All Night on A Stage Coach

17^th Set out in the mail stage at 10 Oclock, Breakfast Dined at Stafford C. (Court) House, supped at acckoquan (Occoquan), got to Alexanda (Alexandria) at one at night and at Georgetown at 4 Oclock A.m came 32 mi. same night went to bed and slept two Hr.

Expense, Stage here to Alexand(ria) $7.50.

William left Fredericksburg, VA on Sunday evening, 17 December. The U. S. Mail Stage Coach had a schedule that it must maintain and the amenities were few. The route was rolling hills following the corridor of today’s U S Highway 1 through Alexanderia, VA to Georgetown and Washington D. C. Horses were changed every 12-15 miles and passengers ate quickly while a change of horses was made. ⁽¹⁾ Clark had traveled the same route in 1798 as he went south to Fredericksburg passing through the same communities.

This is the same route used by Washington and Rochambeau as they rushed to Yorktown to trap British General Cornwallis. ⁽²⁾ Today the Washington Rochambeau National Historic Trail (Virginia Section) follows the corridor of

U. S. 1, the same corridor Clark is following.

Courtesy: National Park Service

Courtesy: Washington Rochambeau Trail Association

The first stop was Stafford Court House. He wrote that he dined after striking Breakfast, but did not mention a change in horses.

Government Island and Capitol Quarries, Park,

Courtesy: Government Island: Take a Hike at “America’s Historic Stone Quarry” in Stafford County

Stafford Court House is approximately 9 miles from Aquia Creek Quarries that provided the sand stone for the White House, the center portion of the United States Capitol and other federal buildings. Today the quarry is a park. ⁽³⁾ Sandstone was removed from the quarry near the Potomac River then transported to the Federal City (Washington D. C.) by boat for carving and fitting before being set in place in the buildings. ⁽⁴⁾

Expense, Diner at Stafford C.H. $.75, Driver-.25

Daytime Smoker (Hal-lah-too-kit)

Stafford Court House will be linked to William Clark in another way that he would never know. President Abrahan Lincoln traveled to Stafford Court House to confer with General Oliver Otis Howard concerning an appointment to head the Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands Bureau following the Civil War. The bureau will lead to the founding of today’s Howard University (Washington D.C.) and Lincoln Memorial University (Harrogate, TN). ⁽⁵⁾ In 1876 General Howard was appointed to command the Army Department of Columbia and U. S. Senior military leader during the Nez Perce War. ⁽⁶⁾ William Clark’s alleged Nez Perce son, Daytime Smoke(r) (Halahlokit) was one of the Nez Perce that surrendered at Bear Paw Mountain, MT in October 1877, to Colonel Nelson Miles, a subordinate of Oliver Otis Howard. ⁽⁷⁾⁽⁸⁾ The Nez Perce had moved far and fast but Nez Perce children, women and the remaining warriors were over taken from lack of food and lack of winter clothing, the U S Army just caught up with the Nez Perce. The Nez Perce were moved to Ft. Leavenworth, KS and eventually Oklahoma.

Clark’s stagecoach crossed numerous runs, small stream, and rivers draining into the Potomac River, today’s U S 1. Those same streams turned the grist meals, saw mills, and provided a place to fish or trap fur bearing animals. Today these streams are recreational opportunities of all types and continue to be a place for recreational fishing. ⁽⁹⁾

Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail

Courtesy: NPS- Captain John Smith Chesapeake NHT

Courtesy: travelstamps.com

William Clark is traveling near the Potomac River Segment of the Captain John Smith Historic Trail. This is an excellent opportunity to follow another historic trail and experience the history of the Indigenous People met by Captain John Smith. ⁽¹⁰⁾

Mill House Museum, Occoquan, VA

The stop in Occoquan would have allowed the change of horses as well as the opportunity to get a drink and something to eat. Like other early towns located on a stream, the water power for the mill(s) was the life blood of the early industrial community. In the case of Occoquan, VA the grist mill was automated and may have been the first automated mill in America. ⁽¹¹⁾

Expense, Ockaquan Suped- 1.00.

The distance from Occoquan to Alexandria is 14 miles and continues as a rolling “hilly” road. If there were stops to change horses, Clark did not comment. The 8000-year history of precontact with Indigenous People in Virginia and a rich military history of American Armed Forces is along the route.

Today the route passes very near the National Park Service - Prince William Forest Park. Prince William Forest Park, 18170 Park Entrance Road, Triangle, VA 22172 (38.5910055, -77.382850) VA 619 ⁽¹²⁾

Prince William Forest Park

The entrance to the National Museum of the Marine Corps, 18900 Richmond Highway (U S 1), Quantico, VA 22134 (38.54322 N -77.33878W). ⁽¹³⁾ (Note: the USMC Museum is between I-95 and U S 1).

