Hi Uncle Sam
Encyclopedia
Hi Uncle Sam! is a poem by Irish poet W. F. Marshall
. It asks of American
s that they remember the input and support of immigrants from Ulster
on the United States
throughout the American Revolution
.
The poem was published in Marshall's book, Ulster Sails West, which was published in 1911. A mural
in Newtownards
displays a verse of the poem. The poem was also put to music and recorded by the Ulster Scots Folk Orchestra and verse was used by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
in their Emigration Series publication.
The "Uncle Sam
" of title refers to the later personification of the United States.
Hi Uncle Sam!
When freedom was denied you,
And imperial might defied you,
Who was it stood beside you
At Quebec
and Brandywine
?
And dared retreats and dangers,
Red-coats
and Hessian strangers,
In the lean, long-rifled Rangers,
And the Pennsylvania Line
!
Hi! Uncle Sam!
Wherever there was fighting,
Or wrong that needed writing
,
An Ulsterman was sighting
His Kentucky
gun with care:
All the road to Yorktown
,
From Lexington
to Yorktown,
From Valley Forge
to Yorktown,
That Ulsterman was there!
Hi! Uncle Sam!
Virginia sent her brave men,
The North
paraded grave men,
That they might not be slavemen,
But ponder this with calm:
The first to face the Tory
,
And the first to lift Old Glory
,
Made your war an Ulster story:
Think it over, Uncle Sam!
W. F. Marshall
Reverend William Forbes Marshall BA. LLB. DD. MRIA was an Irish Poet and Presbyterian Minister from Sixmilecross, County Tyrone, Ireland....
. It asks of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
s that they remember the input and support of immigrants from Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
throughout the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
The poem was published in Marshall's book, Ulster Sails West, which was published in 1911. A mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
in Newtownards
Newtownards
Newtownards is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town in the Borough of Ards. According to the 2001 Census, it has a population of 27,821 people in...
displays a verse of the poem. The poem was also put to music and recorded by the Ulster Scots Folk Orchestra and verse was used by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is situated in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a division within the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure ....
in their Emigration Series publication.
The "Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam is a common national personification of the American government originally used during the War of 1812. He is depicted as a stern elderly man with white hair and a goatee beard...
" of title refers to the later personification of the United States.
Lyrics
For historical references and context, click on the highlighted words or phrases.Hi Uncle Sam!
When freedom was denied you,
And imperial might defied you,
Who was it stood beside you
At Quebec
Battle of Quebec (1775)
The Battle of Quebec was fought on December 31, 1775 between American Continental Army forces and the British defenders of the city of Quebec, early in the American Revolutionary War. The battle was the first major defeat of the war for the Americans, and it came at a high price...
and Brandywine
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American army of Major General George Washington and the British-Hessian army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The British defeated the Americans and...
?
And dared retreats and dangers,
Red-coats
Red coat (British army)
Red coat or Redcoat is a historical term used to refer to soldiers of the British Army because of the red uniforms formerly worn by the majority of regiments. From the late 17th century to the early 20th century, the uniform of most British soldiers, , included a madder red coat or coatee...
and Hessian strangers,
In the lean, long-rifled Rangers,
And the Pennsylvania Line
Pennsylvania Line
Pennsylvania, like many other colonies, was involved with the war and developing problem of the American Revolution.-History:Philadelphia was the site of the Constitutional Convention. It also served as the capital city for a while. Threats from Britain caused the country to relocate to...
!
Hi! Uncle Sam!
Wherever there was fighting,
Or wrong that needed writing
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
,
An Ulsterman was sighting
His Kentucky
Western theater of the American Revolutionary War
The Western theater of the American Revolutionary War was the area of conflict west of the Appalachian Mountains, the region which became the Northwest Territory of the United States as well as the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri...
gun with care:
All the road to Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
,
From Lexington
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy , and Cambridge, near Boston...
to Yorktown,
From Valley Forge
Valley Forge
Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 in the American Revolutionary War.-History:...
to Yorktown,
That Ulsterman was there!
Hi! Uncle Sam!
Virginia sent her brave men,
The North
Northern United States
Northern United States, also sometimes the North, may refer to:* A particular grouping of states or regions of the United States of America. The United States Census Bureau divides some of the northernmost United States into the Midwest Region and the Northeast Region...
paraded grave men,
That they might not be slavemen,
But ponder this with calm:
The first to face the Tory
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
,
And the first to lift Old Glory
Old Glory
Old Glory is a common nickname for the flag of the United States, bestowed by William Driver, an early nineteenth century American sea captain....
,
Made your war an Ulster story:
Think it over, Uncle Sam!