NOTESPage 3. The Story of Vinland. The discovery of America by the Norsemen is as well authenticated as any other fact of tenth-century history, and much better authenticated than most. There can be no doubt of the substantial accuracy of the Icelandic chronicle, and Mr. Lanier has followed it very closely.Page 3. Stout Are Marson. Are Marsson. The stories concerning him and "Huitramannaland" are believed to be purely fanciful, an embroidery of fiction upon the historical background of the chronicles. There is no evidence that the Norsemen ever got farther south than Cape Cod, or, at most, Point Judith.Page 7. Mid-ships with iron keel. The Norse boats had neither "iron keel" nor "ribs of steel." Keel and ribs were made of oak, and no evidence has been found of metallic sheathing. The size of these ships is usually underestimated. They were larger, stronger, and more seaworthy than those of Columbus. There is one in the museum at Christiania seventy-eight feet long, seventeen feet beam, and nearly six feet in depth. She carried a crew of at least thirty-five men. Henry Hudson's Half Moon carried a crew of only sixteen.Page 7. The lofty tower. The old stone tower at Newport, around whose origin controversy raged for many years, but which is now believed to have been built by Benedict Arnold, governor of Newport, about 1676, for a windmill. The reader is referred to Palfrey's "History of New England," i, 57; Fiske's "Discovery of America," i, 214; and Drake's "New England Legends and Folk-lore," 393.Page 7. Beyond the limits he had vainly set. The Pillars of Hercules, Gibraltar and Cape Serra.Page 9. St. Stephen's cloistered hall. The conference was held at the Dominican convent of St. Stephen, at Salamanca.Page 10. Cordova's sage. Seneca.Page 12. The far-seeing Marchioness. Beatriz de Bobadilla, Marchioness of Moya, the bosom friend of the Queen, and a devoted admirer of Columbus. She happened to be with the Queen when Santangel rushed in demanding audience and told of Columbus's departure, and added her eloquence to his.Page 14. Pedro Gutierrez. Pilot of the Santa Maria.Page 14. Sanchez of Segovia. Roderigo Sanchez, inspector-general of the armament.Page 16. A Castilla y Á Leon. "To Castile and Leon Columbus gave a new world." This was the motto annexed to the coat of arms granted to Columbus.Page 21. The shining CÈpango. Cipango was the name given by Marco Polo to an island east of Asia, supposed to be the modern Japan. It was Cipango which Columbus and all the voyagers for half a century after him were seeking.Page 25. Old Las Casas. BartolomÉ de las Casas (1474-1566), a Spanish Dominican, celebrated as a defender of the Indians against their Spanish conquerors.Page 30. Moscoso. Luis de Moscoso, who took charge of the expedition after De Soto's death.Page 30. Six thousand of our foemen. The native loss was greatly exaggerated. It probably did not exceed five hundred.Page 30. And eighty-two of Spain. The Spanish loss was 170. The scene of the battle is supposed to have been what is now known as Choctaw Bluff, in Clarke County, Alabama.Page 31. The cities of the ZuÑi. Coronado's expedition reached Cibola early in July, 1540, and a few days later carried it by storm and subdued the whole district, but found no treasure. A detailed account of the expedition will be found in Winsor's "Narrative and Critical History of America," ii, 473-503.Page 34. Good Bernard. Bernard of Cluny, a French Benedictine monk of the twelfth century, author of "De Contemptu Mundi," popularly known through Neale's translation, "Jerusalem the Golden."Page 34. Do not fear. The last words Gilbert is known to have spoken were the famous "We are as near to heaven by sea as by land." These are said to have been heard on board the companion ship, the Hind, a short time before the Squirrel disappeared.Page 38. Pocahontas. This imaginative tale, from which all other narratives of the event are derived, appears in the second chapter of the third book of Smith's "The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles" (London, 1622), and is as follows:—

"At last they brought him to Meronoco moco, where was Powhatan, their emperor. Here more than two hundred of these grim courtiers stood wondering at him as he had been a monster, till Powhatan and his train had put themselves in their greatest braveries. Before a fire, upon a seat like a bedstead, he sat covered with a great robe, made of Rarowcun skins, and all the tails hanging by. On either hand did sit a young wench of 16 or 18 years, and along on each side of the house, two rows of men, and behind them as many women, with all their heads and shoulders painted red; many of their heads bedecked with the white down of birds; but every one with something: and a great chain of white beads about their necks. At his entrance before the King, all the people gave a great shout. The queen of Appamatuck was appointed to bring him water to wash his hands, and another brought him a bunch of feathers, instead of a towel to dry them: having feasted him after their best barbarous manner they could, a long consultation was held, but the conclusion was, two great stones were brought before Powhatan; then as many as could laid hand on him, dragged him to them, and thereon laid his head, and being ready with their clubs to beat out his brains, Pocahontas, the king's dearest daughter, when no entreaty could prevail, got his head in her arms, and laid her own upon his to save him from death: whereat the emperor was contented he should live to make him hatchets, and her bells, beads, and copper: for they thought him as well of all occupations as themselves. For the king himself will make his own robes, shoes, bows, arrows, pots; plant, hunt, or do anything so well as the rest.

In spite of which, it is generally agreed among historians that no such incident ever occurred. One can only remark that Smith seems to have had a genius for imaginative detail worthy of Defoe.Page 40. Richard Rich was a soldier and adventurer who accompanied Captain Newport in the Sea Venture, and experienced all the dangers and hardships of that remarkable voyage. He finally got back to England in 1610, and on the first day of October, published this poem, his object being, as he says in a brief and broadly humorous preface, to "spread the truth" about the new colony, whose attractions had so impressed him that he was resolved to return thither with Captain Newport in the following year. He speaks of another book of his soon to be issued, also devoted to a description of the colony, but no copy of it has ever been discovered, nor is anything known concerning Rich's subsequent adventures. A copy of his "Newes from Virginia" was found in 1864 in Lord Charlemont's collection, and is now in the Huth Library.Page 40. Gates. Sir Thomas Gates, lieutenant-general of the new company.Page 40. Newport. Christopher Newport (1565?-1617) had had an adventurous career as a corsair in the West Indies, where he sacked four Spanish towns, and destroyed no less than twenty Spanish vessels.Page 40. Eleaven months. June 2, 1609-May 24, 1610.Page 40. Inhabited by hogges. The descendants, presumably, of those left by the Spaniards.Page 40. Two only. Six of the company died on the island.Page 40. A son and daughter. These details are confirmed in "A True Repertory of the Wracke and Redemption of Sir Thomas Gates upon and from the Islands of the Bermudas," or from Silas Jourdan's "Discovery of the Barmudas ... by Sir T. Gates ... with divers others" (1610); to both of which Shakespeare is said to have been indebted for the groundwork of "The Tempest."Page 43. The Marriage of Pocahontas. There is some doubt as to whether the marriage occurred in 1613 or 1614. The former has been the more generally accepted date, but the compiler has adopted the latter on the authority of Mr. Wyndham Robertson, who has made an exhaustive study of the question, the results of which were embodied in a paper read before the Virginia Historical Society in 1860. Mr. Robertson proves pretty conclusively that April 5, 1614, is the correct date.Page 43. Sparkling-Water. The English meaning of Pocahontas.Page 45. The town shall not rise from its ashes again. Jamestown, at the time it was burned, consisted of a church, state-house, and about eighteen dwellings, mostly of brick. Only the tower of the church and a few chimneys were left standing.Page 45. Bacon's Epitaph. This remarkable poem has been preserved in an anonymous "History of Bacon's and Ingram's Rebellion," known as "The Burwell Papers," and printed by the Massachusetts Historical Society in 1814. The "Burwell Papers" have been attributed to a planter named Cotton of Acquia Creek, but this is only conjecture, and there seems to be absolutely no clue to the authorship of the elegy, which will probably always remain one of the literary mysteries of America.Page 48. The Downfall of Piracy. This is thought to be one of the ballads referred to by Benjamin Franklin in his autobiography. He says: "I now took a fancy to poetry, and made some little pieces. My brother, thinking it might turn to account, encouraged me, and put me on composing occasional ballads. One was called 'The Lighthouse Tragedy,' and contained an account of the drowning of Captain Worthilake, with his two daughters; the other was a sailor song on the taking of Teach (or Blackbeard) the pirate."

It had been thought for many years that both of these ballads were lost, but "The Downfall of Piracy" was discovered by Dr. Edward Everett Hale in a volume entitled "Some Real Sea-Songs," edited by Mr. John Ashton, and published in London. There is, in Dr. Hale's opinion, no doubt that it is one of the Franklin ballads. The news of the fight probably reached Boston about the first of January, 1719, and the ballad was no doubt written soon after. Of "The Lighthouse Tragedy" no trace has been found.Page 50. 'Twas Juet spoke. Robert Juet accompanied Hudson as mate on his previous voyage, and on this one acted as clerk. He kept a curious journal of the voyage, which has been preserved in Purchas's third volume.Page 52. The Praise of New Netherland. The full title, in English, is "The Praise of New Netherland: wherein are briefly and truly shown the excellent qualities which it possesses in the purity of the air, fertility of the soil, production of the cattle, abundance of game and fish, with its advantages for navigation and commerce." It was printed at Amsterdam "for Jacobus Van Der Fuyk, bookseller in the Still-Alley, Anno 1661." Steendam had returned to Amsterdam, it is thought only on a visit, at the time of the publication of this poem. It is dedicated to "The Honorable Cornelis van Ruyven, councillor and secretary of the Hon. West India Company there. Faithful and very upright Promoter of New Netherland."Page 54. Noch vaster. A play upon words, a whimsical device adopted by Steendam. Steendam means "stone dam," and noch vaster, "still firmer." Notwithstanding which he seems to have been "a man of very unsettled purposes of life."Page 58. Bartholomew Gosnold's 'headlands.' Gosnold commanded an expedition which, in 1602, discovered Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, both of which were named by him.Page 63. The Expedition to Wessagusset. Mr. Longfellow has followed the account of this expedition given in Winslow's Relation of "Standish's Expedition against the Indians of Weymouth." He has, however, turned the incident of Standish's killing of the chiefs, Pecksuot and Wituwamat, into a much more open and heroic piece of conduct than the chronicle admits. The killing really occurred in a room into which Standish and a few of his men had enticed them. This was the first Indian blood shed by the Pilgrims. A general battle followed in the open field, from which the Indians fled and in which no lives were lost.

