Grown proud at reviews, great George had no rest, Each grandsire, he had heard, a rebellion suppressed, He wish'd a rebellion, looked round and saw none, So resolved a rebellion to make--of his own. The Yankees he bravely pitched on, because he thought they wouldn't fight, And so he sent us over to take away their right; But lest they should spoil our review clothes, he cried braver and louder, For God's sake, brother kings, don't sell the cowards any powder. Our general with his council of war did advise How at Lexington we might the Yankees surprise; We march'd--and re-marched--all surprised--at being beat; And so our wise general's plan of _surprise_--was complete. For fifteen miles, they follow'd and pelted us, we scarce had time to pull a trigger; But did you ever know a retreat performed with more vigor? For we did it in two hours, which saved us from perdition; 'Twas not in _going out_, but in _returning_, consisted our EXPEDITION. Says our general, "We were forced to take to our _arms_ in our defence (For _arms_ read _legs_, and it will be both truth and sense), Lord Percy (says he), I must say something of him in civility, And that is--'I can never enough praise him for his great--agility.'" Of their firing from behind fences he makes a great pother; Every fence has two sides, they made use of one, and we only forgot to use the other; Then we turned our backs and ran away so fast; don't let that disgrace us, 'Twas only to make good what Sandwich said, that the Yankees--could not face us. As they could not get before us, how could they look us in the face? We took care they shouldn't, by scampering away apace. That they had not much to brag of, is a very plain case; For if they beat us in the fight, we beat them in the race. _Pennsylvania Evening Post_, March 30, 1776. How the alarm of the fight spread through the countryside, how men left the plough, the loom, the anvil, and hastened, musket in hand, to the land's defence that day, has been told and retold in song and story. Here is the story of Morgan Stanwood, one among hundreds such. MORGAN STANWOOD CAPE ANN, 1775 Morgan Stanwood, patriot! Little more is known; Nothing of his home is left But the door-step stone. Morgan Stanwood, to our thought You return once more; Once again the meadows lift Daisies to your door. Once again the morn is sweet, Half the hay is down,-- Hark! what means that sudden clang From the distant town? Larum bell and rolling drum Answer sea-borne guns; Larum bell and rolling drum Summon Freedom's sons! And the mower thinks to him Cry both bell and drum, "Morgan Stanwood, where art thou? Here th' invaders come!" "Morgan Stanwood" need no more Bell and drum-beat call; He is one who, hearing once, Answers once for all.