The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-07-03


lows who fought under Washington.
In 1875 war song containing the fol.
lowing verses gained u wide popularity;
Hark, bark, the sound Of war is heard,
And we must all attend,
Take up our arms and go with speed
Our country to defend.
There's Carleton, Howe and Clinton, too
And many thousands more
May cross the sea, but all in vain
Our rights Wen ne'er give o'er.
Husbands must leave their loving wives,
And sprightly youths attend,
Leave their sweethearts and risk their
lives,
Their country to defend.
May they be heroes in the field,
Have heroes fame in store;
We pray the Lord to be their shield
Where laundering cannons roar.
During the same year number Of songs
came in vogue upon the battle of Trenton.
One of tie best Of these, the author unfor-
tunately being unknown, is the following
which was sung to stirring music:
On Christmas day in seventy.six
Our ragged troops with bayonets fixed,
For Trenton marched away.
The Delaware seel the boats belowl
LuS lbnb ODoCuTSu ny ndll anu SuOWl
But no signs Of dismay.
Our object was the Hessian band
That dared invade fair freedoms land
And quarter in that place.
George Washington he led us on,
Whose streaming tag in storm or sun,
Had never known disgrace
...H #h....
In silent march we pass'd the night
Each soldier painting for the fight,
Though quite benumbed with frost
Greene, on the left, at six began
The right was led by Sullivan,
Who neer moment lost.
And so on for several verses more
General Sullivan's song, as it was call.
ed, because, as the record goes, it was
sung before General Sullivan and few re,
spectacle gentlemen at Portsmouth" in
l777, was another rallying anthem for the
soldiers The first stanza runs:
Hark, the loud drums; bark, the shrill trum
pet call to armsl
Come, Americans come; prepare for wars
alarms
Whilst in array we stand
What soldier dare to land2
Sure in the attempt to meet his doom,
A leaden death or a watery tomb
We Americans, so brave, DER the land or the
waves,
We scorn to live as slaves.
One of the best known ballads of this pc,
riod was the one which has been attrib
uted to private of Colonel Brooks regi
ment and which has been variously called
"a Song For the Red Coats, I" "Gates
Song" and the "North Campaign" Here
is specimen stanza:
Six hours the battle lasted,
Each heart was true as gold,
The British fought like lions,
And we like Yankees bold.
The leaves with blood were crimson,
And then brave Gates did cry;
'Tis diamond now cut diamondl
Wen beat them, boys, or die"
The song entitled 1.-THE Battle of the
Kegs, " one of the most successful of the
Revolution ditties, was composed by Fran
els Hopkinson and enabled the men ol
Washington's army to pass many merry
hour around the evening camphres. II
contains no less than 22 stanzas, all oi
which were roared forth with great gusto
the idea of the song being that some o.
the American soldiers had been packed In
kegs and hoated down the Delaware to at
tack the British ships. The troops Oh
board, seeing this remarkable fleet Of kegs
are supposed to have become alarmed anC
turned broadside Of guns and cannon
upon the suspected object The swing o
the song may be judged by these verses:
Gallants, attend and hear friend
Trill forth harmonious ditty.
Strange things I'll tell which late befell
In Philadelphia city.
The motley crew in vessels new,
With satan for their guide sir,
Packed up in bags, or wooden kegs
Come driving down the tide, sir,
The cannons roar from shore to shore,
The small arms make rattle,
Since wars began I'm sure no man
Ere saw SO strange battle.
The fish below swan TO and fro
Attacked from every quarter.
Why, sure, Thought they, the devils to pay
'Mongst folks above the water.
Much more in accord with the genera
feeling were the following lines addressed
by an unknown author in stirring song
"Our Women, to 1.-THE ladies of Pennsyl
yania and New Jersey, who illustrated thu
nobility of their sentiment and virtue o
their patriotism by generous subscription
to the suffering soldiers of the American
army" The first stanza, which is typ
Of q dozen Others, reads thus;
All, haill superior sex, exalted fair,
Mirrors of virtue, heaven peculiar care
Formd TO enspirit and ennoble man,
The immortal finish ofcreation's planl
In those lines is revealed the real spiri
Of the American gentleman, for thes'
grimy handed, powder stained veterans o
the Revolution We're gentlemen every incl
Of them, brave in battle, loyal to duty
chivalrous to women. The gentlemen o
today who celebrate the Fourth Of Jul!
with anch lnviah dianlau nnn do No NOR