Myth and History: the John Ross House Through Time, April 2007
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Myth and History: The John Ross House through Time The National Park Service and The John Ross House Association, Inc. 2007 JOHN ROSS HOUSE CCSP – BISHOP -- 2007 Myth and History: The John Ross House through Time by William J. Bishop Vice-President Trail of Tears Association, Georgia Chapter Under a joint partnership between The National Park Service and The John Ross House Association, Inc. Funded in part by The National Park Service Challenge Cost Share Program April 2007 2 JOHN ROSS HOUSE CCSP – BISHOP -- 2007 Acknowledgements This project was managed by the John Ross House Association, Inc. and its president, Larry Rose, whom I thank for allowing access to the John Ross House to conduct field research and for providing numerous helpful documents, such as the Ruskin correspondence and the scrapbooks of the John Ross House Association. Carey Tilley, the original historian on this project, laid the groundwork, defined the scope, and prepared the research questions. The University of West Florida’s Special Collections Department was especially helpful in providing access to the papers in the Panton, Leslie & Co. Collection. The state of Georgia’s GALILEO project was crucial in providing access and leads to numerous relevant historical documents. Likewise, Google and its associated websites, Google Books and Google Earth, are tremendous tools for the modern researcher and should be acknowledged. Dr. Georgina DeWeese of the University of West Georgia deserves special recognition for establishing a definitive date of construction for the John Ross House through dendrochronology. Dr. Sarah Hill provided information on Cantonment Wool and has been a staunch advocate and supporter in all my research-related endeavors, for which I am extremely grateful. I also wish to thank the National Park Service for making such projects possible and the Trail of Tears Association’s Georgia chapter for its many contributions to research in this area. I am thankful for the gracious assistance of my four daughters, who helped supervise my three-year-old son at various times so that I could work. The completion of this project would not have been possible without the aid and love of my wife, Barbara. 3 JOHN ROSS HOUSE CCSP – BISHOP -- 2007 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................................3 Table of Contents .................................................................................................................4 List of Illustrations ...............................................................................................................5 An Introduction to the John Ross House Project .................................................................8 Sacred Space ....................................................................................................................11 Gertrude McDaris Ruskin, “Princess Chewani” ................................................................13 The Myth of the John Ross House .....................................................................................20 John McDonald and the Chickamauga ..............................................................................27 Inheritance: The Rosses, Will Shorey, and the Coodys .....................................................57 The Civil War: Before, During and After ........................................................................109 North Georgia’s “Most Historic Home,” Nearly Lost to Oblivion ..................................143 Rescue and Restoration: The John Ross House Association ...........................................162 The Myth of the John Ross House Re-Examined ............................................................184 The John Ross House Today............................................................................................192 “Sacred Space” Revisited (The Power of Place) .............................................................227 References Cited ..............................................................................................................234 4 JOHN ROSS HOUSE CCSP – BISHOP -- 2007 List of Illustrations John Ross House in 2006 ...................................................................................................11 Gertrude McDaris Ruskin and the Ross Descendants .......................................................13 AS IT WAS… ....................................................................................................................14 Mrs. Sidney Ruskin as “Princess Chewani” ......................................................................15 Past Successes ....................................................................................................................18 John Ross Home Inspected ................................................................................................22 Purcell Map (1792) ............................................................................................................28 Thomas Jefferson to George Washington ..........................................................................29 Tardieu Map (1790) ...........................................................................................................30 Tanner Map (1795) ............................................................................................................31 John McDonald’s Signature ...............................................................................................32 Doolittle Map (1796) .........................................................................................................33 Daniel Ross Portrait ...........................................................................................................49 Russell Map (1800) ............................................................................................................53 Melish Map (1814) ............................................................................................................60 Three Sites via Google Earth (2007) .................................................................................62 Melish Map (1815) ............................................................................................................63 Arrowsmith Map (1817) ....................................................................................................63 Lucas Map (1922) ..............................................................................................................64 Finley Map (1923) .............................................................................................................64 Finley Map (1924) .............................................................................................................65 Lucas Map (1927) ..............................................................................................................65 McMinn Letter with Rossville Postmark ...........................................................................87 Young John Ross ...............................................................................................................88 Original Rossville Plat .......................................................................................................94 Ross House Notching .........................................................................................................95 Notch Chart ....................................................................................................................96 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map (1917) ..................................................................................97 A View of Chattanooga Valley / Tennessee River from Lookout Mountain ....................99 G. W. Featherstonhaugh ..................................................................................................103 “The General” ..................................................................................................................111 “Park Leader of Posse” ....................................................................................................112 The Route of the Great Locomotive Chase ......................................................................113 Keaton’s “The General” ...................................................................................................116 The Disney Version .........................................................................................................118 William Pittenger .............................................................................................................119 James Andrews ...............................................................................................................122 Ambrose Bierce ...............................................................................................................123 Garfield’s Famous Ride ...................................................................................................127 5 JOHN ROSS HOUSE CCSP – BISHOP -- 2007 James B. Garfield .............................................................................................................128 “One Poor Victim” ...........................................................................................................130 Gordon Granger ...............................................................................................................131 Battle of Chickamauga .....................................................................................................133