H. H. Brackenridge

“ And lies unburied, on the smoky hill;
But with rich honours he shall be inhum'd,
To teach our soldiery, how much we love,
E'en in a foe, true worth and noble fortitude.
Come then, brave soldiers, and take up the dead,
Majors, and Col'nels, which are this day slain,
And noble Captains of sweet life bereft.
Fair flowers shall grow upon their grassy tombs, [Pg 266]
And fame in tears shall tell their tragedy,
To many a widow and soft weeping maid,
Or parent woe-ful for an only son,
Through mourning Britain, and Hibernia's isle.
Enter Burgoyne from Boston. ”

“ On Britannia's sea-girt isle,
Say no more your swains are coming,
Or with songs the day beguile.
For sleeping sound in death's embraces,
On their clay-cold beds they lie,
Death, grim death, alas defaces,
Youth and pleasure which must die.
"March the right wing, Gard'ner, yonder,
Take th' assailing foe in flank,
The hero's spirit lives in thunder,
Close there, sergeants, close that rank. ”

“ Brave Gard'ner sinks beneath the deadly stroke,
And Warren bleeds to grace the bloody strife,
And for his injur'd country gives his life.
Yet while his mighty soul ascends the skies,
On earth his blood for ten-fold vengeance cries.
Great spirit rest—by Heaven it is decreed,
Thy murd'ring tyrants by the sword shall bleed.
E'en racks and gibbets would but consecrate,
And death repeated be too kind a fate.
The sword is drawn, in peace no more to rest,
Till justice bathes it in some tyrant's breast. ”

“ The American Army overpower'd by numbers are obliged to retreat.
Enter Howe, Pigot, and Clinton with the British Army.
Richardson [a young officer, on the parapet] .
The day is ours, huzza, the day is ours,
This last attack has forc'd them to retreat.
Clinton.
'Tis true, full victory declares for us,
But we have dearly, dearly purchas'd it.
Full fifteen hundred of our men lie dead,
Who, with their officers, do swell the list
Of this day's carnage—On the well-fought hill,
Whole ranks cut down, lie struggling with their wounds,
Or close their bright eyes, in the shades of night. ”

“ It is natural that Hugh Henry Brackenridge should have been inspired by the Revolution, and should have been prompted by the loyal spirit of the patriots of the time. For he was the stuff from which patriots are made, having, in his early life, been reared in Pennsylvania, even though he first saw the light near Campbletown, Scotland, in 1748. ”

“ At eighteen, pocketing whatever money he had saved, he went to President Witherspoon, of the College of New Jersey, arranging with that divine to teach classes in order that he might afford to remain and study. While there, among his classmates may be counted James Madison, future president of the United States, Philip Freneau, the poet, and others of later note. Aaron Burr was a Junior at the time of Brackenridge's graduation, as was William Bradford. Though he was on intimate terms with Madison, he was much more the friend of Freneau, the two writing together "The Rising Glory of America." ”

“ Loud fame, and shook the other continent.
Come on, brave soldiers, seize your gleaming arms,
And let this day, in after times be held,
As Minden famous, and each hostile field,
Where British valour shone victorious.
The time moves slow, which enviously detains,
Our just resentment from these traitors' heads.
Their richest farms, and cultur'd settlements,
By winding river, or extensive bay, [Pg 257]
Shall be your first reward. Our noble king,
As things confiscate, holds their property,
And in rich measure, will bestow on you,
Who face the frowns, and labour of this day. ”

“ It was after his graduation that Brackenridge tutored in the College for a while, meantime taking up a course in theology. After this, he accepted a position as teacher in a school on the eastern shore of Maryland, because the "Academy" offered him a most flattering salary, and he could not reject it, however much [Pg 239] he may have been interested in his college work. No sooner was he established there than he wrote to his friend, Freneau, inviting him to take the second position in the Maryland Seminary. ”

“ The college life of the time was not devoted entirely to literary creativeness or to political discussions. There is published an address by President Witherspoon to the inhabitants of Jamaica (1772) , in which he outlined the course of study to which the students were subjected. It indicates, very excellently, the classical training that Brackenridge, Freneau, and Madison had to undergo. In fact, we find, on Commencement Day, Freneau debating on "Does Ancient Poetry excel the Modern?" and throwing all his energy in favour of the affirmative argument. ”

“ The Princeton historian points to this class of 1771 as being so patriotic that a unanimous vote was taken to appear at graduation in nothing but things of American manufacture. [3]
This much we do know regarding the early life of Brackenridge: that he was always pressed for money, that it was his indefatigableness and thirst for knowledge which carried him through the schools of the time, and through college. ”

“ It is my fervent wish, that the Ruler of the Universe may Crown with Success, the Cause of Freedom, and speedily relieve our bleeding Country in whose Service YOU have distinguishedly exerted YOUR eminent Abilities, by assisting HER Deliberations in the grand Council of the Empire. ”

