“‘War is Hell,’ said General William T. Sherman. But,—better have war than bow to an inferior nation.”—Doctrines of the Strenuous Life.
GEORGE WALKER
WINNER OF THE GAMEST SEA FIGHT OF THE ENGLISH CHANNEL
(1727-1777)
“If Britain can but breed th’ men,
Who are like Walker made,
She’ll have no fear of danger,
When th’ foe starts to invade.
When th’ foe starts to invade, my boys,
An’ creep along th’ shore,
Where th’ curling breakers wash th’ cliffs,
Where th’ breeching combers roar.
Then, lift a glass to Walker,
Of Glorioso fame,
May we ne’er forget his deed lads,
May we ne’er forget his name.”
—Chants from The Channel.—1769.
IT was the year 1739, and the good people of Charleston, South Carolina, were in a great state of agitation. Little knots of merchants, sailors, clerks, and dock-hands clustered about each other in the narrow streets. And, above the hub-bub of many voices, could be heard the solemn sentence, oft repeated:
“The pirate is off the narrows! The pirate will soon be here!”