"Concerning the killing of those poor Indians," wrote Robinson of Leyden (December 16, 1623), "of which we heard first by report and since by more certain relation, O how happy a thing had it been, if you had converted some before you had killed any!"Page 65. New England's Annoyances. These verses are undoubtedly of a very early date, probably about 1630. Rufus W. Griswold, in his introduction to "The Poets and Poetry of America" (Philadelphia, 1854), calls them "the first verses by a colonist," a statement which is, of course, impossible of proof. They appeared originally in the Massachusetts Historical Collections, with the statement that they were "taken memoriter, in 1785, from the lips of an old lady at the advanced age of 96."Page 73. Anne Hutchinson's Exile. The basis of the famous Antinomian controversy, as it was called, was the promulgation, by Mrs. Hutchinson, of "two dangerous errors: first, that the person of the Holy Ghost dwells in a justified person; second, that no sanctification can help to evidence to us our justification." The words are Winthrop's. To these two doctrines Mrs. Hutchinson attached so much importance that she undertook the public ministration of them. Sir Harry Vane, the young governor of the colony, was one of her converts, but in May, 1637, Winthrop was chosen governor instead of Vane, and at once took steps to suppress the Antinomians, which resulted in the banishment of the more prominent among them.Page 73. The father. William Hutchinson, who had accompanied his family from England.Page 73. The boys and girls. There were fifteen children, so that Portsmouth, which they founded, started off with a larger population than most towns of the period.Page 75. In the ruler's seat. Underhill was chosen governor of the "Passataquack men" in October, 1638.Page 83. Pettaquamscut town. South Kingston, Rhode Island. The Narragansett stronghold lay sixteen miles away, in what is now the town of North Kingston.Page 83. George Fox. Founder of the Society of Friends, who visited America in 1671-72.Page 84. Connecticut had sent her men. Of the army of a thousand, five hundred and twenty-seven were furnished by Massachusetts, and the remainder by Connecticut and Plymouth.Page 85. On a Fortification at Boston begun by Women. This poem occurs on pages 30-31 of "New England's Crisis," and not, as Duyckinck states, at the beginning. The author, Benjamin Tompson, "learned schoolmaster and physician, and y^e renowned poet of New England," as the epitaph upon his tombstone puts it, was born at Braintree, Massachusetts, July 14, 1642, graduated from Harvard in 1662, and after serving as master of the Boston Latin School and Cambridge Preparatory School, died at Cambridge in 1675.Page 85. Sudbury's battle. The Indian attack was made early in the morning of April 21, and lasted practically all the day. News of it soon reached the neighboring towns, and relief parties were started forward. The Indians were on the lookout for them. A party of eleven men from Concord walked into an ambush and only one escaped; eighteen troopers from Boston finally got into the town with a loss of four; and a party of fifty from Marlboro, under Captain Samuel Wadsworth, were caught in an adroitly prepared trap, out of which but thirteen came alive.Page 99. Charles of Estienne. Charles de St. Estienne was a son of Claude de la Tour, a nobleman who, in 1610, had been forced by poverty to seek his fortune in the New World. They came to Port Royal, shared in the vicissitudes of the little settlement, and were among those who took to the woods after its destruction by the English. Among the fugitives was the Sieur de Biencourt, who held a grant to the country about Port Royal. They built some rude cabins, cultivated little patches of ground, and raised a fort of logs and earth near Cape Sable, which they called Fort St. Louis. Biencourt died in 1623, and Charles de la Tour took command of the fort and assumed control of Biencourt's property, claiming that Biencourt had so willed it. Another fort was built on the River St. John, and La Tour was appointed by the king lieutenant-governor over Fort Louis, Port la Tour, and dependencies.

At about the same time, Richelieu sent out an expedition to take formal possession of New France, and named Isaac de Launay de Razilly governor of all Acadia. He made his settlement at La HÈve, on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, but died in 1635, and his deputy, Charles de Menou, Chevalier D'Aulnay, asserted his right to command in the colony. Thereupon began between him and Charles de la Tour that famous struggle for the possession of Acadia which forms so romantic a passage in American history.Page 101. Pentagoet shall rue. La Tour was unable to avenge himself, but time did it for him. D'Aulnay was drowned in 1650, and La Tour was appointed governor of Acadia. In 1653 he married D'Aulnay's widow, Jeanne de Motin.Page 105. Pentucket. The Indian name for Haverhill.Page 106. Lovewell's Fight. This ballad, which is of extraordinary interest as the oldest American war ballad extant, was preserved in "The " History " of the " Wars of New England with the Eastern Indians, " or a " Narrative " of their continued perfidy and cruelty, " from the 10th of August, 1703, " to the Peace renewed 13th of July, 1713, " and from the 25th of July, 1722, " to their Submission 15th December, 1725, " which was Ratified August 5th, 1726. " By Samuel Penhallow, Esqr. " Boston, 1726." This was reprinted at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1859, and the ballad occurs on page 129.Page 106. Of worthy Captain Lovewell. Not much is known of Lovewell. He was a son of Zaccheus Lovewell, an ensign in the army of Oliver Cromwell, who had come to America and settled at Dunstable, where he died at the great age of one hundred and twenty years,—"the oldest white man who ever died in New Hampshire." He left three sons, the youngest of whom was John, the hero of Pigwacket. At the time of the fight, he was about thirty-three years of age, and had a wife and two or three children. After the Indian attack on Dunstable in 1624, he and some others petitioned the House of Representatives at Boston to make some provision for a force to be sent against the savages. The Representatives voted that all such volunteers should be paid two shillings and sixpence a day, and promised large rewards for the scalps of male Indians old enough to fight. A company of thirty was raised, with Lovewell as captain, and captured one prisoner and took one scalp. A second expedition brought back ten scalps and some other booty, and the third expedition culminated in the battle at Pigwacket.Page 106. 'Twas nigh unto Pigwacket. The old name for Fryeburg. Pigwacket was at the time the principal village of the Ossipe tribe. Also spelled Pequawket.Page 108. They killed Lieutenant Robbins. Robbins was a native of Chelmsford. He was so badly wounded that he had to be left on the ground. He desired his companions to charge his gun and leave it with him, saying, "As the Indians will come in the morning to scalp me, I will kill one more of them if I can."Page 108. Good young Frye. Jonathan Frye, the chaplain of the company, was the only son of Captain James Frye, of Andover, and had graduated at Harvard only two years before. It is a curious commentary on the taste of the time that he should be commended for scalping Indians, as well as killing them; the scalping, however, was the result not of ferocity but of the large rewards offered by the Boston legislature for these trophies.Page 108. Wymans Captain made. Ensign Seth Wymans, or Wyman, belonged in Woburn, and commanded through the day, after the fall of his superiors at the first fire. He so distinguished himself that he was given a captain's commission, and his admiring townsmen presented him with a silver-hilted sword.Page 108. Lovewell's Fight. From Collections, " Historical and Miscellaneous; " and " Monthly Literary Journal: " [table of contents] Edited by J. Farmer and J. B. Moore. " Concord: " Published by J. B. Moore. " 1824. Vol. iii, page 94.Page 108. Anon, there eighty Indians rose. Penhallow says seventy, Hutchinson eighty, Williamson sixty-three, and Belknap forty-one.Page 111. The British Lyon Roused. From Tilden's " miscellaneous " Poems, " on " Divers Occasions; " Chiefly to Animate & Rouse " the " Soldiers. " Printed 1756. The little volume from which this poem was taken is one of the most interesting published before the Revolution. For a long time nothing whatever was known of the author, not even his first name. But that was subsequently discovered by Mr. J. H. Trumbull, and communicated to the "New York Historical Magazine," iv, 72, by him. This account seems to have been overlooked by all of Tilden's biographers. Appleton's CyclopÆdia of American Biography fails to give his first name, nor does any history or cyclopÆdia of American literature with which the compiler is familiar.Page 112. The Song of Braddock's Men. This spirited song has been preserved by Mr. Winthrop Sargent in his excellent monograph upon the Braddock expedition, published by the Pennsylvania Historical Society in 1855. Mr. Sargent states that it was composed in Chester County, Pennsylvania, while the army was on the march in the early autumn of 1755, and that there is no doubt of its authenticity. He does not say where he discovered it.Page 112. Braddock's Fate. It will be noticed that these verses were composed just six weeks after the battle which they describe, and the author must have sat down to them at once upon hearing the news of the defeat.Page 113. Old sixty-six. The author.Page 114. North America. It is worthy of note that in all colonial and revolutionary poetry, America is rhymed with such words as day, say, and away.Page 114. Telesem. A name which Tilden gave to this form of verse.Page 118. Of Wolfe's brave deeds. General James Wolfe, who commanded a brigade, and took the leading part in the assaults on the fortress, on one occasion plunging into the sea at the head of his grenadiers, and capturing a battery which commanded the beach.Page 118. Amherst's patriot name. Jeffrey (afterwards Baron) Amherst, commander-in-chief of the land forces, fourteen thousand strong. He was hotly criticised by Wolfe for his blundering conduct of the campaign.Page 119. The tartans of Grant's Highlanders. Major Grant, of the Highlanders, had obtained permission to reconnoitre the fort, and set out with about eight hundred men. He reached the fort on September 14, but, relying on his supposed superior numbers, divided his force in such a way that the different parts could not support each other. He was defeated in detail, his force cut to pieces, and himself taken prisoner. His loss was nearly three hundred.Page 119. Loyalhanna. Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.Page 121. Ned Botwood. Edward Botwood, sergeant in the grenadiers of the Forty-seventh, or Lascelles' Regiment. He was the author of the verses given here, which were written on the eve of the expedition's departure from Louisburg, and continued popular with the British troops throughout the Revolution. He was killed during an unsuccessful assault, July 31.Page 122. Then Wolfe he took his leave. A short time before leaving for America, Wolfe had become engaged to Katherine, daughter of Robert Lowther.Page 122. A parley. This is, of course, purely imaginary. There was no parley.Page 122. Then instant from his horse. Wolfe was not on horseback.Page 129. The Virginia Song. When David Garrick wrote "Hearts of Oak" as an expression of English patriotism, he little dreamed that he was furnishing ammunition for England's enemies. It was to the air of that song that the most popular of the colonial patriotic songs were written, and it was probably better known than any of our national songs are to us to-day. Such versions as "The Virginia Song," "The Patriot's Appeal," "The Massachusetts Song," and "The Liberty Song" were printed on broadside sheets and in newspaper columns and sung in village meeting and city street throughout the land, awakening immense enthusiasm.Page 131. The Liberty Pole. From "The Procession with the Standard of Faction, a Cantata," a four-page folio preserved in the Du SimitiÈre collection of broadsides.Page 132. Who carry caps and pouches. "Pouches," perhaps a survival of the days of the hand-grenade.Page 132. Crispus Attucks. Attucks was a resident of Framingham, and there is some difference of opinion as to whether he was a mulatto or half-breed Indian. His only claim to remembrance is that he happened to be in the path of a British bullet on that March day in Boston.Page 135. A New Song called the Gaspee. The author of this old ballad is unknown. It was rescued from oblivion by Mr. John S. Taylor, who printed it in his "Sketches of Newport and its Vicinity," New York, 1842.Page 138. Tremble! for know, I, Thomas Gage. Gage was the last royal governor of Massachusetts, and the best hated.Page 139. Against Virginia's hostile land. Patrick Henry's famous speech, delivered in 1764 before the House of Burgesses, had never ceased to ring in the ears of royalty, and the people of Virginia had long been regarded as a "rebellious band that must be broken."Page 139. Hail, Middlesex! A small number of the people of Middlesex County, Virginia, early in 1774, had adopted some Royalist "resolves," an event which gave rise to the following epigram by a "Lady of Pennsylvania":—

