The History of the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia Part 23

Many of the citizens of the town still remember the willow baskets, of variegated colors, which Mr. Frieze made and peddled about town for a livelihood, as long as he was able to appear on the streets. Mr. Eubank moved to Charlottesville, where he died and was buried in that city.

A GRAND-NIECE OF WASHINGTON AND NAPOLEON.

The defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo sent into exile, among others, his grand-nephew, Prince Charles Louis Napoleon Achille Murat, a colonel in the defeated army, son of the exiled King of Naples and Charlotte Bonaparte. He settled in Tallaha.s.see, Florida. Soon Col. Byrd C. Willis, of Willis Hill, moved to the same city, carrying with him his wife, Mary, daughter of Col. Fielding Lewis and Bettie Washington, and also his daughter, Catherine, who married a Mr. Grey and was left a widow at sixteen. She was beautiful, accomplished, winsome and a leader in society.

She attracted the attention of the young prince, who laid siege to her affections and was victorious. The marriage soon followed. By this union Catherine, who was a grand-niece of Gen. Washington, became also a grand-niece of the great soldier, Napoleon Bonaparte. She was born where the National cemetery now stands and died in Florida August 6, 1867, in the 64th year of her age.

WELLFORD--HERNDON--WILLIS.

In the City cemetery lie the remains of Doctor Francis Preston Wellford.

Dr. Wellford was a native of Fredericksburg, where he was held in the highest esteem by all who knew him for his gentle and kind disposition, his upright life, his abounding charity and his deep piety. In 1871 he left his native town and settled in Jacksonville, Florida, where he commenced the practice of medicine and established a high reputation as a skillful physician. His brethren of the profession were not slow in recognizing his ability and great worth, and made him president of the Medical a.s.sociation of the State. He was holding that honorable position when the yellow fever scourge visited Fernandina, in 1877, which almost depopulated the town. For weeks it raged in the doomed city, and all of the physicians were either down with the disease or had become worn out with serving day and night. A call was made for a.s.sistance and volunteer physicians. Dr. Wellford, forgetting self, not fearing his personal danger, responded to the call and went to the sick and dying of the panic-stricken Fernandina. It was while ministering to those people he was stricken down and died of the disease. Thus went down to his grave, amidst the tears of thousands of people, the n.o.ble physician and Christian gentleman, who sacrificed his life for the good of others. Dr. Wellford's remains, some years after his death, were brought to Fredericksburg for final interment, and now repose in our beautiful cemetery.

In response to the call for physicians made by the people of Fernandina, another physician, born and raised in Fredericksburg, Dr. James C.

Herndon, made his way to that city, and like Dr. Wellford, was stricken down and died from the disease. It is peculiarly appropriate that his sacrifice to professional duty should be acknowledged in connection with that of his brother physician's.

To the honor of these n.o.ble men a memorial window has been placed in St.

Peter's Episcopal church in Fernandina by Dr. J. H. Upham, of Boston, who felt that they had honored the profession by the sacrifices they made, and he wanted their heroism to be placed upon a lasting record. In describing the window the Fernandina Mirror says:

"The design is that of a crown in the upper section of the arch. Below this is a beautiful shield of purple illuminated gla.s.s. A cross of mother of pearl forms the center of the window, ornamented by a bunch of grapes, with the symbol of the anchor representing Hope, the holy Scriptures, ill.u.s.trating Christian Faith; alpha and omega, the symbol of the Almighty Power, the beginning and the end; the cup of salvation, and the paten, the emblem of sacrifice. In the lower part of the window an illuminated tablet has the following inscription:

Francis Preston Wellford, M. D., Born in Fredericksburg, Va., Sept. 12th, 1829.

James Carmichael Herndon, M. D., Born in Fredericksburg, Va., Sept. 22nd, 1831.

Died in the faithful discharge of their duties, at Fernandina, Florida, Oct. 18th, 1877.

To whose memory as a grateful record of their n.o.ble lives and heroic deaths this window is dedicated by a New England member of the profession which they so much honored and adorned.

'Greater love hath no man than this, That he lay down his life for his friends.'

"The beautiful execution of this window, and the n.o.ble purpose to which it is dedicated by its generous donor, deserve the admiration and warm appreciation of the citizens of Fernandina, to whom the memory of Drs. Wellford and Herndon is deservedly dear, and will be regarded by our citizens as a graceful professional tribute by Dr.

Upham to these n.o.ble men, as well as an indication of his kind feelings towards our city. There is a striking coincidence in the fact that these n.o.ble men should have been born in the same city, in the same month, and, having volunteered their services, reached Fernandina in the midst of the epidemic on the same day, and that their deaths should have occurred the same day. It was, therefore, peculiarly fitting that the same memorial should have been erected to those who were faithful in life, even unto death."

