The Yankee Tea-party; Or, Boston in 1773Watson, Henry C. (Henry Clay)
History
The Yankee Tea-party; Or, Boston in 1773
Watson, Henry C. (Henry Clay)
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Anecdotes
Remember the glories of patriots brave,
Though the days of the heroes are o'er;
Long lost to their country and cold in their grave,
They return to their kindred no more,
The stars of the field, which in victory pour'd
Their beams on the battle are set,
But enough of their glory remains on each sword
To light us to victory yet.
Walloomsack! when nature embellished the tint
Of thy fields and mountains so fair,
Did she ever intend a tyrant should print
The footsteps of slavery there!
No! Freedom, whose smiles we shall never resign,
Told those who invaded our plains,
That 't is sweeter to bleed for an age at thy shrine,
Than to sleep for a moment in chains.
Forget not the chieftain of Hampshire, who stood
In the day of distress by our side;
Nor the heroes who nourished the fields with their blood,
Nor the rights they secured as they died.
The sun that now blesses our eyes with his light,
Saw the martyrs of liberty slain;
O, let him not blush when he leaves us to-night,
To find that they fell there in vain!
Brown and Hanson had prepared their instruments during the singing, and
immediately followed it with Washington's march, to which knives and
forks kept time.
[Illustration: MR. BLEEKER AND HIS SON.]
"An incident occurred just after the battle of Bennington, which showed
the spirit of the people of the neighbourhood," said Ransom, when the
musicians had concluded. "Old Zedekiah Bleeker, who lived in Bennington,
sent five bold sons to join our little army, just before the battle. One
of them--Sam. Bleeker--was killed; and one of the old man's neighbours
came to tell him about it--'Mr. Bleeker,' said the neighbour, 'your son
has been unfortunate.' 'What!' said the old man, 'has he misbehaved? Did
he desert his post or shrink from the charge?' 'Worse than that,'
replied the neighbour; 'he was slain, but he was fighting nobly.' 'Then
I am satisfied,' said the old man; 'bring him to me.' Sam's body was
brought home. The old man wiped the blood from the wound, and while a
tear stood in his eye, said it was the happiest day of his life, to know
that he had five sons fighting for freedom and one slain for the same
cause. There was a spirit of patriotism for you."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account