Show V 11 0 ink it MV I 1 amz p ir RN R N W agg by ELMO SCOTT WATSON PEAK of a ruling riding president and one naturally S thinks of the former ra Bian rough rider lover of the outdoors and exponent of the strenuous life who occupied tile the white house from 1001 1901 to 1909 so it will be a surprise to many americans to learn that perhaps the greatest rider of them all was not theodore roosevelt but george washington this fact Is revealed in a new book george washington colonial Tra traveler ieler written by john C fitzpatrick and published by cobbs bobbs mer rill of indianapolis sir mr fitzpatrick Is already known as the editor of the he washington diaries and one of the leading authorities on the life of washington aud and his official position as assistant chief of the manuscript division of the alie library of congreso Con gresi which enabled him to search eer important docil document trient in the nat national trial storehouse of historical rs es has made it possible for him to tire lire sent the first complete documentary document arv record of career fronc from liis fits birth la in 1732 to that day in 1775 when his bis life as a colon colonial ful gentleman ended and lie he became comman commander derin in chief of tile the continental army in his prefatory note mr air fitzpat rick makes this statement few inhabitants inhabitant of colonial america traveled the country so BO widely or continuously as a did george washington all end el it la is not too much to suppose that this acquaintance with hla his native land bad a decided bearing upon that broad patriotism which was hla his distinguishing mark from the moment lie he took command of the continental armies to in this the first period of his life he traveled from williamsburg va to laue lak erie from mount vernon to the shenandoah pennsylvania and fort pitt from winchester up the sheann doan doah valley to the north carolina line from mount vernon to ohio and lower west virginia beyond the allegany allemany Alle gany mountain from williamsburg into the great damal swamp and from mount vernon to baltimore philadelphia new york and boston not to mention a voyage to the west indies frequent trips to annapolis An napolia maryland and the many times he be traveled up and down the northern neck to attend the sessions of the house of burgesses at old williamsburg in these last mentioned journeys he 0 often crossed into maryland to again into virginia and vice versa to avoid the mud and heay going els of the old P potomac 0 t 0 mac path down the west hank bank 0 of f that r river 1 ver the journeys to wil wai liams burg from mount vernon by way of fredericksburg or port tobacco maryland were made so many times that it Is regrettable that none of the old inns or ordinaries at which we washington sh ington was wont t to 0 stay tay have the state of vl virginia agis nia is now earnestly at work upon a system of markers or tablets for its historic history c spots and the locations of the more important por tant at least of these hostelries will ill doubtless be fixed as a result but as the buildings themselves disappeared long before photography was lecog recognized n iced as a valuable art there Is small likelihood that authentic pictures of many of them will ever be found prior to marriage and while he w was in command on the frontier ho he t traveled led almost entirely on horseback and there are indications that the excessive and hard riding of those frontier days was as largely responsible for or one of the severe illnesses of his life excepting the western plainsmen plainsman plains men of later days there are few americans ha who have spent so much of their hies in the saddle as did ge george rge washington and few parallels can be bc found in american history for the riding performed by him in his services lees to his state and to the rhe nation nearly all of the riding during the period covered by this volume was through regions wild or sparsely settled nettled minus the advantages of good roads and frequently upon nothing better than an indian trall trail or hunting path exposed many times to the arrow or bullet of the savage although tile book Is in effect a day liy by duyl duy account of the activities 0 of washington n over this period of years complete only so far as accessible ces sible documents make it cogsil to lo to compile such a record and t there here fore lacking the narrative apTe appeal alof of other books on washington which have appeared in increasing mun kumhera ibers lurlne during recent years there Is a carld of human interest in some of these documents there la Is for example account of Brad locks defeat the story of which hast bar filled cited many a page of history in the years since it occurred from the tha braddock orderly book Is taken laconic licon lc report repert on that disaster as follows july 9 wednesday monongahela near fort duquesne on the esth I 1 attended him braddock on horseback horse back bach though very weak and low on this da dai he was attacked by a party of french and indians adjudged not to exceed when all hope of rally ing the dismayed troops and recovering the ground was waa expired our provisions vie sons and nd stores being given up I 1 was ordered to dunmars Dun bars camp A few days later lie he writes rites from fort cumberland to john augustine washington ton As I 1 have heard since my arrival at this place it circumstantial account of my death and dying speech I 1 take this early opportunity of contradicting he first and of 0 assuring you that I 1 have not as yet composed the latter what a tC chance hance was lost there to anticipate by more than a century mark twains kwains celebrated epigram about the news of his death being greatly grent ly exaggerated exaggerate dI 1 but it could not be expected that washington with the scenes of that carnival of blood still fresh lo in his mind would be inclined to comment upon such 8 9 report with any degree of humor instead his thoughts on the matter were tar far different in tone and they suggest the possibility of hii 1113 3 haing some strangely prophetic vision of the destiny that awaited him when lie he continued his letter with these words by the all powerful dispensations of providence I 1 have been proto protected beyond human probability and expectation for I 1 had four bullets through my coat and two horses shot under me yet escaped unhurt although death was leveling my companions on every side of me anil and there are those who agree as to lo the dispensation of providence who believe that if the bullet which killed edward braddock the british general had struck down instead a young colonial named george washington the history of the united states would have been vastly different |