Alexandria Gazette, Commercial And Political

Although the following beautiful little piece may be familiar to most of our readers, its republication cannot be ill-timed at the present moment.

THE BATTLE OF BLENHEIM

It was a summer evening,
Old Kaspar's work was done,
And he before his cottage door
Was sitting in the sun;
And by him sported on the green,
His little grandchild Wilhelmine.

She saw her brother Peterkin
Roll something large and round
That he beside a rivulet
In playing there had found;
He came to ask what he had found
That was so large, & smooth, & round.

Old Kaspar took it from the boy,
Who stood expectant by;
And then the old man shook his head,
And with a natural sigh,
'Tis some poor fellow's skull, said he,
Who fell in the great victory.

I find them in the garden,
For there's many here about;
And often when I go to plough
The ploughshare turns them out.
For many thousand men, said he,
Were slain in that great victory.

Now tell us what 'twas all about,
Young Peterkin he cries;
And little Wilhelmine looks up
With wonder-waiting eyes;
Now tell us all about the war,
And what they killed each other for.

It was the English, Kaspar cried,
That put the French to rout;
But what they killed each other for
I could not well make out;
But everybody said, quoth he,
That 'twas a famous victory.

My father lived at Blenheim then,
Yon little stream hard by;
They burnt his dwelling to the ground,
And he was forced to fly:
So with his wife's and child he set,
Nor had he where to lay his head.

With fire and sword the country round
Was wasted far and wide,
And many a nursing mother then
And newborn baby died;
But things like that, you know must be
At every famous victory.

They say it was a shocking sight
After the field was won;
For many thousand bodies here
Lay rotting in the sun:
But things like that, you know must be
At every famous victory.

Great praise the Duke of Marlboro' won,
And our good Prince Eugene;
Why 'twas a very wicked thing
Said little Wilhelmine;
Nay—nay, my little girl, quoth he,
It was a famous victory.

And everybody praised the Duke,
Who such a fight did win;
But what good came of it at last?
Quoth little Peterkin;
Why that I cannot tell, said he,
But 'twas a famous victory.