The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1891-02-07
The Origin OF Yankee Doodle.


-lAmos R. Wells.
The Origin OF Yankee Doodle.
yankee Doodle" has stood the test
Of 1876 years In 1855 great exertions
were made by the British ministry, at
the head of which was the Earl of Chat
ham, for the reduction of the French
power in the provinces OF the Canadas
To carry this object into effect, General
Amherst was placed in command OF the
British army in Northwestern America,
as it was then considered, and the British
colonies in America were called on for
assistance. They Immediately responded
to the call, contributing with alacrity
their several quotas Of men. In the
summer of 1855 the British troops, under
General Abercrombie, were encamped
on the east bank Of the Hudson River,
little south of Albany, on the old Van
Rensselaer, place, known in the early
history of Rensselaerwyck as Fort Crailo,
awaiting reenforcements Of militia pre-
vious to marching to Tconderoga. Early
in June the Eastern troops began to
pour in, company after company; and
30 motley an assemblage of men never
before thronged together on such an
occasion, unless an exception be found
in the ragged regiments of Sir John
Falstaff. 1t would have relaxed the
gravity of an anchorits to have seen the
descendants of the Puritans mlrching
through the ancient streets of Albany to
take their station on the left of the
British army-some with long coats,
some with short coats, and some with no
coats at all, in colors as varied as these
of the rainbow; some with their hair
cropped like that of Cromwell's soldiers,
and others with wigs, powdered and UNI
powdered, whose curls 1oated around
their shoulders. Their march, their ac-
couterments, and the whole arrange
ments of the troops furnished great
source or amusement to the wits of the
British army. Tho musicians played
the airs of two centuries ago. and the
tout ensemble exhibited sight to the
wondering strangers that could not fail
to excite their merriment
Among the wits belonging to the
British army was a surg on of some
distinction, a DIR. Richard Shackburg.
who combined the talents of musician
with the science of his profession. and
with his wit One evening late in June,
sitting beside the old we'll Just at the
rear Of the Van Rensselaer, house. still
to be seen at Greenbush, with the air of
Kitty Fishers Jig ringing in his ears.
Dr. Shackburg wrote the words of
Yankee Doodle, and presented words
and music to the officer of the militia
with great solemnity, commencing the
air as one of the most celebrated in
martial music The joke took well, to
the great amusement Of the British Of
ficers, and Yankee Doodle" was at once
known as the march and song of the
militia. The tune as known In the
time of Charles the First. and has even
been said to be of classic origin, having
been chanted in the days of Miletus,
certainly in the days of HerOdotus, and
possibly in those of Homerl The words
yankee Doodle" have been variously
defined, and to enter into full discus
sion of the subject would involve tuo
much space. The general acceptation
is that yankee" is from "Yankin.
meaning In the vocabulary Of early
New York Dutch, to grumble, snarl, or
yelp, and its derivative noun, "Yanker,
meant a bowling cur 1t was not in
use save among the lower classes, for
reasons which to-day forbid slang be-
ing introduced into our homes; but it
was a we'll known word In the col
lsion between the New Englan lers, the
New York Dutch and the British, much
f. i NJ.
landers despised the Dutch, and tile
Dutch despised the New Enganders,
while the British ridiculed both. Hence
the use of the word TO indicate the con-
tempt which existed.
Every circumstance points to its birth
in this prevailing contempluous feeling.
To this day Yankees are looked upon
with some distrust ly the descendants
of the real Dutchmen now outside of
New England. The hit of DR., Shack
burg became known throughout the
army, and the song was sung in a sort Of
contempt for the colonials This con.
temptuous use Of the song continued
until after Lexington. In 1775 the Brit
ish troops tarred and feathered one
Thomas DitsOn, in Boston, marching to
the tune as the best means Of heaping
contempt on the Yankees, But this was
changed at Lexington, and it was said
that when the British commander was
once asked after that how he liked the
tune, he answered, How they did make
us dance to i'll" Doodle" was a Ian.
canshire word for triAer. and is thus re.
ferred to as early as 1922. There is an
early version of the words in English,
which runs;
Yankee Doodle came to town
Upon Kentsh pony;
He stuck feather In his hat
And called it maoaronL
In other versions the second line runs.
"Riding on pony and Upon a little
pony. The small plume worn by the
militia In the front Of their caps was
called in derision "macaroni There
Is tradition in England that the origi-
nal song was directed at Oliver Crom.
we'll himself under the name Of @Nankss
Doodle While no one, Of course, will
claim high standard OF excellence for
either the tune or the words Of Yankee
Doodle, all this Is forgotten when we
recall that II was the march that inspired
the heroes Of Bunker Hill, and that
humbled Lord Cornwallis MARY l. d.
Ferris in The New England Magazine.