The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1875-06-25

- afF'soaf y tNht 40
GRANDMoTHKR's STORY OF BUNKER HILL
BATTLE;
As sHr SAW II FROM TEE Br1FEv.
'Iis Ike stirring living embers, when, at
eighty, one remembers
.-All the achings and the qualtings of "the
times that tried mems souls;"
When I talk Of Wing and Tory, when
tell the Rebel story,
To you the words are ashes, but to me
they're burning Goals.
1 had heard the muskets' rattle of the
April running battle;
Lord Percy's hunted soldiers, can see
their red coats still;
But deadly chill comes Ger me, as the
day looms up before me,
When thousand men lay bleeding on
the slopes of Bunker Hill.
Twas peaceful Summers morning,
when the first thing gave US warning
Was the booming of the cannon from
the river and the shore:
''Child, says grandma, "whats the mat
ter, what is all this noisean clatterl
Have those scalping Indian devils come
to murder us once more2"
Poor old SOUL my sides were shaking in
the midst of all my quaking,
go hear her talk of Indians when the
guns began to roar;
She had seen the burning village, and ,
the slaughter and the pillage,
When the Mohawks killed her father
with their bullets through his door.
Then I said, "Now, dear old granny. n
don't you fret and worry any,
For I'll soon come back and tell you
whether it is work or play;
There can't be mischief in it, so L won't ,
be gone a minute
For minute then I started. 1 was gone
the live-long day. A
No time for bodice -laeing or for looking r.
glass grimacy; :
Down my hair went as 1 hurried, tum- n
bling halfway to my heels;
God forbid you ever knowing, when IN
there's blood around you flowing, -
How the lonely, helpless daughter of
quiet household feels! IT
In the street 1 heard trumping; and I
knew it was stumping ~
Of the Corporal, our old neighbor, on =,
that wooden leg he wore, IL
With knot of women round him--it
was lucky had found him, Al
So I followed with the others, and the
Corporal marched before. NJ.
They were making for the steeple,-the
old soldier and his people: Nc
The pigeons circled round us as we
climbed the creaking stairs. Bu
Tust across the narrow river-oh, SO
close it made me shiverl An
Stood fortress on the hilltop that but
yesterday was bare.
Not slow our eyes to find it; well we
knew VINO stood behind 1t, n,
Though the earth-works hid them from
rs, and the stubborn walls we're An
dumb.
Here were sister, wife, and mother, look
ing wild up on each other. tn
md their lips were white with terror,
as they said THE HOUR HAS coMEl
he morning slowly wasted, not a NOR An
sci had we tasted,
md our heads were almost splitting Ou
with the cannons deafening thrill, 49,,
When figure tall and stately round the N
rampant strobe sedately;
t was Prescott, one since told me; he he
commanded on the hill.
VERY woman's heart grew bigger when Say
they saw his manly figure,
With the banyan buckled round IT, stand I'm
ing mp so straight and tall;
AXE a gentleman of leisure who is So
strolling out for pleasure,
through the storm of shell and cannon Sta
shot he walked around the wall.
It eleven the streets were swarming, for All
the red-coats' ranks were forming;
It noon in marching order they were AS
moving to the piers;
low the bayonets CLEANED and glistened WI
as we looked far down and listened
To the trampling and the drum beat of
the belted grenadiers It'
# length the men have started, with
cheer Gt seemed faint-hearted), Wi
n their scarlet regimentals, their KNAPP
sacks on their backs, Tn
ind the reddenings, rippling water, as
after q sea-hght's slaughter, S6
found the barget gliding onward blush
ed like blood along their tracks.
10 they crossed to the other border, and
again they formed in order;
md the boat came back for soldiers, Ov
came for soldiers, soldiers still.
he time seemed everlasting to Us wo- Ho