The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-06-24
GRANDMoTHERs STORY OF BUNKER HILL
BATTLE,
As She saw IL from tho Beifry.
By OLIVER wENDELL HOLMES,

All the achugs and the quakings OF the times
that tried mems souls"
When talk Of Wing and Tory whom | tell tho
Rebel story
10 you the words arc ashes, but to me they're
burning GOALS.
/ had heard tho muskets' rattle OF the April
running battle;
Lord Pcrcy's hunted soldiers, can SEQ their
red coats still
But deadly chill comes DER me, ~ the day
looms up before mo,
When thousand men lay bleeding on tho
slopes Of Bunker Hill.
Twas peaceful summers morning, when tho
first thing gave us warning
Was the booming of the cannon from the river
aud the shore
Child" SAYS grandma, "what's the matter (;
What il all this noise AID chatter
Have those scalping Indian devils come to
murder us once moreS
Poor old soul My sides were shaking in the
midst Of all my quakng,
To hear her talk Of Indians when the guns
began to roar;
She had seen the burning village, and the
slaughter and the pilIago,
When the Mohawks killed her father with
their bullets through the door.
Then ] said, "Now, dear old granny, don't
you fret and worry any,
For III soon come back and tell yOn whether
this il work or play;
There can't be mischief IN it, 70 ! won't be
gone minute
For minute then ] started. | was gone the
liye-long day
No time for bodice-lacing or for looking-glass
grmacng
Down my hair went as / hurried tumbng
halfway to my heels;
God forbid your ever knowing, when there's
blood around her flowing,
fIow the lonely, helpless daughter Of quiet
household feels
[n the street heard humping and knew
it was the stumpmg
OF the corporal our old neighbor on that
wooden leg he wore,
With knot OF women round limit was
lucky had found him,
50 followed with the others and the corporal
marched before.
They were making for the stecplo-the old
soldier and his people
The pigeons clrclGd round ~ AZ we climbed
the crcadng stair.
Just across the narrow rivcr-oh, so close it
made me rhlyer
tcrday was bare
Not slow our eyes to find it ; well we knew who
stood behind it,
Though the earth-work hid them from us, and
the stubborn walls were dumb
Here were sister wife and mother, looking
Wild upon each other,
And their lips were white with terror as they
raid THE hour has come !"
The morning slowly wasted, not morsel had
we tasted
And our heads were almost splitting with the
the cannons' deateping thrill
When a figure tall and stately round the ram
part strobe scdatey
II was Prescott one since told me he com
mandcd on the hill.
Every woman's heart grew bigger when We
raw his manly figure,
With the banyan bucklcd round it, standing
up 40 straight and tall;
Like n gentleman Of leisure who il stroIllnG
ont for pleasure,
the storm of shells and cannOn.Ehot
lie walked around the wall.
At eleven the streets were Hwarmng, for the
red coats ranks were forming
At noon in marching order they were moving
How the bayOnes cleaned and glistcnGd. as
We looked far down and listened
70 the trampling and the drum beat OF the
belted grenadlcrs.
At longth the men have started, with Il chocr
ut seemed faint-heartcdl,
In their scarlet regimentals, with their knap
sacks on their backs,
And the reddculng, ripping water, ~ after
sca-hghts slaughter,
Round the Darges gliding onward bIu=hcd like
blood along their tracks
SO they crossed to the other border and again
they formed IN order;
And the boats came back for aOIdlers, came
for soldiers, soldiers still
The time seemed everlasting to III women
faint and fasting
At last they're moving, marching. marching
proudly up the hill.
We can see the bright steel glanCing all along
the lines advancing
Now the front rank fires vOlIcy-they have
thrown away their shot;
For behind their earthwOrk lying, al the balls
above them flying,
Our people need not hurry 70 they wait and
answer not.
Then the corporal, our old cripple Che would
swear sometimes and tpplc)--
ne had heard the bullets whistle Gn the old
French war; before
Calls out in words of jeeIinB, Just ar if they
all were hearing
And his wooden leg thump5 iicrcely ON tho
dusty belfry floor:
"Oh! fire away, ye villains and earn King
Georges shillins,
But yo'll waste a ton of powder before rebel
falls;
You may bang the dirt and welcome, they're
as safe IA Danl Malcolm
Ten foot beneath the grayestone that you've
splintercd with your balls!
In the hush of expectation, in the awe and
trepidation
OF the dread approaching moment, We are
we'll nigh breathless all;
Though the rotten bars are falling on the
ricketv belfry railing,
We are crowdlng mp against them like the
waves against wall.
Just glimpse (the air il clearer) they are
nearer-nearer- r--nearer
When nash-a curling smOke.wreath- then
crash--the steeple shake
The deadly truce il ended the tempest
shroud is rended
Like morning mist it gathered, like thun-
der-clOud 1t breaks
Oh the right our eyes discover as the blue
black smoke blows over
The red-coats stretched in windows az a
mower rakes his hay;
Here scarlet heap is lying, there head
long crowd is flying
Like hillow that has broken and shivered
into spray.
Then we cried "The troops are ronted
They are beat-it can't be doubted.
God be thanked. the fight is over .'-Ah the
grim old soldiers smile.
Tell us, tell us why you look 70 ?" 1--WE could
hardly SPEAK, WE shook sol
.. Are thew beaten; Are they beaten Are
thew beaten -" Wait a while
Oh the trembling and the terror for too soon
we saw Our error: 49,,
They are bs filed, not d9feated we have driVen
them back in vain
And ihe columns that were tcattered, round
c0lors that we're tattered,
ToVard the sullen. silent fortress turn their
belted breasts again.