The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-05-10
The Battle of the Kegs

The Battle OF the Kegs
Some days ago in an article in
The Banner, reference was made 10
a famous old poem of Revolutionary
days, The Battle of the Kegs. !.
S. Paddock furnishes us a copy of
the poem which was as follows:
Gallants attend, and hear a friend,
Trill forth harmonious ditty;
Strange things IN tell, which late
befell,
In Philadelphia city
Twas early day, as poets say,
Just as the sun was rising,
A soldier stood on a log of wood,
And saw sight surprising.
AS in amaze he stood to gaze,
The truth can't be denied sir;
He spied a score of kegs, or more.
Come driving down the tide, sir.
A sailor, in jerkin blue,
This strange appearance viewing.
First damned his eyes. in great sur
prising
Then said, some mischiefs brew
ing
These kegs now hold the rebels
bold,
Packed up like picked herring;
And they're come down to attack the
town
In this new way of ferrying."
The soldier flew, the sailor too,
And coarid aI 90 Iooth ,f,
Wore out their shoes to spread the
news,
And ran till out of breath, sir
Now up and down, throughout the
town,
Most frantic scenes were acted.
And some ran here and others there,
Like men all most distracted
Some fire cried, which some denied,
But said the earth had quake1,
And girls and boys, with nideous
noise
Ran through the streets half naked
Sir William he, snug as a flea,
Lay all this time a snoring,
Nor dreamed of harm, as he lay warm
In bed with Mrs. Loring.
Now in a fright he starts upright,
Awakened by such a clatter;
First rubs his eyes, then boldly cries
For Gods sake, what's the mat
ter?"
At his bedside then he espied
Sir Erskine, at command, sir;
Upon one foot he had one boot,
And t'other in his hand, sir;
Arise, arise" sir Erskine cries,
THE rebels-more's the pity!
Without boat, are all ahoat,
And ranged before the city.
The motley crew in vessels new,
With Satan for their guide, sir,
Packed up in bags, and wooden kegs
Come driving down the tide, sir,
Therefore prepare for bloody war;
These kegs must all be routed,
Or surely we despised shall be,
And British valour doubted"
The royal band now ready stand,
All ranged in dead array, sir,
On every slip, in every ship,
For to begin the fray, sir
The cannons roar, from shore t
shore,
The small arms make a rattle;
Since wars began, I'm sure no man,
Fer saw so strange a battle
The rebel dales-the rebel wales,
With rebel trees surrounded;
The distant woods, the hills an
floods,
With rebel echoes sounded.
The fish below swan to and fro,
Attacked on every quarter;
Why sure, thought they, the devil
, to pay
Among folks above the water
The kegs, tbs said, though strongl
, made.
OF rebel slaves and hoops, sir,
Could not oppose their powerful foe
, The conquerng British troops, 81
. From morn to night those men
might,
Displayed amazing courage;
4 And when the sun was fairly down
Retired to sup their porridge.
I. One hundred men, with each a pen
Or more, upon my word, sir,
} 1t is most true, would be too few,
/. Their valour to record sir.
! Such feats did they perform that da
Against those wicked kegs, sir,
: That years to come, II they get hon
! They'll make their boasts al
brags, sir