Ballads of American Bravery (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: " Oh, Stirling, good Stirling, how long must we wait ? Shall the shout of your trumpet unleash us too late ? Have you never a dash for brave Mordecai Gist, With his heart in his throat, and his blade in his fist ? Are we good for no more than to prance in a ball, When the drums beat the charge and the clarions call?" Tralara! Tralara! Now praise we the Lord For the clang of His call and the flash of His sword! Tralara! Tralara! Now forward to die; For the banner, hurrah ! and for sweethearts, good-by! " Four hundred wild lads!" May be so. I 'll be bound 'T will be easy to count us, face up, on the ground. If we hold the road open, though Death take the toll, We 'll be missed on parade when the States call the roll- When the flags meet in peace and the guns are at rest, And fair Freedom is singing Sweet Home in the West. John Williamson Palmer. (By special permission of the author.) ARNOLD AT STILLWATER Ah, you mistake me, comrades, to think that my heart is steel! Cased in a cold endurance, nor pleasure nor pain to feel; Cold as I am in my manner, yet over these cheeks so seared Teardrops have fallen in torrents, thrice since my chin grew beard. Thrice since my chin was bearded I suffered the tears to fall; Benedict Arnold, the traitor, he was the cause of them all! Once, when he carried Stillwater, proud of his valor, I cried; Then, with my rage at his treason?with pity when Andre died. Benedict Arnold, the traitor, sank deep in the pit of shame, Bartered for vengeance his honor, blackened for profit his fame; Yet never a gallanter soldier, whatever his after crime, Fought on the red field of honor than he in his early time. Ah, I remember Stillwater, as it were yesterday ! Then first I...