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As some readers may already know, the commanding British general at the decisive Battle of Yorktown, Lord Charles Cornwallis, did not even bother to show up for the official surrender ceremony. Instead, Cornwallis sent his subordinate, Brigadier General Charles O’Hara, to formally present his sword of submission. O’Hara, in a bid to slight the Americans, attempted to hand over the symbolic sword to the ranking French General, the Comte de Rochambeau.
Rochambeau shook his head and pointed to the American General, George Washington.
Of course Washington, aware of what was happening with respect to the snubs of protocol, refused to accept O’Hara’s offering and instead directed the British officer to another subordinate, General Benjamin Lincoln. It was Lincoln who had been in command at the Siege of Charleston, which was one of the heaviest defeats of the Revolutionary War for the United States of America. To add insult to injury, Lincoln had also been denied the “honors of war” by the British at that capitulation in May of 1780.
Readers who are really on the ball have already noticed the bottom photo is actually a depiction of the British surrender at the Battle of Saratoga in upstate New York in October of 1777. A few drummer dudes are in the picture, however, hence the inclusion here. For the legend of Yorktown also involves the musical selection of the British Army’s band that day, the seventeenth century English ballad, “The World Turn’d Upside Down”.
The piece was written in 1643, the same period of time the Puritans and Oliver Cromwell were running around England (and the British Isles as a whole) pledging to put an end to a bunch of stuff including such things as ‘decadence’ (which, apparently, included the traditional celebration of Christmas).
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Listen to me and you shall hear, news hath not been this thousand year:
Since Herod, Caesar, and many more, you never heard the like before.
Holy-days are despis’d, new fashions are devis’d.
Old Christmas is kickt out of Tow
Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
The wise men did rejoyce to see our Savior Christs Nativity:
The Angels did good tidings bring, the Sheepheards did rejoyce and sing.
Let all honest men, take example by them.
Why should we from good Laws be bound?
Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
Command is given, we must obey, and quite forget old Christmas day:
Kill a thousand men, or a Town regain, we will give thanks and praise amain.
The wine pot shall clinke, we will feast and drinke.
And then strange motions will abound.
Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
Our Lords and Knights, and Gentry too, doe mean old fashions to forgoe:
They set a porter at the gate, that none must enter thereat.
They count it a sin, when poor people come in.
Hospitality it selfe is drown’d.
Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
The serving men doe sit and whine, and thinke it long ere dinner time.
The Butler’s still out of the way, or else my Lady keeps the key,
The poor old cook, in larder doth look,
Where is no goodnesse to be found,
Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
To conclude, I’le tell you news that right, Christmas was kil’d at Naseby fight.
Charity was slain at that same time, Jack Tell troth too, a friend of mine,
Likewise then did die, rost beef and shred pie,
Pig, Goose and Capon no quarter found.
Yet let’s be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn’d upside down.
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Proper blog protocol was probably an unknown entity here, but, nonetheless, the IRONPIGPEN will formally celebrate DAN KEHL’s first career blog post with our last.
Somewhere along the line, I know I lost my focus with respect to baseball, the sport that once was considered to be America’s passtime.
About all I can say is that, if only to me, it did seem as if the world turned upside down as I attempted to blog through this 2009 baseball season. I suppose it is time to apologize for that. So there’s the bad news.
The good news is, I sincerely believe Mr. Kehl and his Noise Nation associates will do very, very well with this blog thing. I just do.
And so, without further adieu…
