Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, BUNKER HILL, by WILLIAM A. PHELON


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

BUNKER HILL, by                    
First Line: A low redoubt, dug into tumbled earth--
Last Line: Of bunker, hill, and its immortal name!
Subject(s): American Revolution; Bunker Hill, Battle Of; War


A LOW redoubt, dug into tumbled earth—
The hot June sun beats fiercely down upon
A half-drilled crowd of farmers. Drawing close,
The deep red lines of British troops come on,
Troops that had seen the Lilies glance
On fields that shattered the pride of France—
The Grenadiers of the English Crown—
A sudden crash—and the lines are down!
The low redoubt sends out a leaden hail,
The regiments are broken left and right—
Their officers are dropping—yet the men
Reel back, then upward in the frantic fight!
Long rows of tumbled scarlet uniforms,
Like wheat mowed down by sudden summer storms,
A roar of triumph from the patriots' throats—
The Grenadiers retreating to their boats!
It could not be—the victory could not last—
"The powder's done"—the muskets dropped—and yet
The sons of old New England battled on,
Till driven backward by the bayonet!
The low redoubt is taken. Hand to hand,
The redcoats overcome the patriot band—
Yet greater than a triumph is the fame
Of Bunker, Hill, and its immortal name!





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