Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1875-06-24

lustrated brochure, just issued by James
X. Os9ood Co. OF Boston.
GRANDMoTnER's STORY OF BUNKER HILL
BATTLE:
As SHE SAW II FROM THE BELrRY.
Isrom The Bunker IIlll Memorial
lis like stirring living embers.when at eighty,
one remembers.
All the aching, and the quakings Of 1.-THE times
thIt tried mems souls
When talk OF Wig aud Tory, when tell
The Rebel story.
{ To You the word, are ashes, but TO me they re
burning Goals.
/ had heard the musketsr rattle of the April run
ming battle;
I LoId Ptrcey's hunted soldiers, can see their
red coats still
But a uead. chill comes DER me, AS the day
looms up before me.
| Whan thousand men lay bleeding on the
slopes of Bunkcr's Hill.
I Twas peaceful Summers morning, when the
first thing gave us warning
as the booming of the cannon from the river
and The shore;
Child says grandma. .'whal's the matter.
what Is all this noise snd clatter;
Have those scalping Indian devils come TO MUIR
der Us once more.'
midst of all my quaking,
To hear her talk of Indians when The guns be-
gan 10 roar:
She had seen the burning village. and the
slaughter and the pillage,
When the Mohawks killed her father W ith their
bullets through his door.
Then said. Now dear old granny, don't YOU
fret and worry any,
/ or III soon come back and tell Won whether
thls l. work play.
There cant be mischief IN it, 80 | won't be gone
minute
For minute then started. was gone the
toe liNe-lonS day
No time for bodice-lac!ng or for looking-sla.s
sr.mAong;
Down my hair went as hurried. tumbling
halfway 10 my heels.
God forbid your ever knowing. whom there's |
blood around her flowing.
How the lonely. helpless daughter of quiet /
household fcei,.
In the street heard a thumping: and know |
1t Wa the >tumping
of the Corporal, our old ncighbor. on that /
wooden leg he Wore.
lth Knot OF women round hint was lucky /
had found him.
20 followed with the Others and the Corpor- I
al marched before.
They were making for the s,ceple,-the old /
solder and hi people;
lhc pigeons circled round us as we climbed |
the cresking stair.
Just across the narrow riyer-oh, so close il /
made me shiver.
stood fortress on the hilltop that but yester-
day was bare.
Not slow our eyes TO find it; well We knew
stood behind it,
though The earih-work hid them from US, and
tht stubborn walls were dumb
mere were sister, wife and rnnfhe- lnokinu
Wild upon s.~i. e,her,
And their lips Were white with terror as they
said the THEcII2uR HAS CONE!
The morning slowly wasted. not a mor.el had
we tasted,
And our heads were almost splitting with the
cannon'- deafening thrill
" hen ngure tall and stately round the ram
part strode sedately;
IL was PRESCOTT. one since told me he COM
manded on the hill.
Every womans heart grew bigger when we
saw hi, manly figure.
With the banyan buckled round it. standing I'M
20 straight and tall;
Like gentleman OF leisure who is strolling out
for pleasure,
Through the storm of shells and cannon-shot
he walked around the wall.
At eleven the streets were swarmng. for the
red-coats' ranks were forming;
Al noon III marching order they were moving
10 the piers;
How the bayonets CLEANED and glistened as
we looked far down and listened
10 the trampling and the drum beat of the
Delted Srenadiers.
At length the men have started. with a cheer
lit seemed fani-heartedD,
In their scarlet reglmenials, with their KNAPP
sacks on their backs.
And the reddening, irippling water, as afer
ag-fl lfrI
Round the barges gliding onward blushed like
blood around their tracks.
GO they crossed the other border, and again
they formed in order;
And the boats came back for soldiers came for
soldiers, soldiers STILL
The time seemed everlasting to us women faint
and fasting
AT last they're moving, marching, marching
proudly up the hill.
We can see the bright steel gancing along the
lines advancing
Now the front rank fires q yolley-tbey have
thrown away their shot;
r or behind their earthwork living all the balls
above them flying,
Our people need not hurry; SO they wait and
answer not.
Then the Corporal, our old cripple (he would
swear so .netimes and tipple)-
lie had heard the bullets whistle lin the old
Calls out in words of ieering, lust as if they all
were hearing
And his wooden leg thumps fiercely Oh the
dusty belfry floor
oh. fire away, ye villains, and earn King
Georges shillin's,
But yell waste a ton of powder before rebe |
falls;
You may bang the dirt and welcome they're
as safe as Din'l Malcolm
len loot beneath the gravestone that vou'ye
splintered with your balls.r
In the hush of expectation, in the awe and
trepidition
Of the dread approaching moment, we are well
nigh breathless all,
lhough the rotten bars are falling on the
rickety befry railing,
We are crowding up against them like the
waves against wall.
just a glimpse (the air is clearer. they are
neutrality-suspicious.,
" hen nash-a curling smoke-wreath-then 3
erash-the steeple shakes
The deadly truce is ended; the tempest's
Like morning mist it gathered, like a thun-
der-cloud it breaks.
Oh the sight our eyes discover as the blue
black smoke blows over!
The red-cOats stretched in windrows as q NOW.
er rakes his hay;
Here scarlet heap is lying, there headlong
crowd is flying
Like billow that has broken and is shiyered
into spray.
Then we cried, .'The troops are routed! 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 SOP 1--WE could |
hardly speak, we shook SOL
Are they beaten. Are they beaten? ARE |
they beatenT'-"Wait a while.,
Oh the trembling and the terror! for too soon |
We saw our error;
They are baffied, not defeated; we have driven |
them back in vain;
And the columns that were scattered, round |
the colOrs that were tattered, |
Toward the sullen silent fortress turn their |
belted breasts again.
All at once, we are gazing, 10 the roof, of |
Charlestown blazing!