William Willis, whose remains are buried in the City cemetery, left Fredericksburg for Memphis, Tenn., in the summer of 1870, which city he made his home. When the yellow fever scourge struck that place in 1878, and the city was deserted of most of its inhabitants, except the helpless, the sick and the dying, it was then, in spite of the entreaty of his friends to leave the city, that Wm. Willis stepped forth and took charge, as the chief executive in managing the affairs of the city, and in distributing food, clothing and medicine, sent from all quarters of the country, to the sick, the helpless and the needy. It was while in the execution of this n.o.ble work that he too, was stricken down, and a few days' struggle with the terrible disease and William Willis was no more.

In his delirium, feeling the great necessity of some one taking up the work, he had so faithfully prosecuted, where he was compelled to lay it down, he uttered these as his last words: "Send some good man to take my place," and then peacefully pa.s.sed to the spirit land.

Thus went down to their graves three Fredericksburg men in the years 1877-78 of yellow fever, who sacrificed their own lives to save the lives of others.

MRS. LUCY ANN c.o.x.

There is buried in the City cemetery Mrs. Lucy Ann c.o.x, with this inscription upon her head-stone. "Lucy Ann c.o.x, wife of James A. c.o.x, died December 17, 1891, aged 64 years. A sharer of the toils, dangers and privations of the 30th Va. regiment infantry, C. S. A., from 1861 to 1865, and died beloved and respected by the veterans of that command." The stone was erected by her friends. Mrs. c.o.x was the daughter of Jesse White, the practical printer, and married Mr. c.o.x just before the Civil war. She followed him all through the campaign of the entire war, cooking and washing for the soldiers of her command, and often ministering to the sick and wounded.

Molly Pitcher carried water from a spring, at Monmouth Courthouse, New Jersey, to her husband and others who had charge of a cannon during the battle, and when she saw her husband shot down and heard an officer order the gun to the rear, having no one to man it, she dropped her pail, ran to the cannon, seized the rammer and continued loading and firing the gun throughout the battle. For this heroic act Washington praised her, gave her an honorary commission as captain and Congress voted her half pay for life.

Mrs. c.o.x engaged in no battle, but instead of sharing the privations and dangers of her husband at one battle she followed him through the entire war of four years, and was voted the honor of a Confederate veteran after the war by the veterans themselves. It is doubtful whether in all the past a similar instance can be found.

A REMARKABLE GRAVE-STONE.

There is to be found in the burial ground of St. George's church, at the east end of the Mission House, a grave-stone that has puzzled all antiquarians who have examined it and which has never yet been satisfactorily explained, and perhaps never will be. The inscription is as follows: "Charles M. Rothrock, departed this life Sept. 29, 1084, aged three years." The figures that make these dates are well preserved, much better than on many slabs and headstones in the same burial ground, which do not date back a century and a half, yet on this slab the figures are quite legibly cut in the sandstone, and there can be no doubt that the year is 1084. It has been considered such a mystery and of such importance that a photograph of the stone was taken and an engraving made for this publication.

THE LIBERTY BELL.

The very name--Liberty Bell--is music to our ears, and the mention of it should fill the breast of every true American with patriotic enthusiasm.

That bell hung over a hall in Philadelphia in 1776, in which the Continental Congress had met to consider the momentous question that was then stirring every patriotic heart--American freedom. Virginia was represented in that Congress by George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee and Carter Braxton.

That body of patriots prepared, considered and adopted the Declaration of Independence, and as they finished signing their names to the instrument, on the fourth day of July, this bell rang out the thrilling news that Americans were freemen. Since that stirring event--that memorable day--that hall has been known as Independence Hall, and the bell that hung over it as the Liberty Bell.

On the 4th of October, 1895, the old Liberty Bell pa.s.sed through Fredericksburg on its way from Philadelphia to Atlanta, Georgia, where it was to be exhibited at the great exhibition in that city. Prior to its coming Mayor Rowe had been notified when it would arrive and how long it would remain for inspection. The City Council was called together and steps were taken to give the old bell a grand reception and cordial welcome. A set of patriotic resolutions was adopted, extolling the events that brought the bell into such popular favor, recounting the part taken in those events by Virginians and the precious legacy left to us by our self-sacrificing forefathers, until a patriotic fervor pervaded the town.

The bell was accompanied by Hon. Charles F. Warwick, Mayor of Philadelphia; Wencel Harman, President of the Common Council, and thirteen members of that body; Charles K. Smith, Chairman of the Select Council, and thirteen members of that body; twelve officials of the city of Philadelphia, including S. A. Eisenhower, Chief of Bureau of City Property, and Custodian of the State House and Bell, with a guard of honor, consisting of four of the reserve police of Philadelphia.

A party, including a committee from the City Council--Messrs. John T.