Page 139. To Murray bend the humble knee. John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, royal governor of Virginia, 1770-1775.Page 139. Mesech Weare. Weare was president of the state of New Hampshire in 1776. His verses were set to a psalm tune and widely sung.Page 140. In spite of Rice. This refers to the extensive donations sent from the other colonies to the people of Boston.Page 140. Rivington's New York Gazetteer. This paper, the principal vehicle of Royalist poetry during the Revolution, was established by James Rivington, a bookseller, in 1773, and printed at his "ever open and uninfluenced press." In the autumn of 1775 his printing outfit was destroyed by a patriot mob; but he was soon afterwards appointed King's Printer for the colony, furnished with a new outfit, and started "Rivington's New York Loyal Gazette." At the close of the war he changed its title to "Rivington's Gazette and Universal Advertiser," but it died of starvation in 1783.Page 141. Liberty Tree. On August 14, 1765, an effigy representing Andrew Oliver, distributer of stamps for Boston, was found hanging from a great elm opposite the Boylston Market. A mob gathered when the sheriff tried to take down the effigy, the stamp office was demolished, and Oliver himself was compelled to repair to the tree and resign his commission. It was thenceforward called the Liberty Tree. Liberty trees were afterwards consecrated in many other New England towns.Page 143. Since mad Lee now commands us. Major-General Charles Lee, that eccentric, morose, and ill-fated genius, characterized by Thomas Paine as "above all monarchs and below all scum."Page 143. Massachusetts Song of Liberty. This song, to the air "Hearts of Oak," became almost as popular as "Adams and Liberty" did at a later day. Mrs. Mercy Warren, to whom it is attributed, published a volume of "Poems, Dramatic and Miscellaneous" (Boston, 1790), dedicated to Washington.Page 144. To the Boston Women. From Upcott, iv, 339.Page 144. Paul Revere's Ride. It is possible that Mr. Longfellow derived the story, as told in the poem, from Revere's account of the adventure in a letter to Dr. Jeremy Belknap, printed in Mass. Hist. Coll. v. The publication of the poem called out a long controversy as to the accuracy of its details.Page 147. Then Devens looked. Richard Devens, a member of the Committee of Safety, of which Hancock and Warren were the leading spirits.Page 147. Then haste ye, Prescott and Revere. Dr. Samuel Prescott, of Concord, joined Revere and Dawes at Lexington and started with them for Concord. They were stopped by a British patrol. Prescott escaped by leaping his horse over the roadside wall and spurred on to Concord, while his companions were taken prisoners, but soon released.Page 147. The red-coats fire, the homespuns fall. Eight Americans were killed, four near the spot where the battle monument now stands, and four others while escaping over the fences. Their names, as recorded on the monument, were Robert Monroe, Jonas Parker, Samuel Hadley, Jonathan Harrington, Jr., Isaac Muzzy, Caleb Harrington, and John Brown, of Lexington, and Asahel Porter, of Woburn.Page 148. New England's Chevy Chase. As Lord Percy, at the head of the relief column, marched through Roxbury, his bands playing "Yankee Doodle" in derision of the opponents he was soon to meet, he observed a boy who seemed to be exceedingly amused. He stopped and asked the boy why he was so merry. "To think," said the boy, "how you will dance by and by to Chevy Chase." Percy, who was very superstitious, was worried by the remark all day. Its point will be appreciated when it is remembered that Percy was a lineal descendant of the Earl Percy who was slain at Chevy Chase.Page 149. We saw Davis fall dead. Captain Isaac Davis, of the Acton company. He and Abner Hosmer were killed as the Americans charged the British stationed at the North Bridge. "I haven't a man that's afraid to go!" he had exclaimed as he wheeled his company into line for the charge.Page 150. We'd rather have spent it this way than to home. One of the veterans of the fight made this very remark to Edward Everett.Page 153. Of man for man the sacrifice. The British lost 65 killed, 180 wounded, 28 captured; the Americans, 59 killed, 39 wounded, 5 missing.Page 158. King David. See 2 Samuel v, 23, 24.Page 159. Yankee Doodle. Accounts of the origin of "Yankee Doodle" are many and various. The air is very old, and nearly every country in Europe claims it. It probably reached England from Holland, and in the days of Charles I was used for some verses about Lydia Lockett and Kittie Fisher, gay ladies of the town. Afterwards, when Cromwell rode into Oxford on a pony, with his single plume fastened into a sort of knot called a "macaroni," the Cavaliers used the same air for their derisive verses. The story goes that this fact was recalled by Dr. Richard Shuckburg, of the Seventeenth Foot, when the queerly garbed provincial levies presented themselves, in June, 1755, at the camp at Albany, to take part in the campaign against the French. He wrote down the notes of the air and got the regimental band to play it. It was taken up by the Americans and became instantly popular. Verses innumerable have been attached to the air, the best known of which are "The Yankee's Return from Camp" and "The Battle of the Kegs."Page 160. Edward Bangs. This is upon the authority of Dr. Edward Everett Hale, who states that "an autograph note of Judge Dawes, of the Harvard class of 1777, addressed to my father, says that the author of the well-known lines was Edward Bangs, who graduated with him. Mr. Bangs had, as a college boy, joined the Middlesex farmers in the pursuit of April 19, 1775. He was afterward a judge in Worcester County."Page 160. Tom Gage's Proclamation. General Gage's proclamation, issued June 12, 1775, was as follows:—

"Whereas the infatuated multitudes, who have long suffered themselves to be conducted by certain well-known incendiaries and traitors, in a fatal progression of crimes against the constitutional authority of the state, have at length proceeded to avowed rebellion, and the good effects which were expected to arise from the patience and lenity of the king's government have been often frustrated, and are now rendered hopeless by the influence of the same evil counsels, it only remains for those who are entrusted with the supreme rule, as well for the punishment of the guilty as the protection of the well-affected, to prove that they do not bear the sword in vain."Page 162. The Ballad of Bunker Hill. An unsigned copy of these verses, apparently an authentic Revolutionary ballad, but really written by Dr. Hale in 1845, was "discovered," about 1858, among some old manuscripts at Millbury, Mass., and reproduced in the "Historical Magazine," iii, 311. Dr. Hale had himself lost all trace of the poem, until he came across it in the first edition of this compilation.Page 163. Grandmother's Story of Bunker-Hill Battle. Dr. Holmes himself says:—

"The story of Bunker Hill battle is told as literally in accordance with the best authorities as it would have been if it had been written in prose instead of in verse. I have often been asked what steeple it was from which the little group I speak of looked upon the conflict. To this I answer that I am not prepared to speak authoritatively, but that the reader may take his choice among all the steeples standing at that time in the northern part of the city. Christ Church in Salem Street is the one I always think of, but I do not insist upon its claim. As to the personages who made up the small company that followed the old corporal, it would be hard to identify them, but by ascertaining where the portrait by Copley is now to be found, some light may be thrown on their personality."

It has been pointed out that the belfry could hardly have been that of Christ Church, since tradition has it that General Gage himself watched the battle from that vantage point.

