The Amaricans are Challing: A Colonial Child’s Exclamation

Between the pages of his math exercise book John Barstow jotted down a patriot tune called “The Amaricans, Challing" ("The Americans are Calling") on January 2nd, 1777 (GLC 09051). Carefully written in a youth’s unsteady hand, the text appears to be a transcription of a popular camp song from the Revolutionary era. How this declaration of patriotism found its way into Barstow’s math lessons is unknown. One can imagine a young child learning the song from a father or older brother going off to war or hearing the tune sung by soldiers who marched through town. Perhaps it was simply doodled during an instance of classroom boredom. This unexpected entry is, however, evidence of the patriotic fervor that young John and other children must have felt at the time.

Krista Rupe, Special Projects Manager
The Gilder Lehrman Collection

THE AMaricans, Challing
1
Amaricans To arms Prepare
Honour & Glory Beats For war
Exert Yourselves with Force & might
Thou how The amaricans Boys Can fight
For To maintain Their Charter rights
Hozah Brave Boys ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2
hark how The warlike Trumpet Sounds
Where there is nothing but Blood and Wound}
Drums & Beating Colours Flying Cannons Roaring [inserted: Tories Dying]
These are The Noble Efects of war, Hozah Brave Boys
3
You [sic: Ye] That Rain [sic: reign] masters of The Seas }
Shake of [sic: off] your Youthful Sloth and Ease } must undergo
We will make The haughty Tories know, The Sorrows They
When they Engage Their mortal Foe, Hozah Brave Boys
4
Display your Collours mount your Guns. }We Will Prove Their
Bator [sic: Batten] Their Cassels [sic: castles] Fire their Towns }Fatal Overthrew
You Nightid [sic: United] sons of Amaricans Fame [sic: flame] } Hozah Brave Boys
Let not your unDaunted Courage Fame
We will Drive The Tories Back again, Hozah Brave Boys
5
Why Should we be Daunted at all, Sence [sic: Since] we are engaged in so Just a } Cause
In Fighting for our Rights and Laws and dying in so Just a Caus } Be moved
We'll prove their fatal overthrow Huzza brave boys

[The following text is written vertically on the upper right hand side of page in a black lined box.]
John Barstow
His writing The 2 Day of Jary jenam
1777
John Barstow The 2 Day of January

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