USA Patriotism! ... "Showcasing Pride of America"

Home - Articles - USA's Birth - Great Patriots - Heroes - Honor Halls - Music - Photos
Poems - Quotes - Reference - Speeches - Stars for Troops - Stories - Student Patriots
Videos - New Content
- About - Contact - Submit - Press - CureNow - Donate
- Privacy

Click To Google Search USA Patriotism!

USA Store! ... American / Patriotic themed gift products at USA Patriotism!
USA Patriotism! YouTube Channel Join / Like the USA Patriotism! Facebook page LinkedIn
PinterestUSA Patriotism! Instagram ChannelUSA Patriotism! On Twitter USA Patriotism! at Flickr

Patriotic Poems
War and Tragedy

Patritoic USA and Military Gifts from The Bradford Exchange Tough Tex USA Flag
 
Collectibles, apparel, and other gifts ... for Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and veterans!  
 

Poem Categories

Ticonderoga
By V. B. Wilson
country as flag
The cold, gray light of the dawning
On old Carillon falls,
And dim in the mist of the morning
Stand the grim old fortress walls.
No sound disturbs the stillness
Save the cataract's mellow roar,
Silent as death is the fortress,
Silent the misty shore.

But up from the wakening waters
Comes the cool, fresh morning breeze,
Lifting the banner of Britain,
And whispering to the trees
Of the swift gliding boats on the waters
That are nearing the fog-shrouded land,
With the old Green Mountain Lion,
And his daring patriot band.

But the sentinel at the postern
Heard not the whisper low;
He is dreaming of the banks of the Shannon
As he walks on his beat to and fro,
Of the starry eyes in Green Erin
That were dim when he marched away,
And a tear down his bronzed cheek courses,
'T is the first for many a day.

A sound breaks the misty stillness,
And quickly he glances around;
Through the mist, forms like towering giants
Seem rising out of the ground;
A challenge, the firelock flashes,
A sword cleaves the quivering air,
And the sentry lies dead by the postern,
Blood staining his bright yellow hair.

Then, with a shout that awakens
All the echoes of hillside and glen,
Through the low, frowning gate of the fortress,
Sword in hand, rush the Green Mountain men.
The scarce wakened troops of the garrison
Yield up their trust pale with fear;
And down comes the bright British banner,
And out rings a Green Mountain cheer.

Flushed with pride, the whole eastern heavens
With crimson and gold are ablaze;
And up springs the sun in his splendor
And flings down his arrowy rays,
Bathing in sunlight the fortress,
Turning to gold the grim walls,
While louder and clearer and higher
Rings the song of the waterfalls.

Since the taking of Ticonderoga
A century has rolled away;
But with pride the nation remembers
That glorious morning in May.
And the cataract's silvery music
Forever the story tells,
Of the capture of old Carillon,
The chime of the silver bells.
By V. B. Wilson
Listed May 18, 2012
 

Note... May 10, 1775 - After the news of Concord fight, a volunteer expedition
from Vermont and Connecticut, under Ethan Alien and Benedict Arnold,
seized Ticonderoga and Crown Point, whose military stores were of great
service. From its chime of bells, the French called Ticonderoga "Carillon."

Poem Use Permission Request
USA Patriotism! cannot provide use permission for a poem or an author's email address if not listed below the poem. Only the author or a legal representative can grant permission. Try a search engine to find the author's contact information for a use permission request or if it is available for public use.
Note: Poems authored in the 1700s and 1800s can be used with reference to the author.

Comment on this poem

USA Gifts Store! ... over 1,000 American / Patriotic themed products at USA Patriotism! USA / Americana theme ... polo shirts, t-shirts, shorts, hats, caps, swimwear, sweatshirts, hoodies, hats, jackets, under garments, and other apparel items American Pride: Poems Honoring America and Her Patriots! by David G. Bancroft
War and Tragedy Poems | Poem Categories