The poem was first published in 1875, in connection with the centenary of the battle which it describes.Page 167. The Battle of Bunker Hill. This "popular" ballad was written and printed as a broadside for the purpose of encouraging recruiting for the English army. There are many versions of it, as well as parodies composed by Yankee sympathizers.Page 169. 'Twas then he took his gloomy way. Washington's journey was, as a matter of fact, a kind of triumph.Page 169. Lawyer Close. Washington's aide, Major Lee.Page 170. Like Esop's greedy cur. Fable 118. A dog crossing a rivulet, with a piece of meat in his mouth, saw his own shadow; and believing it to be another dog with a larger piece of meat, snatched at it, with the result that he lost his own piece.Page 173. A Poem containing Some Remarks on the Present War, etc., is from Poems " upon " Several Occasions, " viz. " I. A Poem on the Enemy's first coming " to Boston; the burning of Charles- " town; the Fight at Bunker-Hill, &c. " II. The Widow's Lamentation. " III. Nebuchadnezzar's Dream. " IV. Against Oppression. " V. An heroic Poem on the taking of Gen. " Burgoyne, &c. " Boston: Printed for the Author, 1779. " It is an 8vo of sixteen pages, the first poem being printed in double column. A note at the end of the volume is signed "A Friend to Liberty."Page 176. Emancipation from British Dependence. The following explanatory note is from Duyckinck's edition of Freneau:—

"Sir James Wallace, Admiral Graves, and Captain Montague were British naval officers, employed on our coast. The Viper and Rose were vessels in the service. Lord Dunmore, the last Royal governor of Virginia, had recently, in April, 1775, removed the public stores from Williamsburg, and, in conjunction with a party of adherents, supported by the naval force on the station, was making war on the province. William Tryon, the last Royal governor of New York, discerning the signs of the times, took refuge on board the Halifax packet in the harbor, and left the city in the middle of October, 1775."Page 177. Rodney, who was one of the Delaware delegates to the Continental Congress, had obtained leave of absence for a journey through the southern part of the state to prepare the people for a change of government. His colleagues, Thomas McKean and George Read, were divided on the question, and the former, knowing Rodney to be favorable to the declaration, sent him a message urging his return. By great exertion Rodney arrived just in time for the final discussion, and his affirmative vote secured the consent of the Delaware delegation to the declaration, and effected that unanimity among the colonies which was essential to the success of the measure.Page 180. The American Patriot's Prayer. This poem was formerly ascribed to Thomas Paine, but recent authority has rejected this on the basis of internal evidence.Page 183. The Maryland Battalion. At the opening of the Revolution, the young men of Baltimore organized the "Baltimore Independent Company," and elected Mordecai Gist captain. This was afterwards increased to a battalion, of which Gist was appointed major. The battalion checked the advance of Cornwallis at the battle of Long Island, and saved a portion of Stirling's command from capture. Two hundred and fifty-nine were left dead on the field.Page 183. Grant. The British general who commanded the left wing. He had declared in the House of Commons that the Americans would not fight, and that he could march from one end of the continent to the other with five thousand men.Page 183. Stirling. William Alexander, commonly called Lord Stirling, eldest son of James Alexander Stirling, who had fled to America upon the discovery of the Jacobite conspiracy of 1715.Page 184. Knowlton. Thomas Knowlton, lieutenant-colonel of a regiment of rangers selected from the Connecticut troops. He was killed at the battle of Harlem Heights, as was Major Leitch, who had been sent to his aid.Page 185. Nathan Hale. Nathan Hale was a great-grandson of John Hale, first minister of Beverly, Massachusetts. He was born in 1755, and graduated from Yale in 1773. Little is known of his personal history.Page 188. Trenton and Princeton. From McCarty's "National Song Book," iii, 88. McCarty says it was written from the dictation of an old lady who had heard it sung during the Revolution.Page 204. Lord North's Recantation. These verses were written by "a gentleman of Chester," England, and first appeared in the "London Evening Post."Page 205. General Howe's Letter. From Upcott, v, 45.Page 208. British Valor Displayed; or, The Battle of the Kegs. This ballad was occasioned by a real incident. Certain machines in the form of kegs, charged with gunpowder, were sent down the river to annoy the British shipping then at Philadelphia. The danger of these machines being discovered, the British manned the wharfs and shipping and discharged their small-arms and cannons at everything they saw floating in the river during the ebb tide.—Author's note.

David Bushnell, inventor of the American torpedo, constructed the machines, which were so arranged as to explode on coming in contact with anything. Hopkinson's verses, which swept from colony to colony, did much to relieve the strain of those early months of 1778, and were perhaps worth as much, in tonic and inspiration, as the winning of a battle would have been.Page 208. Sir William. Sir William Howe, commanding the British army.Page 208. Mrs. Loring. Wife of Joshua Loring, the notorious commissary of prisoners.Page 208. Sir Erskine. Sir William Erskine.Page 214. King Hancock at their head. John Hancock commanded the second line of Massachusetts militia in this movement.Page 214. Bold Pigot. Sir Robert Pigot commanded the British forces in Rhode Island.Page 216. Betty Zane. Elizabeth Zane was about eighteen years of age at the time she performed this exploit, and had just returned to Fort Henry from Philadelphia, where she had completed her education. She lived until 1847.Page 216. Betty's brothers. Ebenezer and Silas.Page 217. The Wyoming Massacre. This ballad was printed, apparently for the first time, in Charles Miner's "History of Wyoming" (Philadelphia, 1845), where it is stated that it was written shortly after the tragedy by Mr. "Uriah Terry, of Kingston." In McCarty's "National Song Book" (iii, 344) it is said to have been written "by a person then resident near the field of battle."Page 219. The Cruise of the Fair American. The war song of the Salem Privateersmen during the Revolution, and preserved in Griswold's manuscript collection of "American Historical Ballads." It was taken down from the mouths of Hawthorne's surviving shipmates early in the last century.Page 219. Bold Hawthorne. Daniel Hawthorne, grandfather of Nathaniel Hawthorne.Page 223. The Yankee Man-of-War. This, one of the very best of American sea-songs, was first published by Commodore Luce, in his collection of "Naval Songs." He states that it was taken down from the recitation of a sailor. Internal evidence would indicate that it was composed by a member of the Ranger's crew.Page 224. Paul Jones—A New Song. This is Number 613, vol. iii, of the Roxburghe collection of broadsides.Page 224. As Green, Jemmy Twitcher. Captain Green was a noted pirate, and Jemmy Twitcher was the name given to the notorious John, Lord Sandwich.Page 224. Pierce. Captain Richard Pearson. He was knighted as a reward for his fight with Jones. The latter remarked, upon hearing of it, "Should I fall in with him again, I'll make a lord of him."Page 225. The Alliance bore down and the Richard did rake. The Alliance was commanded by Pierre Landais, a Frenchman, and his actions have never been satisfactorily explained. He had held his ship aloof at the opening of the battle, disregarding Jones's orders, but came up later only to pour three or four broadsides into the Richard, killing or wounding many of her crew and almost sinking her. She then drew off and awaited the result of the battle.Page 225. Full forty guns Serapis bore. She really carried fifty against the Richard's forty-two. Besides, she was a new frigate, only four months out, while the Richard was old and unseaworthy. The Serapis carried 320 men, the Richard 304.Page 226. Bold Pallas soon the Countess took. The Countess of Scarborough struck to the Pallas after a gallant two hours' battle.Page 226. In the Hyder Ali. Hyder Ali was an Indian prince who defeated the English in 1767 and subsequently caused them so much annoyance that he was very popular with American patriots.Page 229. The Hope. The ship Hope and the brig Constance, which were with the South Carolina, were also taken.Page 229. Sir Henry Clinton. Clinton was left in command of New York city, when Howe started on his expedition for the capture of Philadelphia.Page 230. Braving the death that his heart foretold. Wayne was convinced that he would not survive the attack on Stony Point, but nevertheless led the assault in person. He was struck in the head by a bullet, but insisted on being borne into the fort with his men.Page 232. The Modern Jonas. A pasquinade printed as a broadside and stuck up in New York city. "Old Knyp" was General Knyphausen; "Old Clip," General Robertson; and "Yankee Farms," Connecticut Farms.Page 233. The Cow-Chace. The last canto of this poem was published in "Rivington's Royal Gazette" on the day that AndrÉ was captured. These are the only verses he is known to have published. The original copy is still in existence, and has the following stanza upon it, under AndrÉ's signature:—

The poem was afterwards published by Rivington as an 8vo of 69 pages.

"The Cow-Chace," in its early editions, had the following explanatory notes:—

Tanner: General Wayne's legal occupation.

Mumps: A disorder prevalent in the Rebel lines.

Yan Van Poop: Who kept a dram-shop.

Jade: A New England name for a horse, mare, or gelding.

Bodies: A cant appellation given among the soldiery to the corps that have the honor to guard his majesty's person.

Cunningham: Provost-Marshal of New York.

The shot will not go thro':

Frost-bit Alexander: Earl of Stirling.

The frantic priest: Caldwell, a minister at Elizabethtown.

One pretty marquis: Lafayette, a French coxcomb in the rebel service.Page 237. John Paulding. Paulding was born in New York city in 1758 and died in 1818. His capture of AndrÉ was his one famous exploit. With him at the time were two comrades, named Isaac Van Wart and David Williams. They were given medals by Congress and an annuity of two hundred dollars.Page 239. And then, at last, a transatlantic grave. In 1821 AndrÉ's remains were removed to England and placed in Westminster Abbey.Page 240. Sir Hal. Sir Henry Clinton.Page 241. Congo. The American Congress.Page 242. The reverend Mather. Moses Mather, D.D.Page 245. Hymn of the Moravian Nuns of Bethlehem. The banner of Pulaski's legion was embroidered by the Moravian sisters of Bethlehem, who helped to support their house by needlework. It is preserved in the cabinet of the Maryland Historical Society at Baltimore.Page 245. Martial cloak and shroud for thee. The banner was made to be carried on a lance and was only twenty inches square. It could not have been used as a shroud.Page 246. Brave Maitland push'd in. Colonel Maitland brought a large body of British troops from Beaufort to Prevost's aid.Page 246. Moncrieffe. Major Moncrieff was the engineer who planned Savannah's defences.Page 246. Who attempted to murder his king. In 1771 Pulaski attempted to kidnap Stanislaus, King of Poland.Page 250. South Mount. Sumter's home near Camden, South Carolina.Page 259. Two birds of his feather. Howe and Burgoyne.Page 259. Poor Charley. Cornwallis.Page 260. A murder'd Hayne. Isaac Hayne, hanged by the British, August 4, 1781.Page 262. And Whitehead. William Whitehead, poet laureate 1751-1785.Page 263. Thus he. Cincinnatus.Page 269. No taxes we'll pay. Shays and his followers demanded decreased taxes and a paper currency.Page 269. Here's a pardon for Wheeler, Shays, Parsons, and Day. Wheeler, Parsons, and Day were associates of Shays. All of them fled from the state, but were afterwards pardoned.Page 271. So they went to Federal Street. The convention was held in a church on Long Lane, which was afterwards christened Federal Street in honor of the event.Page 273. The First American Congress. From "The Columbiad."Page 274. The Vow of Washington. Read in New York, April 30, 1889, at the centennial celebration of Washington's inauguration.Page 276. Adams and Liberty. Mr. Charles Prentiss, in his preface to the collected works of Robert Treat Paine, published at Boston in 1812, gives the following account of the writing of "Adams and Liberty":—

"In June, 1798, at the request of the 'Massachusetts Charitable Fire Society,' Mr. Paine wrote his celebrated political song of 'Adams and Liberty.' It may appear singular that politics should have any connection with an institution of benevolence: but the great object of the anniversary being to obtain charitable donations, the more various and splendid were the attractions, the more crowded the attendance: and of course, the more ample the accumulation for charity.

