NOTES. NOTE 1. PAGE 69. With horrid noise of horn and pan, "Among the disaffected in Philadelphia, Dr. K—- was preeminently ardent and rash. An extremely zealous loyalist, and impetuous in his temper, he had given much umbrage to the Whigs, and, if I am not mistaken, he had been detected in some hostile machinations: hence he was deemed a proper subject for the fashionable punishment of tarring, feathering, and carting. He was seized at his own door by a party of militia, and, in an attempt to resist them, received a wound in his hand from a bayonet. Being overpowered, he was placed in a cart provided for the purpose, and, amid a multitude of boys and idlers, paraded through the streets to the tune of the royal march. I happened to be at the Coffee-House when the concourse arrived there. They made a halt; when the doctor, foaming with rage and indignation, without his hat, his wig dishevelled and bloody from his wounded hand, stood up in the cart and called for a bowl of punch. It was quickly handed to him,-when so vehement was his thirst that he drained it of its contents before he took it from his lips.. "It must be admitted, however, that the conduct of the populace was marked by a lenity which peculiarly distinguished the cradle of our republicanism. Tar and feathers had been dispensed with, and, excepting the injury he had received in his hand, no sort of violence was offered by the mob to their victim." Graydon's Memoirs of his Own Times. NOTE 2. PAGE 80. Oh, would some sweet bird of the South This part of the poem was written six years ago; consequently the passage was not suggested by the cannon which "Disunion" has since then pointed against the North. NOTE 3. PAGE 90. And, lo, he met their wondering eyes "In concluding his farewell sermon, he said that, in the language of Holy Writ, 'there was a time for all things,—a time to preach, and a time to pray,—but those times had passed away;' and then, in a voice that echoed like a trumpet-blast through the church, he said that there was a time to fight, and that time had now come.' Then, laying aside his sacerdotal gown, he stood before his flock in the full regimental dress of a Virginia colonel. He ordered the drums to be beaten at the church-door for recruits, and almost all his male audience capable of bearing arms joined his standard." Lossing's Sketch of the Life of General Muhlenberg. NOTE 4. PAGE 106. He gained the river and the cave. The cave referred to is not a creation of the fancy, but exists in the vicinity indicated, and is the scene of more than one romantic legend. 66 NOTE 5. PAGE 113. I watched the long, long ranks go by. Washington, in order to encourage its friends and dishearten its enemies, marched with the whole army through the city down Front and up Chestnut Streets. Great pains were taken to make the display as imposing as possible. To give them something of a uniform appearance, they had sprigs of green in their hats. Washington rode at the head of his troops, attended by his numerous staff, with the Marquis Lafayette by his side. The long column of the army, broken into divisions and brigades, the pioneers with their axes, the squadrons of horse, the extended trains of artillery, the tramp of steed, the bray of trumpet and spirit-stirring sound of drum and fife,—all had an imposing effect on a peaceful city unused to the sight of marshalled armies. The disaffected, who had been taught to believe the American forces much less than they were in reality, were astonished as they gazed on the lengthening procession of a host which to their unpractised eyes appeared innumerable; while the Whigs, gaining fresh hope and animation from the sight, cheered the patriot squadrons as they passed." Irving's Life of Washington. NOTE 6. PAGE 130. The soft air felt the jar Of thunder rolling from afar. All the chronicles agree in stating that the cannonading at the battle of Brandywine was distinctly heard at Philadelphia and its vicinity. NOTE 7. PAGE 155. The vapor dank Of morning hanging gray and blank. A heavy fog enveloped Germantown on the morning of the battle, which, "together with the smoke of the cannon and musketry," says Irving, "made it almost as dark as night." NOTE 8. PAGE 160. When Victory, with her thrusting hand, "Every account confirms the opinion I at first entertained,— that our troops retreated at the instant when victory was declaring herself in our favor. I can discover no other cause for not improving this happy opportunity than the extreme haziness of the weather." Washington to the President of Congress. |