National Museum of the Marine Corps

The United States Army Museum, 1775 Liberty Drive, Ft. Belvoir, VA 22060, maintains an exhibit about the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery. ⁽¹⁴⁾ A virtual Field Trip, “Corps of Discovery: Lewis and Clark Expedition” includes the impact and effect of Lewis and Clark is available for classrooms through registration. This is an excellent tribute to the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the services it continues to provide the American people.

United States Army National Museum

(Note: Give Special Attention to the Corps of Discovery: Lewis and Clark Expedition Educational Opportunity, link above.)

Visit the Museum and see the original Lewis Air Rifle

A bonus opportunity in the region is U S Bicycle Route 1. The USB Route 1 crosses U S Highway 1, Richmond Highway, in several locations and follows the East Coast Greenway and Mt. Vernon Trail through Alexandria along the Potomac River. Traveling via bicycle or automobile along US Route 1 at VA 235 allows an easy access to George Washington’s Mount Vernon. ⁽¹⁵⁾

U S Bicycle Route 1, VA Mount Vernon

Mt. Vernon Trail

The Mount Vernon Trail is an 18-mile paved multi-use trail that stretches from George Washington's Mount Vernon to Theodore Roosevelt Island. The trail links Fairfax County and the City of Alexandria, to Arlington County and major Potomac River bridge crossings into the District of Columbia. The Mount Vernon Trail is a popular recreation resource and critical regional transportation connection. The trail hosts over one million pedestrians and bicyclists annually. During peak periods, the trail north of Alexandria is one of the most heavily used multi-use trails in the country. The National Park Service originally constructed the Mount Vernon Trail in the 1970s and 1980s.

Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail

Courtesy: National Park Service

Courtesy: Potomac Heritage Trail Association

A bonus trail in the area is the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail (PHNST), assisted by the Potomac Heritage Trail Association. The PHNST runs from Fredericksburg, VA through Washington, Harpers Ferry, Cumberland, MD to Ohiopyle, PA and only 14 miles from Ft. Necessity, a Lewis and Clark Site. The several trails in the area overlay each other and provide excellent recreational and historic interpretation.

William Clark did not specify the tavern or stage coach stop in Alexandria, VA but the historic Gadsby’s Tavern, designated as a National Landmark, is very likely. ⁽¹⁶⁾ The historic tavern built in 1785 by John Wise, was operated by several tavern keepers but the most famous keeper was John Gadsby. Gadsby relinquished his lease in 1808, and moved his hotel business to Baltimore and eventually to Washington D. C.

Gadsby’s Tavern Entrance, Gadsby’s Tavern

Courtesy: VA Department of Historic Preservation

Courtesy: Lewis and Clark Trust

Gadsby’s Tavern is located at 134 North Royal Street, Alexandria VA 22314 (38°48’20.3508” N, 77° 02’ 36.456” W) was a convenient location for business and celebrations by founding fathers, including Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and General Marquis de Lafayette. ^(17)(18) Today the Museum and Tavern is no longer available for overnight guest but available for dining and celebratory occasions.

Reconciling the time and distance between Alexandria, VA and Georgetown, Washington, D. C., is problematic for the 19-miles. Clark said the stage coach arrived in Alexandria at 1 AM. From the expense report, there was another stage coach or an additional expense from Alexandria to Georgetown of $1.50 with an additional .25, which is likely a tip to the driver.

Fortunately, Clark’s recording of “Georgetown” in his journal gives a clue to the corridor of travel and the bridge the stage coach crossed. The Chain Bridge, across the Potomac River, had been rebuilt in 1808, replacing a covered bridge built at the same site in 1797. ^(19)(20)(21) The present-day truss bridge at that same site is still called the Chain Bridge.

Chain of Rocks Bridge Arlington, VA to Georgetown, Washington, DC

Note: see Potomac River on the picture, upper right

Courtesy: Arlington Historical Association

Today the Mather Gorge and the Potomac River, above and below the Chain Bridge, is a canoe and kayaker’s playground. ⁽²²⁾ The gorge is named for Stephen Mather, First Director of the National Park Service.

Kayaking the Potomac George

Courtesy: National Park Service

Exp.(ense) at g.Town 1.11. arrived at Washington 18 Dec see other book.

William Clark had arrived in Washington. From his journal entry of 18 December 1809, we learn: took my board at Mr. W(illiam) Oneals at 10 dollars for week with Mr. Epps, Mr. Giles, Mr. Howard.

Historic Map of Washington, D.C. -1801-02

William O’Neal is first recorded operating a hotel in 1805 on the North side of I Street between 20th and 21^st Streets. ^(23)(24) (Note: Lot number 78, map above, was the O’Neal Hotel). William Clark and Representative Benjamin Howard had stayed in the same home/tavern during Clark’s trip to Washington, and it is probable that Howard had informed Clark where there was a place to stay in Washington. The tailor shop Clark visited is uncertain but the War Office where Clark visited with Secretary Eustis was in the Crocker House, today the site of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building within the White House secure area. ⁽²⁵⁾