"There was, probably, never a political song more sung in America than this; and one of more poetical merit was, perhaps, never written: an anecdote deserves notice respecting one of the best stanzas in it. Mr. Paine had written all he intended; and being in the house of Major Russell, editor of the 'Centinel,' showed him the verses. It was highly approved, but pronounced imperfect; as Washington was omitted. The sideboard was replenished, and Paine was about to help himself; when Major Russell familiarly interfered, and insisted, in his humorous manner, that he should not slake his thirst till he had written an additional stanza, in which Washington should be introduced. Paine marched back and forth a few minutes, and suddenly starting, called for a pen. He immediately wrote the following sublime stanza [the one beginning "Should the tempest of war overshadow our land"].

"The sale of this song yielded him a profit of about seven hundred and fifty dollars. It was read by all; and there was scarcely in New England, a singer, that could not sing this song. Nor was its circulation confined to New England: it was sung at theatres, and on public and private occasions, throughout the United States; and republished and applauded in Great Britain."Page 277. Hail Columbia. The following letter from Joseph Hopkinson, son of Francis Hopkinson, is quoted by Rev. R. W. Griswold, in his "Poets and Poetry of America":—

"It ["Hail Columbia"] was written in the summer of 1798, when war with France was thought to be inevitable. Congress was then in session in Philadelphia, deliberating upon that important subject, and acts of hostility had actually taken place. The contest between England and France was raging, and the people of the United States were divided into parties for the one side or the other, some thinking that policy and duty required us to espouse the cause of republican France, as she was called; while others were for connecting ourselves with England, under the belief that she was the great preservative power of good principles and safe government. The violation of our rights by both belligerents was forcing us from the just and wise policy of President Washington, which was to do equal justice to both, to take part with neither, but to preserve a strict and honest neutrality between them. The prospect of a rupture with France was exceedingly offensive to the portion of the people who espoused her cause, and the violence of the spirit of party has never risen higher, I think not so high, in our country, as it did at that time, upon that question. The theatre was then open in our city. A young man belonging to it, whose talent was as a singer, was about to take his benefit. I had known him when he was at school. On this acquaintance, he called on me one Saturday afternoon, his benefit being announced for the following Monday. His prospects were very disheartening; but he said that if he could get a patriotic song adapted to the tune of the 'President's March,' he did not doubt of a full house; that the poets of the theatrical corps had been trying to accomplish it, but had not succeeded. I told him I would try what I could do for him. The object of the author was to get up an American spirit, which should be independent of and above the interests, passions, and policy of both belligerents: and look and feel exclusively for our own honour and rights. No allusion is made to France or England, or the quarrel between them: or to the question, which was most at fault in their treatment of us: of course the song found favour with both parties, for both were Americans; at least neither could disavow the sentiments and feelings it inculcated."Page 278. Ye Sons of Columbia: an Ode. From "Original Poems by Thomas Green Fessenden, Esq., author of Terrible Tractoration, or Caustic's Petition to the Royal College of Physicians, and Democracy Unveiled. Philadelphia: Printed at the Lorenzo Press of E. Bronson. 1806." The following note to this poem appears in the first edition: "The above Ode was written, set to musick, and sung on a publick occasion in Rutland, Vermont, July, 1798. At that time the armament, which afterwards sailed to Egypt, under Buonaparte, lay at Toulon: its destination was not known in America, but many supposed that it was intended to waft the blessings of French Liberty to the United States." Fessenden seems to have been possessed of an acute hatred of the French, due, perhaps, to his residence in England. Three other poems in this little book are devoted to denouncing Napoleon, the Jacobins, and the "sans culotte"—of which latter phrase he was singularly fond.Page 283. So the common sailor died. James did not die. He recovered from his wounds, served through the second war with England and lived till about 1840.Page 283. Skipper Ireson's Ride. Whittier heard the story of Skipper Ireson in 1828, when he was a student at Haverhill Academy. It was told him by a schoolmate from Marblehead, and he began at once to write the ballad, but it was not published until 1857, when it appeared in the second number of the "Atlantic Monthly."

Mr. Samuel Roads, Jr., in his "History of Marblehead," contended that Ireson was in no way responsible for the abandonment of the disabled ship, and Whittier, in writing to Mr. Roads, says: "I have now no doubt that thy version of Skipper Ireson's ride is the correct one. My verse was founded solely on a fragment of rhyme which I heard from one of my early schoolmates, a native of Marblehead. I supposed the story to which it referred dated back at least a century. I knew nothing of the participants, and the narrative of the ballad was pure fancy. I am glad for the sake of truth and justice that the real facts are given in thy book. I certainly would not knowingly do injustice to any one, dead or living."

The use of dialect in the refrain was suggested by Lowell, the editor of the "Atlantic" at the time.Page 285. The Times. McCarty's "National Song Book" (Philadelphia, 1861) is a real treasure-house of ballads written during the second war with England. "The Times" is from this source, as are many of the other ballads quoted here.Page 287. Hull's Surrender. This ballad was copied from a broadside in the possession of the library of Harvard University. It is so tattered that one stanza, the last, is indecipherable and had to be omitted.Page 289. Commanded by Dacres the grandee O. Captain (afterward Rear-Admiral of the Red) James Richard Dacres.Page 292. Where Brock, the proud insulter, rides. Sir Isaac Brock. He had received Hull's surrender less than two months before. He was pierced by three bullets as he led his troops into battle at Queenstown and died where he fell.Page 298. Brave Chauncey. Captain Isaac Chauncey.Page 302. We mourn, indeed, a hero lost! Captain William Burrows, of the Enterprise, and Captain Blythe, of the Boxer, both fell during the action, and were buried side by side at Portland.Page 303. And whether like Yeo, boys, they'd taken affright. Sir James Lucas Yeo, who had been defeated by Captain Isaac Chauncey and was afterwards blockaded by him in Kingston Harbor.Page 304. Thought it best from his well-peppered ship to depart. The Lawrence was so severely shot up early in the action, that Perry transferred his flag to the Niagara. He afterwards returned to the Lawrence to receive the surrender of the surviving British officers.Page 306. And Tecumseh fell prostrate before him. The honor of having killed Tecumseh was claimed for Colonel Richard Malcolm Johnston, but the claim was never conclusively established.Page 306. Walbach. John Batiste de Barth, Baron de Walbach, a German veteran who had come to America on a visit in 1798. He enlisted in the American army, won steady promotion, and died in 1857 with the rank of brigadier-general.Page 309. Four gallant ships. The Ramillies 74, commanded by Sir Thomas Hardy; the Pactolus 38, the Despatch 22, and a bombship.Page 313. Downie. George Downie, commander of the British fleet. He was killed during the action.Page 313. Macomb. General Alexander Macomb, in command of the American land force. His army, consisting of about fifteen hundred regulars and some detachments of militia, was greatly outnumbered by the British.Page 315. To serve me just like Drummond. Sir Gordon Drummond, who lost a large part of his force by the explosion of a mine, while assaulting Fort Erie.Page 315. Old Ross, Cockburn, and Cochrane too. Robert Ross, selected by Wellington to command the troops sent to this country in 1814. He was killed while leading the advance toward Baltimore, after having sacked Washington. Sir George Cockburn, second in command of the fleet, who had become notorious for his raids along the American coast. Sir Alexander Cochrane, in command of the British fleet on the American station.Page 315. General Winder. General William Henry Winder, in command of the American militia at the battle of Bladensburg.Page 317. The Star-Spangled Banner. The poem was really written at white heat, for Key made his first draft while the fight was actually in progress, and corrected it at Baltimore next day. It was at once struck off as a broadside, and was received with great enthusiasm. The air, from which it is inseparable, was selected almost at random, from a volume of flute music, by an actor named Ferdinand Durang, and was known as "Anacreon in Heaven." Additional stanzas have been written for the poem from time to time, but none of them are in any way notable except those written during the Civil War by Oliver Wendell Holmes:

