Show air 0 ala icus lea M dot rm 41 ak I 1 55 wf g J g t M Z I 1 r C I 1 e r 0 by SCOTT WATSON allak all K of a riding bliest dent and one naturally S thinks of the former ranchman tough rider luder lover of the outdoors and exponent of the strenuous a adi life who occupied the ifie white house from 1001 to N 1009 Y S so 0 it will he be n sur stir prise to ninny many to learn that perli tips the greatest rider of them all was not theodore roosevelt but gaorge washington I 1 this fact is revealed in a new book george washington colonial traveler written by john 0 letiz pairlea and published by bobbs rill of indianapolis mr air fitzpatrick la Is already known as tile the editor of the lip washington diaries and one of tho he lending leading authorities on the life of washington and tits his official position pos lilon as assistant chief of tile the manuscript division of the library of Con congress congles gres which enabled him film to search ever important document la the natt national nal storehouse of historical es has made it possible for him to present tile the first complete record of career frair its his birth lit in 1732 to that lay day in 1775 when tits his life alfo as a colonial gent gentleman loman ended and lie became commander in chief of the continental army in his prefatory y note mr ritz F lint rick makes tills this statement pew few inhabitants of colonial america traveled the country so BO widely or continuously as aa did george washington and it ignot Is not too much to suppose that this acquaintance with his native land lind il a decided bearing upon that broad patriotism which was ills his distinguish ins ing mark from the moment he be took command nathe continental admies I 1 in n this the first period of his life f he traveled front from williamsburg va to lake egl erie from mount vernon to the shenandoah pennsylvania and fort pitt from winchester up the danh valley to ta thin the north carolina line from mount vernon to ohio and lower went virginia beyond the Alle allemany allegany gany mountains from Willian isburg into the great dismal swamp and from mount blount vernon to baltimore philadelphia new york and boston not to mention a voya voyage geto to the west indies frequent trips to annapolis maryland and the many times he be traveled up and down the northern neck to attend the sear sessions r of the house of burgesses at old willia asburg in these last mentioned journeys he hb often crossed crosien into maryland to decro sa again into virginia and vice versa to avoid the mud and heavy going of the old potomac pith path down the west bank ot of that river the jou Jour r n noya cys to wll wit from mount V vernon e anon by way of fredericksburg or port tobacco maryland were made so many maity tim times es that it Is regrettable that none of I 1 the 11 old inns or ordinaries at which e washington was wont to stay have ha ve survived the state of virginia la is now n ow earnestly at work upon a system 0 of in markers arkers or tablets tor for its ita historic spots and the locations of the more important por tant nt least of these hostelries hostel rles will doubtless be fixed as a result but as the buildings themselves disappeared long before photography was recognized as s a valuable art there Is small likelihood that authentic pictures of many of them will ever be found foun 1 prior to marriage and while he was in command on the frontier he traveled almost entirely on horseback and there are indications that the excessive and hard riding of hose chos e frontier days daya was largely responsible for one of the severe illnesses of his life excepting the western plainsmen plainsman plains men of later days there are few americans who have spent so much of their lives in the saddle as did george washington and few parallels can be bc found in american history tor for the riding palmed by him in his services to his state and to the nation nearly all of of the riding during the period covered by thle this volume was through regi regions onig wild or sparsely settled minus the advantages of 0 good roads and frequently upon nothing better than an indian trail or hunting path exposed many times to the arrow or bullet of the savage although the book Is 3 in effect a dp hy alay account of the activities of washington over this period of years coni complete only so far as accessible ces sible documents make it poss lile to compile such a record and there fore ore lacking the narrative appeal of other hooks books ou on washington wa which have appeared in increasing numbers during recent years th there re Is a w world ald of human interest in some of these documents there Is for example account of braddo braddicks Brad ducks defeat the story of which has filled many a page of history in the years since it occurred from the tha braddock addock Dr orderly book la Is taken laconic report on that disaster as follows july 9 wednesday monongahela near fort duquesne on the ath I 1 attended him braddock on horseback horse back though very weak and low on this day he was attacked and defeated lefea ted by a party of french and indians indiana adjudged net to exceed when all hope of rallying the dismayed troops and recovering the tha ground was expired our provisions and stores being given up I 1 was ordered to danbara Dun bara bars camp A few days later he writes from bort fort cumberland to john augustine washington As I 1 have heard since my arrival at this place a circumstantial a account of my death and dying speech I 1 take this early opportunity of contradicting the first and of 0 assuring you that I 1 have not as yet composed the latter whitt what a chance was lost there to anticipate by more than a century mark kwains twains celebrated epigram about the news of his death being greatly exaggerated I 1 but it could not be expected that washington with the scenes of that carnival of blood still fresh in tits his mind would be inclined to comment upon such 9 report with any degree of whimsical humor instead tits his thoughts on the were far different in tone and they suggest the possibility of his having some strangely prophetic vision of the destiny that awaited him when he continued his letter with these words by the all powerful dispensations of providence I 1 have been protected beyond human probability and expectation for or I 1 had four bullets through my coat and two horses shot under me yet escaped sc aped unhurt although death ass leveling my companions on every side aide of me and there tire are those who agree na to ta tile the dispensation of providence who believe that if the bullet which killed edward craddock braddock the british general had find struck down instead a young colonial named george washington the history of tile the united states would have been vastly different |