In Britain's cause, with valor fired,
Braddock, unhappy chief! expired,
And claim'd a nation's tear;
Nor could Oswego's bulwarks stand
The fury of a savage band,
Though Schuyler's arm was there.
Still shall this motley, murderous crew
Their deep, destructive arts pursue,
And general horror spread?
No--see Britannia's genius rise!
Swift o'er the Atlantic foam she flies
And lifts her laurell'd head!
Lo! streaming through the dear blue sky,
Great Loudon's awful banners fly,
In British pomp display'd!
Soon shall the gallant chief advance;
Before him shrink the sons of France,
Confounded and dismay'd.
Then rise, illustrious Britons, rise!
Great Freedom calls, pursue her voice,
And save your country's shame!
Let every hand for Britain arm'd,
And every breast with virtue warm'd,
Aspire at deathless fame!
But chief, let Pennsylvania wake,
And on her foes let terrors shake,
Their gloomy troops defy;
For, lo! her smoking farms and plains,
Her captured youths, and murder'd swains,
For vengeance louder cry.
Why should we seek inglorious rest,
Or sink, with thoughtless ease oppress'd,
While war insults so near?
While ruthless, fierce, athirst for blood,
Bellona's sons, a desperate brood!
In furious bands appear!
Rouse, rouse at once, and boldly chase
From their deep haunts, the savage race,
Till they confess you men.
Let other Armstrongs grace the field!
Let other slaves before them yield,
And tremble round Duquesne.
And thou, our chief, and martial guide,
Of worth approved, of valor tried
In many a hard campaign,
O Denny, warmed with British fire,
Our inexperienced troops inspire,
And conquest's laurels gain!
_Pennsylvania Gazette_, September 30, 1756.
Meanwhile things were in a troubled condition in Acadia, where
the so-called "French neutrals" were discovered to be in arms
against England. "Every resource of patience and persuasion"
had been used to secure their loyalty to Great Britain, but
in vain. At last it was decided to disperse them among the
southern provinces, and the deportation began in October. At
the end of two months, about six thousand of the Acadians had
been sent away, and their homes destroyed.
THE EMBARKATION
From "Evangeline"
[October 8, 1755]
Four times the sun had risen and set; and now on the fifth day
Cheerily called the cock to the sleeping maids of the farm-house.
Soon o'er the yellow fields, in silent and mournful procession,
Came from the neighboring hamlets and farms the Acadian women,
Driving in ponderous wains their household goods to the sea-shore,
Pausing and looking back to gaze once more on their dwellings,
Ere they were shut from sight by the winding road and the woodland.
Close at their sides their children ran, and urged on the oxen,
While in their little hands they clasped some fragments of playthings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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