Today is Friday, June 17, the 168th day of 2005. There are 197 days left in the year.
Today's highlight in history:
In 1775, the Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker Hill took place near Boston. The battle, which actually occurred on Breed's Hill, was a costly victory for the British, who suffered heavy losses while dislodging the rebels.
Since we won that battle, as a gesture of goodwill, below is reproduced a poem from the Loyalist side:
THE AMERICAN TIMES
When Faction, pois'nous as the scorpion's sting,
Infects the people and insults the King;
When foul Sedition skulks no more concealed,
But grasps the sword and rushes to the field;
When Justice, Law, and Truth are in disgrace,
And Treason, Fraud, and Murder fill their place;
Smarting beneath accumulated woes,
Shall we not dare the tyrants to expose?
Bad are the Times, almost too bad to paint;
The whole head sickens, the whole heart is faint;
The State is rotten, rotten to the core,
'Tis all one bruize, one putrefying sore.
Hear thy indictment, Washington, at large;
Attend and listen to the solemn charge;
Thou hast supported an atrocious cause
Against thy King, thy Country, and the laws;
Committed perjury, encourag'd lies,
Forced conscience, broken the most sacred ties;
Myriads of wives and fathers at thy hand
Their slaughter'd husbands, slaughter'd sons demand;
That pastures hear no more the lowing kine,--
That towns are desolate, all -- all is thine.
I swear by Him, who rules the earth and sky,
The dread event shall equally apply;
That Clinton's warfare is the war of God,
And Washington shall feel the vengeful rod.
O! may that hour be soon! for pity's sake,
Genius of Britain, from thy slumber wake,
Too long has mercy spoke, but spoke in vain;
Let justice now in awful terror reign.
-- Jonathan Odell (1780)
Jonathan Odell was one of the best educated men in the colonies at the time of the Revolution. A physician turned Anglican minister turned writer, he was appointed chaplain of the First Battalion of Pennsylvania Loyalists, maintained close ties with the British high command, and was deeply involved in the treason of Benedict Arnold. Odell wrote many verses for the "Royal Gazzette" in the British stronghold of New York City. "The American Times" is one of his best known. His poems illustrates the anger loyalists felt toward their former neighbors as well as frustration with the British war effort.
Source:
http://users.erols.com/candidus/fifedrum.gif
Many of the songs and poems on this web page have been utterly forgotten over time and are not terribly easy to find. Some come from long out-of-print song collections or from period newspapers, but are uncut.
Good morning! Besides Bunker Hill Day in Massachusetts today, here are the holidays for the weekend.
June 18
Juggling Day
June 19
Father's Day
Butterfly Day
Emancipation Day In Texas
Juneteeth - The oldest knows celebration of the end of slavery
Garfield's Birthday (debuted in 1978)
Tasmanian Devil's Birthday (debuted in 1954)
