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Written to be sung to the tune of Maggie Lawder, this song appeared in 1781 following the surrender of the British army at Yorktown.
When British troops first landed here, With Howe commander o'er them,
They thought they'd make us quake for fear, And carry all before them.
With thirty thousand men or more, And she without assistance,
America must needs give o'er, And make no more resistance.
But Washington, her glorious son, Of British hosts the terror,
Soon, by repeated overthrows, Convinc'd them of their error.
Let Princeton, and let Trenton tell, What gallant deeds he's done, sir,
And Monmouth's plains where hundreds fell, And thousands more have run, sir.
Cornwallis, too, when he approach'd Virginia's old dominion,
Thought he would soon her conqu'ror be; And so was North's opinion.
From State to State with rapid stride, His troops had march'd before, sir,
Till quite elate with martial pride, He thought all dangers o'er, sir.
But our allies, to his surprise, The Chesapeake had enter'd;
And not too late, he curs'd his fate, And wish'd he ne'er had ventur'd.
For Washington no sooner knew The visit he had paid her,
Than to his parent State he flew, To crush the bold invader.
When he sat down before the town, His Lordship soon surrender'd;
His martial pride he laid aside, And cas'd the British standard.
Gods! How this stroke will North provoke, And all his thoughts confuse, sir!
And how the Peers will hand their ears, When first they hear the news, sir.
Note: The midi file that is linked to this page was sequenced by Lesley Nelson, whose website is located at: http://www.contemplator.com/intro.html
