Washington's famous, admiring, quote about the heroic Scotch-Irish of Virginia is often cited (see my July 2017 post here, tracing the earliest source I have ever found for it). If he said it, it was around the 1770s during the American Revolution. But here is an earlier one, from 1755, with a very different slant. Washington was just 33 years old, and a volunteer aide-de-camp to notorious General Edward Braddock.
"... After surviving the disastrous Braddock expedition, Washington was raised to the position of Colonel and commander in chief of Virginia forces on the western frontier in August 1755. He returned to Winchester to take command on October 10, and was not impressed, calling the town "this vile post" and complained of the "obstantcy and dastardliness" of the Scotch-Irish settlers of the area. Nevertheless, Winchester was a vital link in a defensive chain intended to counteract French forts like Duquesne and defend settlers from Native American raids ..."This was the very same year that Winchester's Ulster-Scots emigrant population were described as 'a spurious race of mortals known by the appelation Scotch-Irish' (see previous post here). As more of George Washington's papers are researched and digitised, I expect that more and more Scotch-Irish / Ulster-Scots material will be unearthed.
Source here
3 comments:
Mr. Thompson,
I wish to tell you how much I appreciate the articles and research that you do regarding the "Scotch-Irish". I live in South Carolina, but was raised in Pennsylvania. For decades I assumed my ancestry was English because I looked up my surname of Thompson and saw that it was considered English/Scottish depending on the spelling with the Scots dropping the "P". Last year I finally did some actual research and to my shock found out that I definitely have "Scotch-Irish" as my ancestry. I found that my ancestor John P. Thompson moved from Lancaster Pa to Butler Pa in 1796. Research shows he was born in the colonies.
My name is David Thompson, but because I was named after my father David, I was always addressed by my middle name of... Mark. So, from one Mark Thompson to another, why did the Ulster Scots change the spelling of the name? This one issue has caused me some frustration and I know of no one better to ask than yourself. I also consider myself a deplorable. Guess that is to be expected being descended from an “obstinate and dastardly” people.
Thank you for your work on the blog. Mark Thompson from South Carolina USA.
This year is the 225th anniversary of the Whisky Rebellion. George Washington was President when the Rebellion took place - he is the only sitting American president who led an army to squash the Rebellion in western PA. In American history, no one liked the Scots or the Scots-Irish and yet the colonial government relied on them to protect the settlers from Indian raids. Why did they rely on the Scots-Irish? Because they knew they were warriors and knew how to fight. They were good negotiators - but not respected by the powers that be.
Best, Christine
This year is the 225th anniversary of the Whisky Rebellion. George Washington was President when the Rebellion took place - he is the only sitting American president who led an army to squash the Rebellion in western PA. In American history, no one liked the Scots or the Scots-Irish and yet the colonial government relied on them to protect the settlers from Indian raids. Why did they rely on the Scots-Irish? Because they knew they were warriors and knew how to fight. They were good negotiators - but not respected by the powers that be.
Best, Christine
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