howard james craig was the grandson of dr. james craik, one of george washington's close personal friends and comrades during the french and indian war, revolutionary war, and throughout his term as president. james craik grew up in alexandria, virginia, so he decided to settle the land that his grandfather and george washington had discovered in the valley. charleston in 1861 was a city on the rise, and that was in part due to the salt industry just outside of town. prior to that, the charleston area was a militia outpost, fort lee, at the mouth of the old river. by the time that james craik had moved from his then mason county home to charleston, it had a population of roughly 600 people , including white, free blacks, and slaves. but a a small town, close-knit society where everyone seems to know each other. wealthy man,as a most of his wealth inherited from the bounty he had received from his grandfather and father. he ended up traveling as a circuit lawyer to different counties to practice law. of time,ds approximately 14