Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
America: Vols. XXV–XXIX. 1876–79. | | | | Middle States: Oriskany, N. Y. | | Battle of Oriskany | | Charles D. Helmer (1827–1879) |
| | (Excerpt)
AS men who fight for home and child and wife, | |
| As men oblivious of life | |
| In holy martyrdom, | |
| The yeomen of the Valley fought that day, | |
| Throughout thy fierce and deadly fray,— | 5 |
| Blood-red Oriskany. | |
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| From rock and tree and clump of twisted brush | |
| The hissing gusts of battle rush,— | |
| Hot-breathed and horrible! | |
| The roar, the smoke, like mist on stormy seas, | 10 |
| Sweep through thy splintered trees,— | |
| Hard-fought Oriskany. | |
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| Heroes are born in such a chosen hour; | |
| From common men they rise, and tower, | |
| Like thee, brave Herkimer! | 15 |
| Who wounded, steedless, still beside the beech | |
| Cheered on thy men, with sword and speech, | |
| In grim Oriskany. | |
| |
| But ere the sun went toward the tardy night, | |
| The Valley then beheld the light | 20 |
| Of freedom’s victory; | |
| And wooded Tryon snatched from British arms | |
| The empire of a million farms— | |
| On bright Oriskany. | |
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| The guns of Stanwix thunder to the skies; | 25 |
| The rescued wilderness replies; | |
| Forth dash the garrison! | |
| And routed Tories, with their savage aids, | |
| Sink reddening through the sullied shades— | |
| From lost Oriskany. | 30 | | | |
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