| Thomas R. Lounsbury, ed. (1838–1915). Yale Book of American Verse. 1912. |
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| Guy Humphreys McMaster. 1829–1887 |
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| 168. Carmen Bellicosum |
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| IN their ragged regimentals, | |
| Stood the old Continentals, | |
| Yielding not, | |
| While the grenadiers were lunging, | |
| And like hail fell the plunging | 5 |
| Cannon-shot; | |
| When the files | |
| Of the isles, | |
| From the smoky night-encampment, bore the banner of the rampant | |
| Unicorn; | 10 |
| And grummer, grummer, grummer, rolled the roll of the drummer | |
| Through the morn! | |
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| Then with eyes to the front all, | |
| And with guns horizontal, | |
| Stood our sires; | 15 |
| While the balls whistled deadly, | |
| And in streams flashing redly | |
| Blazed the fires: | |
| As the roar | |
| On the shore | 20 |
| Swept the strong battle-breakers o'er the green-sodded acres | |
| Of the plain; | |
| And louder, louder, louder, cracked the black gunpowder, | |
| Cracking amain! | |
| Now like smiths at their forges | 25 |
| Worked the red St. George's | |
| Cannoneers, | |
| And the villainous saltpetre | |
| Rang a fierce, discordant metre | |
| Round our ears: | 30 |
| As the swift | |
| Storm-drift, | |
| With hot sweeping anger, came the horse-guards' clangor | |
| On our flanks | |
| Then higher, higher, higher, burned the old-fashioned fire | 35 |
| Through the ranks! | |
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| Then the bare-headed Colonel | |
| Galloped through the white infernal | |
| Powder-cloud; | |
| And his broadsword was swinging, | 40 |
| And his brazen throat was ringing | |
| Trumpet-loud; | |
| Then the blue | |
| Bullets flew, | |
| And the trooper-jackets redden at the touch of the leaden | 45 |
| Rifle-breath; | |
| And rounder, rounder, rounder, roared the iron six-pounder, | |
| Hurling death! | |
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