Page 321. Take our wounded and our dead. The American loss was two killed and seven wounded, while the British lost 120 killed and 180 wounded.Page 323. For I went down with Carroll. William Carroll, major-general of Tennessee militia.Page 324. 'Twas Pakenham in person. Sir Edward Michael Pakenham. He had succeeded Ross in the command of Wellington's veterans, and, like his predecessor, was killed while leading his men against the enemy.Page 325. And came, with Gibbs to head it. Sir Samuel Gibbs, second in command to Pakenham.Page 325. It is the Baratarian. The headquarters of Jean Lafitte, the freebooter, at Barataria, had been broken up only a short time before, and many of his band captured and imprisoned. They were subsequently released, and under three of Lafitte's lieutenants, Dominique, You, and Bluche, hastened to Jackson's aid before New Orleans, where they did good service, especially with the artillery.Page 325. Keane was sorely wounded. Baron John Keane, in command of the third brigade.Page 327. Our captain. Charles Stewart. He held the remarkable record of being seventy-one years in the service, and senior officer for seventeen years. He lived until 1869. His daughter was the mother of Charles Stewart Parnell.Page 335. Oyo. The Indian name for the Ohio.Page 337. Blanny. A popular corruption of Blennerhassett.Page 337. Our General brave. Major-General Buell.Page 337. I have the Baron in my head. The only system of military tactics then in use among the officers in the western country was that of Baron Steuben.Page 337. The Deputy. Governor Return Jonathan Meigs.Page 338. 'Twas half a kneel of Indian meal. A kneel is equal to two quarts.Page 338. Tyler, they say, lies at BelprÉ. Comfort Tyler was one of Burr's chief lieutenants.Page 338. The Cor'ner. Joel Bowen.Page 338. Instead of sword, he seized his board. Buell was a tailor by trade.Page 343. Good Junipero. Father Junipero Serra, the famous head of the missionaries in California.Page 343. The Visitador. JosÉ de Galvez, Visitador General of New Spain.Page 344. Viscaino. Sebastian Viscaino, who conducted a Spanish exploring expedition along the California coast in 1602-03.Page 345. "The Days of 'Forty-Nine." Half a century ago, this song was widely popular, and yet to-day it is almost impossible to find an authentic copy. There is a version in Upham's "Notes of a Voyage to California," but it is anything but convincing. The version given here was contributed to "Out West" by Florence Gleason, of Bakersfield, California, and has the ear-marks of authenticity.Page 351. Concord Hymn. The first quatrain of this poem is inscribed on the Battle Monument at Concord. Emerson's grandfather, William Emerson, was minister at Concord in 1775, and from his pulpit strongly advocated resistance to the British. When the day of trial came, he took his place among "the embattled farmers." "Let us stand our ground," he said to the minute-men; "if we die, let us die here." The fight took place near his own house, the home afterwards of Emerson and of Hawthorne, and celebrated by the latter as "The Old Manse."Page 353. Old Tippecanoe. From "The Harrison Log Cabin Song Book," Columbus [Ohio], 1840.Page 356. A thousand Mexicans lay dead. A careful estimate places the Mexican loss at about five hundred. Six of the Texans, including Travis, Bowie, and Crockett, were taken alive, but were immediately put to death by Santa Anna's order.Page 357. Save the gasp of a woman. While every man of the garrison was killed, three women survived, one of whom was Mrs. Almerion Dickinson, wife of a lieutenant belonging to the garrison. Three children also survived.Page 358. We slew and slew till the sun set red. Houston reported the Mexican loss to be 630 killed, 208 wounded, 730 captured. The wounded were, however, counted among the prisoners. The American loss was 2 killed and 23 wounded. Santa Anna himself was captured next day.Page 362. Rio Bravo. Rio Bravo del Norte, "Rapid River of the North," is a Spanish name for the Rio Grande.Page 366. The Angels of Buena Vista. A letter-writer from Mexico during the Mexican War, when detailing some of the incidents at the terrible fight of Buena Vista, mentioned that Mexican women were seen hovering near the field of death, for the purpose of giving aid and succor to the wounded. One poor woman was found surrounded by the maimed and suffering of both armies, ministering to the wants of Americans as well as Mexicans with impartial tenderness.—Author's note.Page 369. Guvener B. George Nixon Briggs was the Whig governor of Massachusetts from 1844 to 1851.Page 369. John P. Robinson. John Paul Robinson (1799-1864) was a resident of Lowell, a lawyer of considerable ability and a thorough classical scholar. Late in the gubernatorial contest of 1847 it was rumored that Robinson, heretofore a zealous Whig, and a delegate to the recent Springfield convention, had gone over to the Democratic or, as it was then styled, the "Loco" camp. The editor of the "Boston Palladium" wrote to him to learn the truth, and Robinson replied in an open letter avowing his intention to vote for Cushing.Page 369. Gineral C. General Caleb Cushing.Page 384. Battle Hymn of the Republic. This, perhaps the loftiest strain of American patriotism, was inspired by a visit which Mrs. Howe paid to Washington in December, 1861. She heard the troops singing "John Brown's Body," and, at the suggestion of James Freeman Clarke, determined to write some worthy words to go with that air. The words were written almost at once, and were taken back to Boston by Mrs. Howe. She gave them to James T. Fields, editor of the "Atlantic Monthly," and they were published in the issue of that magazine for February, 1862, being given the entire first page. Mr. Fields furnished the title. Strangely enough, the poem attracted little attention, until a copy of a newspaper containing it was smuggled into Libby Prison. Chaplain Charles C. McCabe read it there, and presently the whole prison was singing it. After his release, Chaplain McCabe continued to call attention to the song, and its merits were soon widely recognized. President Roosevelt has suggested that it deserves to be the national anthem.Page 386. Mr. Foote. Henry S. Foote was Senator from Mississippi from 1847 to 1852. He was a member of the Confederate Congress.Page 386. Mangum. W. P. Mangum (1792-1861) was Senator from North Carolina from 1831 to 1837, and again from 1841 to 1847.Page 387. Cass. Lewis Cass (1782-1866) was Senator from Michigan from 1845 to 1848, and candidate for the presidency on the Democratic ticket in 1848. After his defeat by Taylor he was, in 1849, returned to the Senate to fill out his unexpired term. He was Buchanan's Secretary of State until the famous message of December, 1860, when he resigned.Page 387. Davis. Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States, was a Senator from Mississippi from 1847 to 1850.Page 387. Hannegan. Edward A. Hannegan was Senator from Indiana from 1843 to 1849.Page 387. Jarnagin. Spencer Jarnagin represented the state of Tennessee in the Senate from 1841 to 1847.Page 387. Atherton. Charles G. Atherton (1804-53) was Senator from New Hampshire from 1843 to 1849.Page 387. Colquitt. W. T. Colquitt (1799-1855) was Senator from Georgia from 1843 to 1849.Page 387. Johnson. Reverdy Johnson was Senator from Maryland, 1845-49.Page 387. Westcott. James D. Westcott, Senator from Florida, 1845-49.Page 387. Lewis. Dixon H. Lewis, Senator from Alabama, 1844-48.Page 388. Ichabod. This poem was the outcome of the surprise and grief and forecast of evil consequences which I felt on reading the seventh of March speech of Daniel Webster in support, of the "compromise," and the Fugitive Slave Law.... But death softens all resentments, and the consciousness of a common inheritance of frailty and weakness modifies the severity of judgment. Years after, in "The Lost Occasion," I gave utterance to an almost universal regret that the great statesman did not live to see the flag which he loved trampled under the feet of Slavery, and, in view of this desecration, make his last days glorious in defence of "Liberty and Union, one and inseparable."—Author's note.Page 391. Beyond the river banks. The Wakarusa.Page 391. Keitt. Laurence Massillon Keitt, Congressman from South Carolina, 1852-60. Killed at the battle of Cold Harbor, 1862.Page 391. The anti-Lecomptonite phalanx. Lecompton was the capital of the territory of Kansas, and a pro-slavery constitution was framed there at a constitutional convention which lasted from September 5 to November 7, 1857. It was rejected by the people of Kansas early in the following year.Page 394. Captain Stephens. Aaron Dwight Stephens. He was a captain only in the sense that he was to be given that position in the negro army which Brown expected to organize.Page 395. With his eighteen other crazy men. There were either twenty-two or twenty-three men in the party.Page 395. So they hurried off to Richmond for the Government Marines. The marines arrived by train from Washington. Strangely enough, they were under command of Colonel Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant J. E. B. Stuart.Page 395. Fired their bullets in his clay. The bodies of some of the dead were atrociously maltreated.Page 395. How they hastened on the trial. The trial began October 26 and ended November 2. The proceedings, though swift, were not unseemly nor unduly summary, considering the excitement of the Virginians and their fear that a rescue would be attempted from the North.Page 403. God save Our President. These verses were written in 1857, and the music for them was composed a year later by George Felix Benkert. It was played by the Marine Band at the first inauguration of Lincoln, immediately after the inaugural address.Page 411. Dixie. Dan Emmett, the once-famous negro minstrel, was the author of the original "Dixie," which was written in 1859. It is said he got the air from an old plantation melody. It was soon appropriated by the South and became the most popular of all the Southern war songs. The words used, however, were not Emmett's, which were mere doggerel, but General Albert Pike's, as given in the text. Since the war, "Dixie" has grown as popular in the North as in the South. Many verses have been set to the air, but none of them, besides Emmett's and Pike's, has gained any popularity.Page 411. A Cry to Arms. The unusual poetic merit of the Southern poems at the opening of the war is worth remarking. This, as the war progressed, gave place in large part to mere hysteria, while the poetic quality of Northern verse, poor enough at first, grew steadily better. This may perhaps be explained by the fact that the South was the more in earnest when the war began, while the earnestness of the North deepened as it went on.Page 415. My Maryland. This poem, which divided with "Dixie" popularity among the Southern troops, was written by Mr. Randall immediately upon hearing of the outbreak at Baltimore. The form of the poem was suggested by Mangan's "Karamanian Exile":—

It was wedded to the old college air "Lauriger Horatius," by Miss Hattie Cary, of Baltimore.

In affecting contrast to the reception given the Sixth Massachusetts in 1861 was that given it in 1898, when it passed through Baltimore on its way to Cuba. The historic regiment was met at the station by the mayor; school children drawn up along the line of march pelted the soldiers with flowers; each soldier was given a little box containing cake, fruit, and a love-letter; and a great motto was strung across the streets reading, "Let the welcome of '98 efface the memory of '61."Page 424. To General J. E. Johnston. General Johnston, who had been stationed at Winchester with the Army of the Shenandoah, marched rapidly to Beauregard's aid, when the latter was attacked at Manassas, and upon his arrival left Beauregard, whom he ranked, in tactical command of the field, and assumed responsibility and general charge of the battle.Page 435. Wanted—A Man. This poem is said to have so impressed President Lincoln that he read it to his Cabinet.Page 444. Barbara Frietchie. This poem was written in strict conformity to the account of the incident as I had it from respectable and trustworthy sources. It has since been the subject of a good deal of conflicting testimony, and the story was probably incorrect in some of its details. It is admitted by all that Barbara Frietchie was no myth, but a worthy and highly esteemed gentlewoman, intensely loyal and a hater of the Slavery Rebellion, holding her Union flag sacred and keeping it with her Bible; that when the Confederates halted before her house, and entered her dooryard, she denounced them in vigorous language, shook her cane in their faces, and drove them out; and when General Burnside's troops followed close upon Jackson's, she waved her flag and cheered them. It is stated that May Quantrell, a brave and loyal lady in another part of the city, did wave her flag in sight of the Confederates. It is possible that there has been a blending of the two incidents.—Author's note.Page 449. 'Tis Meagher and his fellows. Brigadier-General Thomas F. Meagher commanded the second brigade of the first division of the right grand division. It was called the "Irish Brigade," and Meagher himself had organized it. After Chancellorsville, it was so decimated that it was incorporated with other regiments.Page 449. The wild day is closed. Burnside's attempt to carry the heights behind Fredericksburg by storm was perhaps the most insane of the war. In spite of McClellan's lack of promptness, thoroughness, and vigor, and a sort of incapacity of doing anything until an ideal completeness of preparation was reached, he was in many ways the best commander the Army of the Potomac ever had. Pope, Burnside, and Hooker were admittedly his inferiors.Page 458. The Eagle of Corinth. The finest thing I ever saw was a live American eagle, carried by the Eighth Wisconsin, in the place of a flag. It would fly off over the enemy during the hottest of the fight, then would return and seat himself upon his pole, clap his pinions, shake his head, and start again. Many and hearty were the cheers that arose from our lines as the old fellow would sail around, first to the right, then to the left, and always return to his post, regardless of the storm of leaden hail that was around him.—Letter from an Illinois Volunteer.

