Avenging The Maine Poem by James Ephraim McGirt

Sing, O Muse! the avenging of the Maine,
The direful woes, the fate of Spain.
A heinous deed t' our ship they wrought,
Untimely death t' our crew they brought.
Our soldiers valor ever tell,
Who for free Cuba fought and fell;
Volcanic boats o'er water went,
The glowing shells on them were sent.
Of Shafter's army, tell me all
Who rallied bravely to the call?
What of the negroes in the band,
And did they go or did they stand?
To this question I'll answer brief,
So well they fought without a chief.
I'll sing of this, the glorious time
When negro valor shone sublime;
In the hottest battle their captain died,
They did not flee, but 'Onward,' cried.
Their eyes on vict'ry firmly fixed,
That day both races' blood was mixed.
These are the first to reach the land,
There were no cowards in the band;
When all the story you shall hear,
They unto you'll seem most dear.
Hold of her harp the Muse then takes,
A minor cord on it she makes;
And all are curious to hear,
But from her eye there falls a tear;
Her voice is hushed by some strange spell,
As from the strings her fingers fell.
And on her face there came a frown,
She took a seat upon the ground,
Then to her side they quickly went,
As from her breast a groan she sent.
Within our arms we held her head,
And to the Muse we softly said:
'Tell us, O Muse! what giv'st grief,
And if we can we'll give relief?'
Then from her breast again she sighed,
With throbbing voice to us replied:
'The story which you urge to hear
No one can tell without a tear.
Ah! grief to you this tale will bring,
If I in po'try play and sing.
I can not sing the grievous woes,
I'll tell the story all in prose.
Pray listen now with greatest care,
If the sad story you would hear;
The origin now I will relate,
That coming sons may know the fate.
'In Cuba's land a nation brave,
Whom the cruel Spaniards held as slave.
One night their braves in conf'rence met
To plot their freedom best to get,
For they the yoke of slavery bore
Until their shoulders galded sore.
'Twas Maceo first took the stand,
For he was leader of the band;
Unto them all he did declare
He could no longer slavery bear.
A bill to Spain he sent to see
If they would set the Cubans free;
And when the bill to Spain was sent,
To full enraged the bill they rent;
And to the soldiers she did tell,
Go! Murder Cubans! They rebel!'
No Cuban leaders could they get,
There was a skirmish when they met;
And when they drove the brave away,
The helpless women they would slay;
They murdered babes that knew no harm—
They snatched them from the mothers' arm.
While killing all by sword they could,
From others they withheld their food,
While thus to starve a Cuban race;
To us it seemed a sad disgrace.
Freedom of Cuba was our plea;
We called upon our General Lee.
Our beloved Lee to Cuba sent
To see what the cruel Spaniards meant
With him we sent our ship the Maine,
As Spain to us had done the same;
And both was in a truce's name.
Our ship in Cuba's harbor stood;
But Spain was eager for our blood.
And in the secret of the night
On us exploded a dynamite;
And while her crew were fast asleep,
Some hurled into the mighty deep.
The ship went down beneath the wave
Before we could our sailors save.
I can not picture this sad sight,
Nor bear to think of that dread night,
When they performed the cruel deed,
Unless my heart is made to bleed.
And thus this story you abhor;
I've told the causes of the war.
'The news was sent by swiftest speed,
Announcing Spain's most cruel deed.
So great the grief and wrath it brought,
To hear the deed the Spaniards wrought,
O'er all the world a clamor rose,
And all the world the clamor knows;
While some were counting up the cost,
Still others wailing o'er the lost.
To war! To war! our voices rang;
To war! To war! the song we sang.
To the White House we quickly went,
Demanding war of President.
In Senate, war was the loud cry;
Our President did not comply;
To all the people he would say:
To go to war is more than play.
'The bill for war he would declare,
He could not sign till he prepare.
But soon his plans had been well made—
The cry for war he then obeyed.
For volunteers at first he asked,
To get them did not seem a task,
And every time a call was made,
Our loyal sons at once obeyed.
Of heroes brave I now will tell,
Who fought for freedom long and well;
Of Dewey and Sampson first I'll sing,
And on my harp their names shall ring.
They first for freedom made their way;
The woe of Spain began that day;
It seemed as He, the God Supreme,
Down from His throne viewed all the scene;
The deed of Spain He did abhor,
Lent us His aid throughout the war.
With every fleet a guard was sent
To keep us safe where'er we went;
Around the mines show'd us a path,
He held the guns that hurled our wrath.
The aid to us was beyond cost;
And not a boat of ours was lost.
Now Hobson's valor must be told;
'Twas brave as any of the fold,
The deed that made for him a name,
And I, a Muse, must sing his fame;
He sank, to block the Spaniard's way,
The Merrimac into the bay.
He reached the shore, and woe'd begun
That would not cease till vict'ry come.'