Knight, E. D. Cole and J. Stansbury Wallace--met the bell at Quantico, where Judge James B. Sener, who had accompanied the party from Washington, delivered an appropriate address of welcome on the part of the State of Virginia. The party arrived in Fredericksburg on time, and found at the depot a vast concourse of people and a procession headed by Bowering's Band and the Washington Guards, consisting of the Mayor, ex-Mayors, Common Council, Sons of Confederate Veterans, school children and citizens generally.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Free Lance--Star Office. (See page 227)]

All the bells in town were ringing, the steam whistles were blowing and everybody was rejoicing. Such a time had scarcely, if ever, been seen before by our people. As soon as the train bearing the bell and escort halted, Mayor Rowe and others went on board the car, and, after the usual introductions and salutations, Mayor Rowe, who was somewhat indisposed, presented Mr. W. Seymour White, who made the welcome address as follows:

_Mr. Mayor of Philadelphia and Gentlemen of the Escort of the Liberty Bell_:

It is with a most peculiar pleasure that we greet you and welcome this sacred relic within the boundaries of the Old Dominion. It is most fitting that it should rest upon the breast of this great old State, for it was the voice of a great Virginian that sounded the tocsin of the Revolution; it was the pen of a great Virginian that drafted the Declaration of Independence that was greeted by the voice of this bell; it was the sword of a great Virginian that made that declaration an accomplished fact, and it was while tolling the requiem for the soul of the great Virginian jurist, John Marshall, that its voice ever became silent. It is with feelings of heartfelt delight that we welcome it within the corporate limits of Fredericksburg, connected inseparably, as she is, like your own great and proud city of Philadelphia, with the events proclaimed in that glorious past by that sacred bell; for it was in Fredericksburg, on the 29th of April, 1775, that the first resolutions breathing the spirit of the Declaration of Independence were offered; it was in Fredericksburg that Hugh Mercer lived, whose ashes rest in your beloved soil, in whose defence he died; and in Fredericksburg once lived that great American President that gave to all the ages the grand doctrine that these United States would never tolerate the acquisition of an inch of American soil by any prince, potentate or power of Europe. We are glad that this bell is going about the land, in the language of your great and good president, Judge Thayer, "stirring up everywhere as it goes those memories and patriotic impulses that are so inseparably connected with its history, and which themselves can never grow mute," and we doubt not that this bell, though voiceless now, can still "proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof; and who can tell but that as the rolling waves of the blue Mexican Gulf thunder upon the sh.o.r.es of the Queen of the Antilles, the proud, triumphal progress of the Liberty Bell, they may bear to patriots, struggling to be free in that far off land, the sympathy of the great hearts of American freemen that yet beat responsive to the efforts of those whose love of liberty is stronger than death?" We are glad that our men and women may see it, and at the sacred flame that burns about its altar replenish the patriotic fire that still is trimmed and burning in the hearts of a re-united American people. We are glad that our children may see it to learn from its presence and history that the dearest heritage left them by their fathers is that liberty and independence once proclaimed by this bell. And so we bid G.o.d speed to the bell which once "rang redress to all mankind," as it goes through the land proclaiming to all the nations of the world that a "government by the people, of the people and for the people" has not perished from off the face of the earth, but "still lives the home of liberty and the birth-right of every American citizen."

Mayor Warwick responded in a patriotic and appropriate address, after which the guests were driven around town in carriages until the time for their departure, when they boarded the train and started on their trip South, delighted with their reception in Fredericksburg.

A Chinaman who witnessed the demonstration remarked that Christians charged his people with idolatry in worshipping the dead, because they honored their deceased parents, but a Chinaman never worshipped an old bell as he had seen Christian people doing on this occasion.

CHAPTER XVII

_Visits of Heroes--Gala Days--The Society of the Army of the Potomac Enters Town, &c._

Fredericksburg has received the visits of many heroes and statesmen, and on various occasions has been placed on "dress parade," and proved herself equal to the demands made upon her on every occasion. Only a few of these visits are mentioned here, but these few should be placed upon perpetual record that they may inspire our n.o.ble youth and the coming generations and cause them to appreciate more highly the great blessings transmitted to them through the efforts and achievements of those heroes.

GEN. GREEN VISITS THE TOWN.

The first we mention is the visit of Major-General Nathaniel Green, on his way from Georgia to his home in New Hampshire at the close of the Revolutionary war. In 1780 the patriot cause in Georgia and North Carolina appeared to be lost, in consequence of the overwhelming numbers of the British and the ravages of the Tories, which brought disaster to our arms.

In this condition of things Washington recommended that Gen. Nathaniel Green should be placed in command, but Congress sent Gen. Gates instead.

Before leaving for his new field Gen. Gates had an interview with Gen.

Charles Lee--who was then without a command--in Fredericksburg, when Gen.

Lee charged him in parting, "Beware that your northern laurels do not change to southern willows." Gen. Gates went to his field of operation, met with disaster, and was relieved by Gen. Green; and it is worthy of note that Gen. Gates left Fredericksburg for his southern command, and Gen. Green pa.s.sed through Fredericksburg when he went down to relieve him.

Gen. Green was fortunate in having to aid him in his southern department such dashing commanders as Gen. Daniel Morgan, of Winchester; Col. Wm.