossed the same river again, and two miles farther we met
with a large bear, which one of our company shot, and I got the skin.
We killed several deer, and about two miles from the place where we
killed the bear we encamped, upon the Rappahannock River. From our
encampment we could see the Appalachian Hills very plain. We made large
fires, pitched our tents, and cut boughs to lie upon, had good liquor, and
at ten we went to sleep. We always kept a sentry at the Governor's door.
We called this Smith's Camp. Made this day fourteen miles.
1st September.—At eight we mounted our horses and made the first
five miles of our way through a very pleasant plain, which lies where
Rappahannock River forks. I saw there the largest timber, the finest and
deepest mould, and the best grass that I ever did see. We had some of
our baggage put out of order, and our company dismounted, by hornets
stinging the horses. This was some hindrance and did a little damage,
but afforded a great deal of diversion. We killed three bears this day,
which exercised the horses as well as the men. We saw two foxes, but
did not pursue them; we killed several deer. About five of the clock we
We called the encampment Dr. Robinson's Camp, and the River, Blind
Run. We had good pasturage for our horses, and every one was cook for
himself. We made our beds with bushes as before. This day we made
thirteen miles.
2d.—At nine we were all on horseback, and after riding about five
miles we crossed the Rappahannock River almost at the head, where it is
very small. We had a rugged way; we passed over a great many small
runs of water, some of which were very deep and others very miry. Several
of our company were dismounted, some were down with their horses,
and some thrown off. We saw a bear running down a tree, but it being
Sunday we did not endeavor to kill anything. We encamped at five, by
a small river we called White Oak River, and called our camp, Taylor's
Camp.
3d.—About eight we were on horseback, and about ten we came to a
thicket so tightly laced together that we had a great deal of trouble to get
through. Our baggage was injured, our clothes torn all to rags, and the
saddles and holsters also torn. About five of the clock we encamped
almost at the head of James River, just below the great mountains. We
called this camp, Col. Robertson's Camp. We made all this day but eight
miles.
4th.—We had two of our men sick with the measles and one of our
horses poisoned with a rattlesnake. We took the heaviest of our baggage,
our tired horses, and the sick men, and made as convenient a lodge for
them as we could, and left people to guard them, and to hunt for them.
We had finished this work by twelve, and so we set out. The sides of the
mountains were so full of vines and briers, that we were forced to clear
most of the way before us. We crossed one of the small mountains on
this side the Appalachian, and from the top of it we had a fine view of the
plains below. We were obliged to walk up the most of the way, there
being abundance of loose stones on the side of the hill. I killed a large
rattlesnake here, and the other people killed three more. We made about
four miles, and so came to the side of James River where a man may
jump over it, and there we pitched our tents. As the people were lighting
the fire, there came out of a large log of wood, a prodigious snake,
which they killed, so this camp was called Rattlesnake Camp, but otherwise,
it was called Brooke's Camp.
5th.—A fair day. At five we were mounted. We were obliged to
have axemen to clear the way in some places. We followed the windings
of James River, observing that it came from the very top of the mountains.
We killed two rattlesnakes during our ascent. In some places it
was very steep, in others it was so that we could ride up. About one of
the clock we got to the top of the mountain; about four miles and a half
and we came to the very head-spring of James River, where it runs no
bigger than a man's arm from under a big stone. We drank King
mountains. About a musket-shot from the spring there is
another, which rises and runs down to the other side. It goes westward,
and we thought we could go down that way, but we met with such prodigious
precipices, that we were obliged to return to the top again. We
found some trees which had been formerly marked, I suppose by the
Northern Indians, and following these trees we found a good, safe descent.
Several of the company were for returning, but the Governor persuaded
them to continue on. About five, we were down on the other side, and
continued our way until about seven miles further, when we came to a
large river, by the side of which we encamped. We made this day fourteen
miles. I, being somewhat more curious than the rest, went on a
high rock on the top of the mountain to see fine prospects, and I lost my
gun. We saw when we were over the mountain, the footing of elk and
buffaloes and their beds. We saw a vine which bore a sort of wild cucumber,
and a shrub with a fruit like unto a currant. We ate very good wild
grapes. We called this place Spotswood's Camp, after our Governor.
6th.—We crossed the river, which we called Euphrates. It is very
deep; the main course of the water is north; it is fourscore yards wide in
the narrowest part. We drank some health on the other side and returned,
after which I went a-swimming in it. We could not find any fordable
place except the one by which we crossed, and it was deep in several
places. I got some grasshoppers and fished, and another and I, we catched
a dish of fish, some perch, and a kind of fish they called "chub." The
others went a-hunting, and killed deer and turkeys. The Governor had
graving irons, but could not grave anything, the stone was so hard. I
graved my name on a tree by the river side, and the Governor buried a
bottle with a paper enclosed, on which he writ that he took possession of
this place, in the name and for King George First of England. We had a
good dinner, and after it we got the men together and loaded all their
arms, and we drank the King's health in champagne and fired a volley,
the Princess's health in Burgundy and fired a volley, and all the rest of
the royal family in claret and a volley. We drank the Governor's health
and fired another volley. We had several sorts of liquors, viz., Virginia
red wine and white wine, Irish usquebaugh, brandy, shrub, two sorts of
rum, champagne, canary, cherry punch, water, cider, &c. I sent two of
the rangers to look for my gun which I dropped in the mountain; they
found it and brought it to me at night, and I gave them a pistol for their
trouble. We called the highest mountain "Mount George," and the one
we crossed over, "Mount Spotswood."