At the close of the war, the eagle was presented to Governor Lewis, of Wisconsin, and provided with a suite of rooms in the State House Park at Madison.Page 461. Ready. The incident described in this poem occurred probably during the first week of April, 1863. Rodman's Point is a strip of land projecting into the Pimlico River just below Washington, North Carolina.Page 462. Kady Brownell. On April 25, 1861, the New York "Herald," in referring to the passage of the second detachment of Rhode Island troops through New York city, said: "The volunteers bring along with them two very prepossessing young women, named Martha Francis and Katey Brownell, both of Providence, who propose to act as 'daughters of the regiment,' after the French plan."Page 467. The Cruise of the Monitor. The contract for the construction of the Monitor was given to John Ericsson, of New York, on October 4, 1861. It was to be an iron-plated raft, 172 feet over all, 41½ feet beam, and 11? feet depth of hold, carrying a revolving iron turret containing two 11-inch Dahlgren guns. The ironclad was launched January 30, 1862, an extraordinary feat in naval construction, and was handed over to the government February 19, its cost being $275,000. At eleven o'clock on the morning of March 6, the queer craft started for Hampton Roads, to meet the Merrimac, word of whose completion had reached the United States government. That the vessel did not founder on the voyage was little less than a miracle, but at nine o'clock on the evening of March 8, the Monitor reached Fort Monroe, her progress up the bay being lighted by the burning frigate Congress.Page 468. Bold Worden. The Monitor was commanded by Lieutenant John Lorimer Worden, while the Merrimac was in charge of Lieutenant Catesby Jones, his superior. Captain Franklin Buchanan, having been wounded by a rifle bullet the day before. Worden was injured during the action by a shell exploding against the sight-hole of the pilot house, and was succeeded by Lieutenant Samuel Dana Greene.Page 468. The River Fight. The fleet which Farragut took upon this desperate venture consisted of nine gunboats and eight sloops of war. The defences of New Orleans were of the most formidable kind, the river being guarded by Forts Jackson and St. Philip, mounting 116 guns, and by a strong fleet of gunboats and ironclads, under command of Commodore J. K. Mitchell. The river was also barred by a great raft thrown across it under the guns of the forts, and a large number of long flatboats, filled with pine knots, were held in readiness by the Confederates to be fired and sent down the swift current into the midst of the Union fleet. In spite of all this, after the terrific fight was over, it was found that the Union loss was only thirty-seven killed and one hundred and forty-seven wounded. The Confederate loss was never accurately determined.

Admiral Farragut was so impressed with Brownell's poem that he sought out the author and a warm friendship followed. When Mobile was captured, Brownell was a guest of the Admiral on board his flagship, the Hartford, and the result was another spirited poem, "The Bay Fight," which appears elsewhere in this collection.Page 471. Our fair Church pennant waves. The church pennant is made of white bunting on which is sewn a cross of blue.Page 478. Beside me gloomed the prison-cell. The reference is to Dr. Reuben Crandall, of Washington, who, in 1834, was arrested and confined in the old city prison until his health was destroyed, his offence having been in lending to a brother physician a copy of Whittier's pamphlet, "Justice and Expediency."Page 483. Stonewall Jackson's Way. "These verses," according to William Gilmore Simms, "were found, stained with blood, in the breast of a dead soldier of the old Stonewall Brigade, after one of Jackson's battles in the Shenandoah Valley." Though widely copied, their authorship remained unknown for nearly a quarter of a century.Page 493. John Burns. John Burns was seventy years of age in 1863. He had been among the first to volunteer for the War of 1812, and was present at the battles of Plattsburg, Queenstown, and Lundy's Lane. He served through the war with Mexico, and volunteered promptly for the Civil War, was rejected because of his age, served for a time as a teamster, but was finally sent home to Gettysburg, where his townsmen made him constable to keep him busy and contented. When, in June, 1863, the Confederates occupied the town, Burns had to be locked up for asserting his civil authority in opposition to that of the Confederate provost guard. As soon as the Confederates left the town, Burns busied himself arresting Confederate stragglers. When the preliminary skirmishing at Gettysburg began, Burns borrowed a rifle and ammunition from a wounded Union soldier, went to the front, and offered his services as volunteer. The colonel of the Seventh Wisconsin loaned him a long-range rifle, which he used with deadly effect all day, but he was badly wounded when the Union troops were forced back, was captured by the Confederates, and narrowly escaped being hanged as an un-uniformed combatant. He lived in his little home on the battlefield until 1872, and was visited by thousands and thousands of pilgrims to the scene of the great struggle.Page 500. The Battle-Cry of Freedom. The popularity of the songs sung by the armies of both North and South seems to have been in direct ratio to their maudlin sentimentality. Most popular of all was the song known as "When this Cruel War is Over." It was heard in every camp, north and south, many times a day, the Southern soldiers inserting "gray" for "blue" in the sixth line of the first stanza with a cheerful disregard of the rhyme. It was sung in public gatherings, in the home—in fact, it is doubtful if any other song was ever upon so many American tongues. This wide appeal gives it, in a way, a historic interest, which warrants its inclusion here.

WHEN THIS CRUEL WAR IS OVER

Page 506. Out on a crag walked something. The flag was unfurled from Pulpit Rock, on the extreme point of the mountain overlooking Chattanooga. It was from that "pulpit" that Jefferson Davis, three days before, had addressed his troops, assuring them that all was well with the Confederacy.Page 506. The Battle in the Clouds. "The day had been one of dense mists and rains, and much of General Hooker's battle was fought above the clouds, on the top of Lookout Mountain."—General Meigs's Report.Page 508. And the one white Fang underneath. Robert Gould Shaw was only twenty-five years of age when he was killed at the head of his regiment at Fort Wagner. He had enlisted as a private at the outbreak of the war, and soon rose to a captaincy. He was appointed colonel of the Fifty-Fourth Massachusetts, the first regiment of colored troops from a free state, April 17, 1863, and went to his death with them three months later. See also "Ode on the Unveiling of the Shaw Memorial," page 603, and "An Ode in Time of Hesitation," page 646.Page 510. Logan at Peach Tree Creek. Mr. Garland is mistaken in stating that McPherson was killed at the battle of Peachtree Creek, which was fought on July 20, 1864. He was killed two days later, at what is known as the battle of Atlanta. While hastening to join his troops, who had just been attacked by the Confederates, he ran full into the enemy's skirmish line and was shot while trying to escape. Sherman at once ordered General John A. Logan to assume command of the Army of the Tennessee, and it was largely due to General Logan's skill and determination that the Union army was saved from serious disaster in the desperate battle which followed.Page 512. Sherman's March to the Sea. General Sherman, in his Memoirs, says that on the afternoon of February 17, 1865, while overhauling his pockets, according to his custom, to read more carefully the various notes and memoranda received during the day, he found a paper which had been given him by a Union prisoner who had escaped from Columbia. It proved to be "Sherman's March to the Sea," composed by Adjutant S. H. M. Byers, of the Fifth Iowa Infantry, while a prisoner at Columbia. General Sherman was so impressed by the verses that he immediately sent for their author and attached him to his staff.Page 513. Marching through Georgia. General Sherman makes no reference in his Memoirs to these verses and would have been glad to replace them with Adjutant Byers's song. They were, however, widely popular and, indeed, still hold an honored place at every reunion of Civil War veterans.Page 517. O noble son of noble sire. Ulric Dahlgren was the son of John Adolph Dahlgren, perhaps the greatest chief of ordnance the Navy Department has ever had. Ulric was only twenty-two years of age at the time of his death. He had lost a leg at Gettysburg the year before, but had returned to active service upon his recovery although compelled to walk on crutches. He had planned the expedition in which he lost his life.Page 519. When Stuart to the grave we bore. The loss of Stuart was one of the most serious the Confederacy had sustained since the death of Stonewall Jackson. He was, in many respects, the most brilliant cavalry leader developed on either side during the war, though it was alleged that his unauthorized absence from the field of Gettysburg contributed greatly to the defeat of Lee's army.Page 522. The Year of Jubilee. A remarkable evidence of the elasticity of spirit shown by the losers in the great struggle is the fact that this song, which one would suppose would be particularly offensive to them, became even more popular in the South than in the North.Page 524. The Surrender at Appomattox. Lee's army, at the time of the surrender, consisted of about twenty-eight thousand men, nearly half of whom were without arms. His army had had little to eat for several days except parched corn, and was upon the verge of starvation. Immediately after the surrender, Grant sent twenty-five thousand rations into the Confederate lines.Page 524. Lee's Parole. Grant's behavior was marked throughout with the greatest delicacy. He did not ask Lee's sword, promptly stopped salutes which were started after the surrender, did not require the Confederates to march out and stack arms, and did not enter their lines. The terms of surrender were so liberal that many partisans at the North took violent exception to them.Page 525. The Cherbourg cliffs were all alive. A great throng had gathered to witness the fight, which had been advertised as a sort of gala event, excursions even being run from Paris. The sympathies of the crowd were all with the Alabama.Page 525. When, lo! roared a broadside. The firing of the Kearsarge was a magnificent exhibition of gunnery. She fired 173 missiles, nearly all of which took effect. The Alabama fired 370, of which only 28 struck. The Kearsarge's 11-inch shells were aimed a little below the water line, with such deadly effect that the Alabama sank in a little more than an hour after going into action.Page 526. Kearsarge. On Sunday morning, June 19, 1864, the noise of the cannons during the fight between the Kearsarge and the Alabama was heard in English churches near the Channel.—Author's note.Page 527. Though unequal in strength. The Kearsarge had a displacement of 1031 tons, carried a crew of 163, and mounted seven guns, throwing 366 pounds. The Alabama was of 1016 tons displacement, carried a crew of 149 and eight guns, throwing 328 pounds. The ships were remarkably well matched.Page 527. Shall shine in tradition the valor of Semmes. A bitter controversy followed the fight as to whether the Alabama actually surrendered. The preponderance of evidence shows that her colors were hauled down and a white flag displayed a few minutes before she sank. The British steam yacht Deerhound picked up forty-two men, including Semmes and fourteen officers, and made off with them to Southampton. The British Government afterwards refused to surrender these men. It is consoling to reflect that England's aid to Confederate privateers cost her, in the end, over fifteen million dollars.Page 527. Craven. Craven has been called the Sidney of the American navy. His pilot's name was John Collins, and as the Tecumseh was going down, he and Craven met at the foot of the ladder leading to the top of the turret. Craven stepped back, saying, "After you, Pilot." As the pilot reached the top round of the ladder, the vessel seemed "to drop from under him," and no one followed. A buoy marks the spot.Page 528. Sidney. Sir Philip Sidney, who is said to have refused a cup of water while lying mortally wounded on the battlefield of Zutphen, in order to give it to a wounded soldier.Page 528. Nelson. Admiral Horatio Nelson. The reference is to the Battle of the Nile, where Nelson was severely wounded.Page 528. Lucas. A young English captain, who was imprisoned by Hyder Ali in 1780. To relieve a wounded comrade, Captain Baird, he assumed two sets of chains.Page 528. Outram. Sir James Outram, who, in admiration for the brilliant deeds of his subordinate, General Havelock, conceded him the glory of relieving Lucknow, in 1857, waiving his own rank and tendering his services as a volunteer.Page 530. The Bay Fight. Farragut took only a short vacation after his triumphant "River Fight," and began at once to prepare for another desperate encounter. The defences of Mobile were among the strongest in the South. Three forts, mounting seventy-one guns, guarded the channel, which was further defended by a double row of torpedoes, one hundred and eighty in number. Besides this, there was in the bay itself a Confederate fleet of four vessels, one of which was the great ram Tennessee.

