The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1855-03-08
Yankee Doodle.

IL Afoo, Simultaneous attacks HeF
, made upon the French posts in America
, That against Fort Du Quesne (the pres
ent site of Pittsburg) was conducted b,
General Braddock; and those against Nj
agara and Frontenac by Gov. Shirley, o
Massachusetts, and General johnson, o
New York. The army of Shirley ant
johnson, during the summer of 1855, lay
on the eastern bank of the Hudson, lit
tie south of the city of Albany. In The
early part of June the troops of the Eas
tern Provinces began to pour in, company
after company; and such motley assem-.
bly, of men never before thronged togeth
Ell. on such an occasion, unless an exam
pie may be found in the ragged regiment
of Sir John Falstaff 1t would have re.
lazed the gravity of an anchorite to
have seen the descendants of the
Puritans marching through the streets
of that ancient city, { Albany and taking
their situations!to the left of the British
army-some with long coats, some with
short coats, and some others with no
coats at all-with colors as varied as the
rainbow; some with their hair cropped
like the army of Cromwell, and others
with wigs, the locks of which Hoated with
grace around the shoulders. Their
march, their accoutrements and the whole
arrangements of the troops, furnished
m after of amusement to the rest of the
British army. The music played the airs
of two centuries ago; and the tout ensemble,
upon the whole, exhibited sight to the
wondering strangers, to which they had
never been accustomed. Among the club
of wits that belonged to the British army,
there was DR.. Shackburg, attached to
the staff, who combined with the science
of surgeon the skill and talent of a mu-
sician. To please the newcomers, he
composed tune, and with much gravity
recommended it to the officers as one of
the most celebrated aims of martial music
The joke took, to the no small amuse-
ment of the British.
Brother Jonathan exclaimed it was
| nation fine; and in q few days nothing
was heard in the Provincial camp but the
air of Yankee Doodle. Little did the
author, in his composition, then suppose
that an air made for the purpose of levity
and ridicule. should be marked for such
high destinies. In twenty years from
that time, the national march inspired the
heroes Of Bunker Hill, and in less than
thirty, Lord CORVALLIS and his army
marched into the American lines to the
tune Of Yankee Doodle.
This tune, however, was not original
with DR.. Shackburg. He made it from
an old song, which can be traced back to
the reign Of Charles the First; song
which has in its day been used for grea,
variety of words. One of these songs}
written in ridicule of the Protector, be-
gan with this line "The Round heads
and Cavaliers" Another set of words, to
the same tune, was entitled "Nankee
Doodle" ane ran thus -
Nankee Doodle came to town
Upon little poney,
With feather IN his hat,
Upon macaroni.
The first American parody upon the
original which we have seen, was entitled
Lydia Fisher" An aged and respecta-
Bile lady, born in New England. says she
remembers it well, and that it was a COM
mon song long before the Revolution
1t was also favorite New England Jig.
Before the war, it was customary to sing
the tune with various impromptu verses
such as
Lydia Locket lost her pocket,
Lydia Fisher found it;
Not bit of money in it,
Only binding round it.
Perhaps there may be something in
this, for within our recollection the "gals
and boys" Of Massachusetts, had some
thing like it in their sports. But our
version is a little different from the old
lady's, and ran thus:
Lucy Locket lost her pocket
In rainy shower;
Phillip Carteret ran arter il,
And found il in an hour.
And later period the Tories had q
song commencing
Yankee Doodle came 10 town
For to buy firelock
We will tar and feather him,
So we will JoHx HANCOCK.
This version has a very strong resem-
blanee to the original-the first line be-
ing the same, with the exception of the
N, for whice the is substituted. The
occurrence of tho words "feather" in the
next line is no less remarkable. A long
strong of similar verses are known to ex-
list, which were supposed to allude to the
coming of Oliver Cromwell ION small
horse) into Oxford, with a single plume,
which he wore fastened in a sort of knot,
which the adherents of the royal party
called "macaroni," out of derision. What
renders the history of this tune the more
remarkable is, that to this very day the
words of "Lydia Locket," alias "Lucy