“ Hugh Henry Brackenridge HUGH HENRY BRACKENRIDGE (1748-1816)
The battle of Bunker's Hill was an event which stirred whatever dramatic activity there was in America at the time of the Revolution. Therefore, a play written on the subject should not be omitted from a collection supposed to be representative of the different periods in American history and in American thought. ”

“ From Freneau we understand, for example, that, as early as June 24, 1769, a certain number of students banded themselves into an undergraduate fraternity, called the American Whig Society, the chief members of that association being Madison, Brackenridge, Bradford, and Freneau himself. There is a manuscript book in the possession of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, originally owned by Bradford, and containing some of their later poetical tirades. ”

“ The year 1776 marks Brackenridge's severance from teaching work. He soon after went to Philadelphia with his small fortune of one thousand pounds, and continued his efforts to make a livelihood by editing the United States Magazine, which afforded him an opportunity of airing his patriotic views, and gave him the added pleasure of inviting his associate, Freneau, to become one of the leading contributors. ”

“ At the age of fifteen, he was so well equipped that he was engaged to teach school in Maryland, at Gunpowder Falls, some of his pupils being so much larger and older than he that, at one time, he had to take a brand from the fire, and strike one of them, in order to gain ascendency over him. ”

“ Bellow to Britannia's sons."
II.
Now think you see, three thousand moving,
Up the brow of Bunkers-Hill,
Many a gallant vet'ran shoving,
Cowards on against their will.
The curling volumes all behind them, [Pg 270]
Dusky clouds of smoke arise,
Our cannon-balls, brave boys shall find them,
At each shot a hero dies.
Once more Warren midst this terror,
"Charge, brave soldiers, charge again,
Many an expert vet'ran warrior
Of the enemy is slain. ”

“ We are given pictures of him, trudging thirty miles in all kinds of weather, in order to borrow books and newspapers, and we are told that, being quick in the learning of languages, he made arrangements with a man, who knew mathematics, to trade accomplishments in order that he himself might become better skilled in the science of calculation. ”

“ Call on Hessian troops assistant,
And the Savages to rise.
VIII.
Boast of wild brigades from Russia,
To fix down the galling chain,
Canada and Nova Scotia,
Shall discharge these hordes again.
IX.
In New-York State rejoin'd by Clinton,
Should their standards mock the air,
Many a surgeon shall put lint on
Wounds of death received there.
X.
War, fierce war, shall break their forces,
Nerves of tory men shall fail,
Seeing Howe with alter'd courses,
Bending to the western gale. ”

“ And bid her worthies, emulate our fame.
Scene III. Boston.
The British Army being repuls'd, Sherwin is dispatch'd to General Gage, for assistance.
Sherwin, Gage, Burgoyne, and Clinton.
Sherwin.
Our men advancing, have receiv'd dire loss,
In this encounter, and the case demands,
In swift crisis, of extremity,
A thousand men to reinforce the war. ”

“ An/Exercise,/containing/a Dialogue and Ode/On the Accession of His present gracious Majesty,/George III./Performed at the public Commencement in the College of/Philadelphia, May 18th, 1762./Philadelphia:/Printed by W. Dunlap, in Market-Street, M,DCC,LXII./
In order to understand the spirit which prompted both Brackenridge and Freneau, one needs must turn to an account of the latter's life, and learn therefrom certain facts concerning the early college spirit of Brackenridge, which was ignored by his son in the only authentic record of his life we have. ”

“ For the students of Sommerset Academy, Brackenridge wrote his play, "The Battle of Bunkers-Hill," [4] and though there is no record of this piece having been actually presented, it is generally agreed that the Principal wrote his drama as an exercise for the pupils to perform. ”

“ And Brackenridge, selected to deliver the Salutatory, rendered it in Latin, "De societate hominum." (See Pennsylvania Chronicle; John Maclean's "History of the College of New Jersey," i, 312; Madison's correspondence while a student; also Philip Vickers Fithian's Journal and Letters: 1764-1774. Student at Princeton College: 1770-1772. Tutor at Nomini Hall in Virginia: 1773-1774. Ed. ... by J. R. Williams. Princeton, 1900.) ”

“ For a discussion of same, see an article by A. E. Lancaster, "Historical American Plays," Chautauquan, 31:359-364, 1900; also see the present editor's "The American Dramatist," Chapter III. Note the following plays particularly:
C. E. Grice. "The Battle of New Orleans; or, Glory, Love and Loyalty." An Historical and National Drama. 1816.
W. Ioor. "The Battle of the Eutaw Springs, and Evacuation of Charleston; or, the Glorious 14th of December, 1782." A National Drama. Played in Charleston, 1817.
S. B. H. Judah. "A Tale of Lexington." A National Comedy, founded on the opening of the Revolution. ”