The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-07-17
THE ORIGIN OF YANKEE
DOODLE.


DOODLE.
In the centennial Collection Of Ma
tional Songs" published in 1876, the fol-
lowing account is given of the origin of
Yankee DOODLE: elm the summer of
IT'S the British army, under command
of General Abercrombie, lay encamped
on the east bank of the Hudson River, q
little south of the city of Albany, await
ing re-inforcements of militia from the
Eastern States, previous to marching
upon Ticonderoga. During the month
of July these raw lions poured into camp
company after company, each man differ
emily armed, equipped and ACQUIRED
from his neighbors, the whole presenting
such an appearance as was never equaled,
unless by the celebrated army of Jack
Falstaff. Their appearance furnished
great amusement to the British officers.
One Dr. Shamburg, an English surgeon,
composed the tune of Yankee Doodle
and arranged it to words, which we're
gravely dedicated to the new recruits.
The original words, which we take from
Farmer and Moore's Historical Collec-
TONS published in 1920, we have not,
however, met with before in many years."
With the needful historical corrections
that the attack on Ticonderoga by Aber-
crombie took place in 1888, and not in
IT'S, and that DR.. Shamburg did not
compose the tune of "Yankee Doodle"
the above as quoted is generally correct.
Another authority states that the song
originally appeared in Boston news
paper in ITS, under the title of The
Yankees Return from Camp" This
version of the famous song appears in
the Historical Collections of New Hamp-
shire. The first verse and chorus of this
version are as follows:
Father and 1 went down to camp,
Along with Captain Tooding,
And there we see the men and boys,
AS thick as hasty pudding.
Yankee Doodle, keep it up,
Yankee Doodle dandy,
Mind the music and the step.
And with the girls be handy.
There are fifteen additional vel ses in this
version of the song. There is a mistake
somewhere, for " Yankee Doodle" in both
words and music, has lineage that dates
farther back than either IT'S or 1858. In
an old newspaper, the Columbian Ga
sette, published in Georgetown, ID. G.,
during the early years of this century,
appears letter from correspondent
telling of his having seen in the collection
of gentleman in Cheltenham, England,
called Musical Antiquities of England"
a song entitled " Nankee Doodle" one of
the verses of which ran as follows:
Nankee Doodle came to town,
Upon little pony.
With feather in his hat,
Upon Macaroni.
The song was written after the restora-
ton OF Charles III, and the verse given is
a satirical allusion to Cromwelps going
to Oxford, on small horse, with bis
single plume fastened to his hat by
small knot called Macaroni."
Watson, in HE Occurrences of the
Revolution" says: Before the Revolu-
ton, under another name, Lydia Fisher
e Yankee Doodle was favorite New
England jig, the custom being to sing it
with impromptu words, such as:
Lydia Locket lost her pocket,
Lydia Fisher found it,
Not bit of money in it.
Only binding round it,;
which, instead of being an impromptu
verse, is part of song from Gays Beg
gar's Opera" first performed in 1927. Miss
Clayton, in her Lives of Celebrated
Singers asserts that from that opera the
tune was derived; but the fact is that it
was only one of the many popular airs
of the time that were Incorporated in the
opera. During the Revolution, when
arms and ammunition we're carried from
Boston into the country in carts, ostensi-
bly, loaded with manure, the British Off
GERS adapted the following words to the
tune:
Yankee doodle came IN town