A Humble Heroine Poem by William Topaz McGonagall

A Humble Heroine

Rating: 2.6


'Twas at the Seige of Matagarda, during the Peninsular War,
That a Mrs Reston for courage outshone any man there by far;
She was the wife of a Scottish soldier in Matagarda Port,
And to attend to her husband she there did resort.

'Twas in the Spring of the year 1810,
That General Sir Thomas Graham occupied Matagarda with 150 men;
These consisted of a detachment from the Scots Brigade,
And on that occasion they weren't in the least afraid.

And Captain Maclaine of the 94th did the whole of them command,
And the courage the men displayed was really grand;
Because they held Matagarda for fifty-four days,
Against o'erwhelming numbers of the French - therefore they are worthy of praise.

The British were fighting on behalf of Spain,
But if they fought on their behalf they didn't fight in vain;
For they beat them manfully by land and sea,
And from the shores of Spain they were forced to flee.

Because Captain Maclaine set about repairing the old fort,
So as to make it comfortable for his men to resort;
And there he kept his men at work day by day,
Filling sand-bags and stuffing them in the walls without delay.

There was one woman in the fort during those trying dags,
A Mrs Reston, who is worthy of great praise;
She acted like a ministering angel to the soldiers while there,
By helping them to fill sand-bags, it was her constant care.

Mrs Reston behaved as fearlessly as any soldier in the garrison,
And amongst the soldiers golden opinions she won,
For her presence was everywhere amongst the men,
And the service invaluable she rendered to them.

Methinks I see that brave heroine carrying her child,
Whilst the bullets were falling around her, enough to drive her wild;
And bending over it to protect it from danger,
Because to war's alarms it was a stranger.

And while the shells shrieked around, and their fragments did scatter,
She was serving the men at the guns with wine and water;
And while the shot whistled around, her courage wasn't slack,
Because to the soldiers she carried sand-bags on her back.

A little drummer boy was told to fetch water from the well,
But he was afraid because the bullets from the enemy around it fell;
And the Doctor cried to the boy, Why are you standing there?
But Mrs Reston said, Doctor, the bairn is feared, I do declare.

And she said, Give me the pail, laddie, I'll fetch the water,
Not fearing that the shot would her brains scatter;
And without a moment's hesitation she took the pail,
Whilst the shot whirred thick around her, yet her courage didn't fail.

And to see that heroic woman the scene was most grand,
Because as she drew the water a shot cut the rope in her hand;
But she caught the pail with her hand dexterously,
Oh! the scene was imposing end most beautiful to see.

The British fought bravely, as they are always willing to do,
Although their numbers were but few;
So they kept up the cannonading with their artillery,
And stood manfully at their guns against the enemy.

And five times the flagstaff was shot away,
And as often was it replaced without dismay;
And the flag was fastened to an angle of the wall,
And the British resolved to defend it whatever did befall.

So the French were beaten and were glad to run,
And the British for defeating them golden opinions have won
Ah through brave Captain Maclaine and his heroes bold,
Likewise Mrs Reston, whose name should be written in letters of gold.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Susan Williams 21 December 2015

I had heard about her before! This was a real woman and did the deeds described in this poem. Her attention to the wounded soldiers made her a heroine to her husband and all the soldiers. When she wasn't nursing the injured, she carried sand bags for repair of the battery, handed along ammunition, and supplied the gunners with wine and water. When the battle looked lost, other women in the battery were taken to safety but she refused to go. She stayed in the shattered fort with the men although there was little ammo left.. After her husband died in 1844, she was poverty stricken and became an inmate in a hospital. Even though she was 72 years old, she worked there as a nurse. When the soldiers heard this, they appealed for money for this truly valiant and deserving, though sadly neglected woman. They collected an annuity for her of £30 a year. She was now independent, but she preferred to remain in the hospital, paying for her board. After setting aside sufficient for her funeral expenses, anything left over she gave to charity. She died on Christmas Eve,1856, at the age of 85 her gravestone has the inscription: In memory of James Reston, late serjeant 94th Regiment, who died on the 24th day of October,1834, aged 63 years, and of Agnes Harkness, his wife, The Heroine of Matagorda, who died 24 December 1856, aged 85 years.- -reference Wikipedia

19 0 Reply
M Asim Nehal 21 December 2015

So the French were beaten and were glad to run, And the British for defeating them golden opinions have won..... Nice one.

0 0 Reply
Brian Jani 02 May 2014

Nicely writen poem I like it so much

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