Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1862-05-23
MISCEILANY ".
Songs and song-writers..--15.

neous attacks were made upon the French /
posts in America. That against Fort Du
Quesne, Qhe present site Of pittsburg) was
conducted by General Braddock and those
against Niagara and Frontenac, by Cover
nor Shirley, of Massachusetts, and Gener-
al johnson, Of New York. This was I" in
good old Colony times, when we lived un-
der the King" The army of Shirley and
johnson, during the summer Of 1885, were
encamped on the eastern bank of the Hud-
son, a little south of the city of Albany
In the early part Of June the troops of the
eastern provinces began TO pour in, compa-
ny after company; and such a motley as
semblage Of men never before thronged
together on such an occasion, unless an ex-
ample may be found in the ragged regiment
Of Sir John Fallstaf. 1t would have relax
ed the gravity of an anchorite TO have seen
the descendants Of the Puritans marching
through the streets of the ancient city of
Albany, and taking their situations TO the
left Of the British army, some with long
coats, some with short coats, and 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 foated with grace
around their shoulders. Their march, their
aecoutremens, and the whole arrangements
of the troop furnished matter of amusement
to the rest of the British army. The mu-
sicians played the airs of two centuries gone
by; and the toM ensemble, upon the whole,
exhibited sight TO the wondering strangers
TO which they had been unaceustomed. -
Among the club of wits, tha. belonged to
the British army, there was DIR. Shack
burg attached to the staff, who combined
with the science of surgeon the skill and
talents Of a musician. This gentleman, with
the pretense of pleasing the new corners,
gave them TO understand that he had COM
posed a new tune, and with much gravity
recommended it to the officers as one that
English musicians considered as very su-
perior piece Of me rtial musie--it was Ialsk-
&c Doodle. The joke took, 10 the no small
amusement Of the British. Brother Jona-
than exclaimed it was nation tfIae, and in a
few days nothing was heard in the proyin-
ciai camp but the air Of Yankee Doodle.
Little did the author, when he wrote the
tune, imagine that this air, made or copied,
for the sole purpose Of leyity and ridicule,
would be marked for high destiny and be-
come national air In twenty years from
the time it was given and commended IL
the American troops, as national march i
inspired the heroes of Bunker Hill; and il
less than thirty years, Lord CORVALLIS ant
his army marched into the American line:
TO the tune of Yankee Doodle.
This tune, however, did not originate witt
DR.. Shackburg, though he first introduced
it in this country as a march. II was made
from an old song which can be traced back
to the reign Of Charles | song whicl
has in its day been used for great variety
Of words. In fact, the tune does not sound
like one composed for the deliberate pur
pose of making those ridiculous who should
mistake it for good music. True, il has nc
intrinsic dignity; but ii has decided char.
acter Of its own, such as it is; and thai
character is Sustained in every tone ant
every note from beginning to end. For thi,
reason, if DR.. Shackburg had selected somt
e other song from which TO have made hi
march, he might have succeeded better
since the character of Yankee Doodle make
Fit seem very impr obable that it was com
posed solely for deliberate hoax.
The British, preceding the revolutionary
war, when disposed to ridicule the simple
lily of Yankee manners and hiarity, wer,
accustomed to sing airs, or songs, set tt
words invented for the passing occasion
having for their object to satarize and sneel
at the New Englanders. 1t is remembered
that the English officers then among us
acting under civil and military appoint
ments, often felt lordly over the colonisis
and by counienancing such slurs, they some
times expressed their supereiliousness.-
! When the battles Of Concord and Lexing
I ton began the war, the English, when ad
(, vanc;ng in triumph, played along the roa,
Quickstep, in which was interwoveI
"God save the King;' but when the Amer
leans had made the retreat so disastrous t.
the invaders, these then struck up the scout
ed Yankee Doodle, as if to say, "See wha
we simple Jonathans can dor
From that time, the tune of intended de
i rision was assumed throughout all the Amer
ican colonies as the national air of the son
Of liberty, and this acceptable appella;ion
I even the name of the sons of liberty, whicl
was 50 popular at the outset, was nam
: adopted from the appellatiOn given US i
Parliament, by Colonel Barre in his speech
and by him reproachlully used.
MOORE.