Yes, His Grandfather was Old Tippecanoe

A SONG OF TWO SOLDIERS.

Air — “Old Oaken Bucket.”

Oh, dear to my soul are the days of our glory,
The time honored days of our national pride,
When heroes and statesmen ennobled our story,
And boldly the foes of our country defied;
When victory hung o’er our flag proudly waving,
And the battle was fought by the valiant and true,
For our homes and our loved ones the enemy braving,
Oh, then stood the soldier of Tippecanoe.
The iron-armed soldier, the true-hearted soldier,
The gallant old soldier of Tippecanoe.

When dark was the tempest, and hovering o’er us,
The clouds of disunion seemed gathering fast,
Like a ray of bright sunshine he stood out before us,
And the clouds passed away with a hurrying blast.
When the rebel’s loud yell and his bayonet flashing,
Spread terror around us and hope was with few,
On then, through the ranks of the enemy dashing,
Sprang forth to the rescue young Tippecanoe.
The iron armed soldier, the true hearted soldier,
The grandson of gallant old Tippecanoe.

When cannons were pealing and brave men were reeling,
In the cold arms of death from the fire of the foe,
Where balls flew the thickest and blows fell the quickest,
In the front of the battle bold Harry did go.
The force of the enemy trembled before him,
And soon from the field of his glory withdrew,
And his warm hearted comrades in triumph cried o’er him.
God bless the brave grandson of Tippecanoe!
The iron armed soldier, the true hearted soldier,
The grandson of gallant old Tippecanoe.

And now, since the men have four years held the nation,
Who trampled our rights in their scorn to the ground,
We will fill their cold hearts with a new trepidation,
And shout in their ears this most terrible sound —
The people are coming, resistless and fearless,
To sweep from the White House the reckless old crew;
For the woes of the land, since its rulers are tearless,
We look for relief to young Tippecanoe,
The iron armed soldier, the true hearted soldier,
The grandson of gallant old Tippecanoe.

The people are coming from plain and from mountain,
To join the brave band of the honest and free,
Which grows as the stream from the leaf sheltered mountain,
Spreads broad and more broad till it reaches the sea.
No strength can resist it, no force can restrain it,
What’er may resist, it breaks gallantly through,
And borne by its motion as a ship on the ocean,
Speeds on in his glory, young Tippecanoe;
The iron armed soldier, the true hearted soldier,
The grandson of gallant old Tippecanoe.

Notes:  This song presents as a reason for voting for Benjamin Harrison that he was William Henry Harrison’s grandson.  Which he was.

W. H. Harrison had fought in the War of 1812 (“Tippecanoe” was a skirmish against the Native Americans that took place a bit before that war).  B. Harrison had fought in the American Civil War.  The men who “trampled our rights in their scorn to the ground” were the Democrats, being equated here with the Confederates.

Next time: The Presidential Fisherman