Farragut's fleet was the most formidable collection of war vessels that had ever been assembled under command of one man. It surpassed in power for destruction the combined English, French, and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar. Yet, in spite of the desperate nature of the struggle which followed, the loss was less than in many a skirmish on land, that in the Union fleet being 52 killed and 170 wounded, besides 93 drowned in the Tecumseh, while the Confederate loss was only 12 killed and 20 wounded.Page 535. "Albemarle" Cushing. Lieutenant Cushing was only twenty-one years of age at the time he sunk the Albemarle, one of the most brilliant and gallant exploits of the war. The deed was rendered extremely difficult by the fact that the Albemarle had been surrounded by a cordon of timber, and Cushing actually drove his launch at full speed over this in order to reach the Albemarle's side. He received the thanks of Congress and was made lieutenant-commander as a reward for his heroism.Page 539. Pardon. John Wilkes Booth was a son of Junius Brutus Booth and was twenty-six years old at the time of the assassination. His success as an actor had never been notable. There is some dispute as to whether he was hit by the bullet which Boston Corbett fired at him, or whether he shot himself. At any rate, he was brought out of the barn in which he had been cornered with a bullet in the base of his brain, and with his body paralyzed. He died the following morning. Eight accomplices were arrested, tried by a military commission, and found guilty. Four, one a woman, were hanged, and the others, with one exception, sentenced to hard labor for life.Page 542. Treason is not dead. The charge and specification on which the conspirators were arraigned declared that they were "incited and encouraged" to the crime by Jefferson Davis, and a reward of one hundred thousand dollars was offered for his arrest. There was at no time any trustworthy evidence implicating Davis.Page 559. Pillow's ghastly stain. Fort Pillow, situated on the Mississippi River about forty miles above Memphis, was captured, April 12, 1864, by a large Confederate force under General N. B. Forrest. The garrison consisted of 295 white and 262 colored troops, of whom 221 were killed and 130 wounded. Most of the killed and wounded were negroes, many of whom were shot down after the fort had been captured. There is no evidence, however, that the massacre, if it can be called such, was premeditated, and General Forrest seems to have stopped it as promptly as he could.Page 559. "Mr. Johnson's Policy of Reconstruction." The "policy" consisted of two papers, one a proclamation of amnesty granting a pardon for treason to all, with some exceptions, who should take an oath to support the Constitution and the Union and to obey all laws and proclamations which had been made with reference to the emancipation of the slaves; the second an executive order intrusting the state governments to the people who had taken this oath. That the plan did not succeed was due in no small part to the folly of the newly constituted legislatures in immediately proceeding to pass various restrictive laws aimed at the negro, the effect of which would be to deprive him, in large part, of his newly acquired freedom.Page 560. Crippled and halting from his birth. Stevens had a club foot, and was compelled to use a cane in walking.Page 563. The Blue and the Gray. The poem grew out of an item which appeared in the New York "Tribune," in 1867: "The women of Columbus, Mississippi, animated by nobler sentiments than many of their sisters, have shown themselves impartial in their offerings made to the memory of the dead. They strewed flowers alike on the graves of the Confederate and of the National soldiers." The poem, prefaced by this item, was first published in the "Atlantic Monthly" for September, 1867, and at once attracted wide attention.Page 565. How Cyrus laid the Cable. Mr. Field had been working at this project since 1854. In 1858 he had succeeded in laying a cable across the ocean, and it was in operation from August 17 to September 4, when the signals became unintelligible and finally ceased altogether. The story of his perseverance and final success is an inspiring one.Page 565. O lonely bay of Trinity. The American end of the cable was landed at Trinity Bay, Newfoundland.Page 568. Small need to open the Washington main. Gould had persuaded President Grant that a rise in gold while the crops were moving would advantage the country, and early in September the treasury department was instructed to sell only gold sufficient to buy bonds for the sinking fund. Gould saw that the "Washington main" could not be kept closed indefinitely, however, and unloaded secretly, leaving his partner, "Jim" Fisk, to look out for himself. Fisk's broker, Speyers, continued to run up the price of gold, until his bid reached 163½, when the market broke, the price falling almost instantly to 133. Fisk saved himself by coolly repudiating his contracts.Page 580. Down the Little Big Horn. Custer, who was thirty-seven years old at the time of his death, had served with great distinction through the Civil War. He was bitterly censured for accepting battle upon the Little Big Horn, and accused of disobedience of orders, but no basis for this accusation was ever clearly shown.Page 580. Just from the canyon emerging. Custer and the five companies with him advanced without hesitation into the jaws of death, for they were outnumbered twelve to one. They dismounted and planted themselves on two little hills a short distance apart. The Indians stampeded their horses, waited till their ammunition was exhausted, and then overwhelmed them.Page 580. Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull, who commanded the Indians, was a Sioux chief and was born about 1837. He was killed during the Sioux outbreak of December, 1890.Page 583. In ambush the Sitting Bull. There was no ambush. The battle was fought in the open, from high ground. Custer's surprise lay not in finding the Indians before him, but in finding them so fatally numerous.Page 584. The brave heart. Two days after the battle, a detachment of cavalry discovered the bodies of Custer and his five companies. Custer alone had not been mutilated. He had been shot in the left temple, and lay as though peacefully sleeping.Page 593. The Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge had been begun January 3, 1870, and was not wholly completed at the time of its opening in 1883. Its cost was about twenty million dollars.Page 615. Bocagrande. The main channel into Manila Bay south of Corregidor Island. It means, literally, "large mouth."Page 616. Montojo. Admiral Patricio Montojo y Pasarou, commander of the Spanish naval forces in the Philippines.Page 616. Gridley. Charles Vernon Gridley (1845-1898), captain of Admiral Dewey's flagship, the Olympia.Page 626. Eight Volunteers. Besides Hobson, the volunteers were Osborn Deignan, a coxswain of the Merrimac; George F. Phillips, a machinist of the Merrimac; John Kelly, a water-tender of the Merrimac; George Charette, a gunner's mate of the New York; Daniel Montagu, a seaman of the Brooklyn; J. C. Murphy, a coxswain of the Iowa; and Randolph Clausen, a coxswain of the New York.Page 628. Once more the Flower of Essex. See "The Lamentable Ballad of the Bloody Brook," page 82.Page 631. Wheeler at Santiago. "Fighting Joe" Wheeler was one of the most active and successful cavalry leaders of the Confederacy. The death of General J. E. B. Stuart, in 1864, made him senior cavalry general of the Confederate armies. He served in Congress after the war, and volunteered for active service on the outbreak of the war with Spain. He was given command of a cavalry brigade, and his presence before Santiago was of inestimable value.Page 633. Near Nimanima's greening hill. The cove, six and a half miles from the entrance to Santiago harbor, where the Infanta Maria Teresa was beached. Juan Gonzales is seven miles and Aserradero fifteen miles from Santiago.Page 633. The Cape o' the Cross. Cape Cruz, at the southwestern extremity of Cuba.Page 641. Who on the third most famous of our Fourths. July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence adopted. July 4, 1863, announcement of the victory at Gettysburg. July 4, 1898, announcement of the victory at Santiago.Page 645. Aguinaldo. Emilio Aguinaldo was born in 1870, of Chinese and Tagalog parentage. He received a good education, became interested in military affairs, and was one of the leaders of the outbreak against Spanish authority in 1896. At the beginning of the Spanish-American war, Admiral Dewey sent for Aguinaldo, who arrived at CavitÉ a few days after the destruction of the Spanish fleet. He at once began the organization of the Filipino troops, and soon afterwards proclaimed himself dictator of the so-called Filipino Republic. He stoutly resisted the American occupation which followed the peace, but was captured in 1901, and finally took the oath of allegiance to the United States.Page 645. Strike at his mother and his child. Aguinaldo's family was captured by the United States troops and held prisoners until his submission.Page 645. When they read the sneering comments. The fact that no prisoners were taken at the fight at Dajo, and that many women and children were among the killed, caused much bitter comment. The poem gives the army's side of the controversy.Page 646. Before the living bronze Saint-Gaudens made. See "Bury Them," page 508, and "An Ode on the Unveiling of the Shaw Memorial," page 603.Page 650. The assassin's shot. The assassin was a young Pole named Leon Czolgosz, who proclaimed himself an anarchist. He was tried speedily, sentenced to electrocution, and executed October 28.Page 651. "Silent upon a peak in Darien." From Keats's sonnet, "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer."