The Republican journal., 1875-06-24
Grandmother's Story of Bunker Hill
Battle:
As SHE SAW IT FROM THE BELFHY.
IInl


one remembers
All the achings and the quakipgs of "the times
that tried mems souls -
When l talk of Wing and Tory, When l tell
the Rebel story,
To you the words are ashes. but to me they re
burning Goals.
| had heard the muskets' rattle of the April rum
ming battle;
Lord Percy's hunted soldiers, l can see their
red coats still:
But deadly chill comes DER RE, as the day
looms up before me,
" hen thousand men lay bleeding on the
slopes of Bunler's Hill.
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, ''what's the matter,
what is all this noise and catter?
Have those scaping Indian devils come to muir
der us once mOre?'
Poor old soul. my sides were shaking in the
midst of all my quakng,
TO hear her talk of Indians when the guns be-
gan 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 said, Now, dear old granny. don't YOU
fret and worry any,
For I'll soon come back and tell YOU whether
this is work or play;
There can't be mischief in it, SO won't be gone
minute"-
For minute then | started. | WAS gone the
lNe-ong day.
No time for bodire-l;cing or for looking-glas
grlmacing
Down my hair went as I hurried. tumbling
halfway to my heels;
God forbid your ever knowing, when there's
blood around her flowing,
How the lonely, helpless daughter of Il quiet
household feels
In the street | heard Il humping; and | knew
it was the Stumping
Of the Corporal, our old neighbor. on that
wooden leg he wore,
With knot of women round hint was lucky
had found him.
So | followed with the Others and the Corporal
marched before.
They were making for the steeple,-the old
soldier aid his people;
The pigeons circled round us as we climbed
the creaking stair.
just across the narrow riyer-ol, close it
made me shiyer,
Stood Ii fortress on the hilltop that but yeSter-
day was bare.
Not slow our eyes to find it; we'll we knew
who stood behind it,
Though the earthwork hid them from us, and
the stubborn walls Were dumb;
Here We're sister, wife and mother. looking
wild upon each other,
And their lips We're white with terror AS they
said, The HOUR HAS COME.
The morning slowly wasted, not Il morsel had
we tasted,
And our heads were almost splitting with the
cannons' deaenng thrill,
When figure tall and stately round the ram
part strobe sedately;
1t was PRESCOTT, one since told me; he com
manded on the hill.
Every woman's heart grew bigger when We
saw his manly figure,
With the banyan buckled round it, standing up
so straight and tail;
Like a 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 We're swarmng. for the
retl-coas' ranks were forming;
At noon in marching order they We're mo> ing
to the piers;
How the bayonetS cleaned and giistcncd, ;ls
we looked far down and listened
10 the trampling and the drum beat of the belt
ed grenaderS.
At length the men have started, with cheer
lit seemed tant-heartedD.
III llltlf scarlet fe9lmentalS, win their KNAPP
sacks on their backs,
And the reddenng ripping water, as after a
Sea-lights slaughter,
Round the barges gliding onward blushcd like
blood along their tracks.
SO they crossed to 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 the bright steel glancing all along
the lines advancing
Now the front rank fires yoey-they have
thrown away their shot,
For behind their earthwork lying, all the balls
above them flying,
Our people need not hurry; so they wait and
answer not
Then the Corporal, our old cripple Che would
swear sometimes and tippltl-
He had heard the bullets whistle Gn the old
French war; before
Calls out in words of jeering, just as if they all
were hearing
And his wooden leg thumps tiercey on the
dusty belfry floor
"Oh fire away. We villains, and earn King
Georges shilling's,
But yen waste a ton of power before Il 'rebe'
falls;
\ 1ou may bang the dirt and welcome, they're
AS safe us Danl Malcolm
Ten foot beneath the gravestone that you've
sp,intered with your balls."
In the hush of expectation, in the awe and
trepidation
Or the dread approaching moment, we are well
nigh breathess all;
Though the rotten bars are falling on the rickety
belfryr ai1ing,
We are crowdng up against them like the waves
against wall.
Just a glimpse (the air is clearer, tney are
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,
With flasb-l curling smoke-wreatll-then Il
crash-the steeple shakes
The deadly truce is ended; the tempest's shroud
is rended;
Like a morning mist il gathered, like thunder
cloud it breaks
Oh the sight our eyes discover as the blue
black smoke blows overt
The red-cOats stretched i'm WinlroWs us Il NOW
er rakes his hay
Here scarlet heap is lying, there Il headong
crowd is flying
Like a bllow that has broken and is shivered
into spray.
Then we cried, ''The troops are routed. They
are bcat-it can't be doubted!
God be thanked, the fight is oyer!"-Ah! the
grim Old soldiers smile
''Tell us, tell us why you look so:' 1--WE could
hardly speak, we shook so)
''Are they beaten? Are they beaten? ARE
they beatcn%'-"Waita while"
Oh the trembling and the terror. for too soon
we saw our error;
They are batfled, not defeated; we have driven
them back in vain;
And the columns that We're scattered, round
the coOrs that were tattered,
Toward the sullen silent fortress turned their
beted breasts again.
All at once, as we are gazing, 10 the roofs of
CharlestOwn blazing!
They have fired the harmless village; in an
hour it will be down!
The Lord in heaven confound them, rain his
fire and birthstone round them,-
The robbing, numbering red-coats that would
burn a peaceful toWnl
They are marching, stern and solemn; we can
see each massive column
AS they near the naked earth-mOund with the
santing walls SO steep,
Have our soldiers got taint-hearted, and in