7th.—At seven in the morning we mounted our horses and parted
with the rangers who were to go farther on, and we returned homewards.
We repassed the mountains, and at five in the afternoon, we came to Hospital
Camp, where we left our sick men and heavy baggage, and we found all things
well and safe. We encamped here and called it, Captain Clonder's Camp.
8th.—At nine, we were all on horseback. We saw several bears and
deer, and killed some wild turkeys. We encamped at the side of a run
and called the place Mason's Camp. We had good forage for our horses,
and we lay as usual. Made twenty miles this day.
9th.—We set out at nine of the clock, and before twelve, we saw several
bears, and killed three. One of them attacked one of our men that was
riding after him, and narrowly missed him; he tore his things that he had
behind him from off the horse, and would have destroyed him had he not
had immediate help from the other men and our dogs. Some of the dogs suffered
severely in this engagement. At two we crossed one of the branches
of the Rappahannock River, and at five we encamped on the side of the
Rapid Ann, on a tract of land that Mr. Beverly[490]
hath design to take up.
We made this day twenty-three miles, and called this Captain Smith's
Camp. We ate part of one of the bears, which tasted very well, and
would be good and might pass for veal if one did not know what it was.
We were very merry, and diverted ourselves with our adventures.
10th.—At eight we were on horseback, and about ten, as we were
going up a small hill, Mr. Beverly and his horse fell down, and they both
rolled to the bottom; but there were no bones broken on either side. At
twelve, as we were crossing a run of water, Mr. Clonder fell in, so we
called this place Clonder's Run. At one we arrived at a large spring,
where we dined and drank a bowl of punch. We called this, Fontaine's
Spring. About two we got on horse-back, and at four we reached Germanna.
Governor Spotswood is recognized as one of Virginia's
wisest Governors, combining many noble virtues with that
fine executive ability which gave the best direction to the
highest efforts. He it was who pressed the passage of an Act
for improving the staple of tobacco and making tobacco-notes
the medium of circulation. Being a thorough soldier, he
kept the militia in excellent discipline. He was master of
mathematics, built the octagon magazine at Williamsburg,
which still stands, and rebuilt William and Mary College.
At his request, a grant of ¢1,000 was made by the college in
1718, and a fund created for instructing Indian children
in Christianity. A school for this purpose was established at
Fort Christiana, on the south side of Meherrin River, in
what is now Southampton County. Under his wise leadership,
Virginia paid her taxes in tobacco, and alone of all the
Colonies had no public debt, no banks, no bills of credit, and
policy of establishing a chain of posts beyond the mountains,
from the lakes to the Mississippi, to restrain the encroachments
of the French, but his voice fell upon a deaf ear,
though, years afterwards, his scheme was carried out. The
authors of Universal History say, that about the year 1716
Governor Spotswood of Virginia proposed to purchase some
of the lands belonging to the Outaowais (since called the
Twightees) on the river Ohio, and to erect a company for
opening a trade to the southward, westward, and northward
of that river; and that this proposal gave rise to the Ohio
Company. "This noble project," they proceed to observe,
"clashing with the views of the French, who had by this
time formed their great schemes on the Mississippi, and the
ministry of George I. having reasons for keeping well with
that Court, the scheme was not merely relinquished, but the
French were encouraged to build the fort of Crown Point on
the territory of New York."
Long after this suggestion of Governor Spotswood, in
1716, after the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, October 7, 1748, in
the year 1749, some influential persons in Virginia and England
associated under the name of "The Ohio Company"
and obtained from the Crown a grant of 600,000 acres of land
about the Ohio River. This grant alarmed the French as being
calculated to prevent the junction of Canada and Louisiana,
and was the first link in a chain of causes which produced
the ensuing wars between England and France. Had Governor
Spotswood's timely warning been listened to, a bloody war
might have been averted; but his advice was unheeded by
England, and the Colonies had in later times to suffer for
this neglected opportunity.
Many and great were the benefits which Governor Spotswood
sought to bestow upon the home of his adoption, but,
in the midst of his wise and spirited exertions for the
advancement of the Colony, he fell into disfavor with the
clergy, who effected his removal as Governor, in September,
1722. Possessing a tract of 45,000 acres of land in Spotsylvania
County (which was named after him), he retired there
largely abounded in this region. In 1730 he was made Deputy
Postmaster-General for the American Colonies, and held
the office until 1739, and it was he who made Benjamin
Franklin postmaster for the province of Pennsylvania. He
married in 1724, Anne Butler, daughter of Richard Brayane,
Esq., of England, and this lady subsequently married Rev.
John Thompson. Governor Spotswood had four children,
John, Robert, Anne Catherine, and Dorothea. Anne Catherine
married Bernard Moore, of Chelsea, in King William
County; their daughter married Charles Carter, of Shirley,
and was the grandmother of General Robert Edward Lee.
Governor Spotswood died at Annapolis, Md., June 7, 1740,
on the eve of embarking in command of the four battalions
raised in the Colonies to assist England in the attack upon
Carthagena. He was buried at "Temple Farm," his country-seat,
near Yorktown. The place derived its name from
a house in the garden built by Spotswood as a cemetery, and
was destined to become famous in history. It was in the
mansion at "Temple Farm" that Lord Cornwallis met General
Washington and signed those world-renowned "Articles
of Capitulation," which secured to America her blood-bought
independence!
| XLIX. Virginia, 1492-1892 | |