IN 1824, when General Lafayette arrived at Philadelphia, and was nobly
welcomed as “The Nation’s Guest,” the writer of this book was staying
several weeks at the hospitable home of his amiable and kind relative,
Mrs. BETSY ROSS. The arrival of Lafayette excited and brightened her
extraordinary memory, as she very cheerfully entertained all her
friends, by relating the most interesting facts of the Revolution,
and its FLAG of Victory. Her words we well remember. She objected,
as a member of the society of “Friends,” to sit for her portrait,
nevertheless, a miniature of her in crayon was made, and is now highly
prized; and at this late day, we deem it our duty to publish the
true history of the origin of the first FLAG of our Country, and the
patriotism of America’s most illustrious Heroine.
The BRAVEST of the brave demands our song,
Who made the FLAG so firm and strong,
Of all earth’s emblems the brightest diadem,
The FREEMEN’S shield, the PATRIOT’S gem.
Listen to her thrilling, cheering voice, her soul-inspiring, martial
song, whilst a dozen of the ladies of her household joined in the
chorus, as she handed over each Flag to the gallant troops, on their
way to camp, and roused their enthusiasm to the highest pitch. The
ladies of the Revolution loved her for her magnanimous and modest
Quaker deportment, and the army of Washington applauded her dignified
admonitions, so full of patriotism and power of song. Quakers very
seldom sing, but BETSY ROSS always said, “_My voice shall be devoted
to God and my country, and whenever the spirit moves me, I’ll sing
and shout for liberty!_”—and with an enthusiasm for INDEPENDENCE,
exhibiting a spirit power, only to be equalled by absolute phrensy, she
waved her Flag aloft, and she did sing to the gallant volunteers, the
“WAR SONG OF INDEPENDENCE.”
“Come on, my hearts of temper’d steel,
Away! away! to arms!!
No foreign slaves shall give us law,
No British tyrants reign;
’Tis INDEPENDENCE makes us free,
And FREEDOM we’ll maintain.
And to conquest we will go! will go! will go!
With the red, white and blue,
To conquest we will go.
“A soldier is a gentleman,
His honor is his life,
And he that won’t stand by his FLAG,
Will ne’er stand by his WIFE.
And to conquest we will go! will go! will go!
With the red, white and blue,
To conquest we will go.
“Then hark! to arms! to arms!! to arms!!!
’Tis the time that tries men’s souls!
The rising world shall sing of you,
A THOUSAND YEARS to come,
And to your children’s children TELL
The WONDERS you have done.
When to conquest you did go! did go! did go!
With the red, white and blue,
To conquest you did go.”
Many inspired songs (after the close of the war for American
Independence) were carried home by Gen. Lafayette, (the companion
of Washington,) Rochambeau, and many of the French engineers and
soldiers, on their return to France, having proved their chivalry and
united their hearts, blood, songs and arms with Americans, for the
liberties of America; and, but for the “WAR SONG” of BETSY ROSS, the
“Marseillaise Hymn” would not have been written by Rouget de Lille, a
French officer of engineers, in 1791. Marshal Luckner commanded the
French Revolutionary army at that time on their march from Marseilles
to Paris; that whole army became phrensied by the words of the “WAR
SONGS” of American Independence, that they had helped to gain, and
Rouget de Lille caught the inspiratory words, “_And hark, away to
arms! to conquest we will go!_” and quickly composed the song that
he entitled the “_Chant de Guerre de l’ Armée du Rhin_,” the “War
Song of the Army of the Rhine,” which the Parisians, some years
afterwards, named the “_Hymne des Marseillaise_.” Thus the “_War
Song of Independence_” became combined, in word and spirit, in the
“_Marseillaise Hymn_,” and has ever since enlivened the march of the
armies of France to conquest and played an important part in the
revolutions, not only of France, but of other Continental States.
In 1870, William J. Canby, Esq., (the grandson of Mrs. John Ross,) of
Philadelphia, read before the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, a
very interesting paper on the subject of the “Centennial Anniversary of
the American Flag,” in which he stated that his maternal grandmother,
“Betsy Ross,” was the first maker of the “Stars and Stripes.” She lived
in Arch street at the time, and continued in the business of making
Flags for many years.
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