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Brave Ballads of Truth

by Jane McCaw Gronko

91 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-1041; ISBN 1-4120-0671-6; US$17.00, C$21.00, EUR13.65, £9.46

Great moments in American history...through the eyes of the people who created it!

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpts or Table of Contents      catalogue info

About the Book History/American Studies GREAT MOMENTS IN U.S. HISTORY...THROUGH THE EYES OF THE PEOPLE WHO CREATED IT Some of the names we know: Sacajawea, the Indian girl who guided Lewis and Clark through the wilderness...Sojourner Truth, the ex-slave who became a leading advocate for the rights of women and blacks...Julia Ward Howe, inspired to write "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Others could have been lost to history: Harriet Wilson, the first black American novelist...the first men to earn the Purple Heart...Alice Ramsey, the first woman to drive a car across the U.S. Jane McCaw has uncovered their stories. In this collection of 44 traditional and free-verse ballads covering Colonial times through 1909, the 89-year-old author gives readers an intimate glance at the unsung heroines and heroes of our history. Many of them are women, many are not white, and some, like the eagle who led battle charges in the Civil War or the horses that made the Pony Express a reality, are not even human. If you are interested in American history, patriotism, women's studies, or the experience of different cultures in the American melting pot, pick up this book and start your journey through American history, through the experiences of the people who took part in those events. It will be a journey to remember! Recommended for ages 10-adult

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About the Author Jane McCaw was born in 1914 and grew up in Norfolk, Nebraska. She is the author of two other books, several plays, and a number of ballads, most of which reflect her long-standing interest in American history. She has lived in Illinois, Colorado, Texas, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, and now resides in Alabama. Previously a teacher and a librarian, Jane McCaw also has served as president of the Baldwin County Writers Club. She is a member of the Christian Science Church in Foley, Alabama, and of the Christian Science mother church in Boston.

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Sample Excerpts

The Ballad of the Purple Heart

Drummer Boy, Drummer Boy,
The camp fires spit red,
Spring covers New Windsor,
Morristown and Valley Forge,
Army survived cold winters,
Valiant regiments are worn,
Run to General Washington,
Enlisted men honored here!

Drummer Boy, Drummer Boy,
Ragged patriots stand firm,
Common soldiers are watching
For their General to appear,
He comes strong before them,
History waits for the Show,
Hug the drum as you run,
Enlisted men honored here!

Drummer Boy, Drummer Boy,
Halt quick with loyal drum,
Headquarters of the General
In the Revolutionary War,
From Washington a signal
To honor common soldiers,
First time in any nation,
Enlisted men honored here!

Drummer Boy, Drummer Boy,
Beat long and beat loud
For the Continental Army
Full of tough volunteers,
Like the Purple Heart Tree,
Used for stocks of muskets,
Honor Purple eart Badges,
Enlisted men honored here!

Drummer Boy, Drummer Boy,
Who earned that new Badge,
Cloth purple heart figure,
On facings at left breast,
A Badge of Military Merit,
Begun by George Washington?
Drum for three Sergeants,
Enlisted men honored here!

Elijah Churchill is smiling,
His old musket held proudly,
William Brown stands steady,
Healed of Yorktown wounds,
Daniel Bissell seems quiet,
His fine face pale and wan,
Army cheers the Brave Purple,
Enlisted men honored here!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A Ballad Concerning the Mystery
of Negro Tom of Fairfas County, Virginia:
Tom Fuller Was His Name

1790 being the year, there appeared an obituary in a
Boston newspaper of a man never in Boston.

Who was he? Why of note? How found in Boston? Why
did tax and probate records show Tom Fuller?

Born in Africa, a field hand at fourteen years, lived life in
His Majesty's Colony of Virginia.

Tom taught himself to count hairs in a cow's tail, a bushel
of wheat and flax seed, grain by grain.

Tom invented a new system of multiplication for number
of poles, yards, feet, inches any distance.

He calculated the diameter of the earth's orbit. Mrs. Cox,
illiterate owner, used him on the farm.

1777 saw William artshorne, Quaker, in Virginia,
seeking a new home for his family and business.

He and Quakers three sought the genius slave to calculate
for them and show off his famous talent.

"What a shame you have been denied an education." As
secret Abolitionists, they admired Tom Fuller.

"No Massa, it is best I got no learning, for many learned
men be great fools," replied the slave.

Dr. Benjamin Rush of Philadelphia interviewed them and
wrote a paper to Pennsylvania Abolitionists.

The report of the genius slave and calculator was sent to
London and two continents honored old Tom.

In 1790 Tom Fuller's epitaph was printed in Boston, and
the mystery of this obscure man was solved.

"Thus died Negro Tom, this self-taught arithmetician, this
untutored Scholar!"

"Had his opportunities of improvement been equal to those
of thousands of his fellow men, neither the Royal Society
of London, the Academy of Science at Paris, nor even
Newton himself, need have been ashamed to acknowledge
him a Brother in Science."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Ballad of the Pony Express

Throw the history books open! American History, that is!
    Can you hear us thunder from the pages of time?
    We are ghostly runners on old trails of the West,
    We are the galloping ponies of the Pony Express,
    Fleeing from the Indians, their rifles and bows,
    Death on the plains, exhaustion, murder by snow,
    Five hundred ponies who carried the overland mail.

Throw the history books open! American History, that is!
    Pony boys, surge from the pages, mount and begin,
    "Pony Bob"Haslam, young Cody, he's Buffalo Bill,
    French Canada's Aubery, full of daring and pluck,
    Raced Missouri to Sacramento, eight days of luck,
    The Kelleys, the Gilsons, McNaughton, Irish Tom,
    Bore Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address.

Throw the history books open! American History, that is!
    We ponies for two years flashed through the West,
    With messages on tissue paper in our saddle bags,
    Taking the distance in fast leaps of horse speed,
    We ran for our suppers and gave pony boys credit,
    We forged a route permanent, and we beg our place,
    As ponies in American History who ran a good race.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Ballad of Alice Ramsey and a 1909 Motor Car

"I'm the photographer the Maxwell Company asked to
show newspapers the start of the first drive across the
country by a woman."

"I am Alice Ramsey. Don't be afraid to ask questions. I'm
not afraid."

"Women are afraid to drive. Only men drive motor cars.
1909 is a sensible year to stay home."

"Robert Peary has set foot on the North Pole. Why can't I
drive New York to San Francisco? I know engines,
mechanics, and have driving skills. My father trained me."

"My first picture will be the forest green touring car. Put
the top down. What are you wearing?"

"Black poncho of length, rubber helmet and detachable
goggles. Here come my passengers. Margaret Atwood,
Nettie Powell, Hermine Jahns. They can't drive."

"Enter the back seat, ladies. Young Mrs. Ramsey, you are
plucky. What equipment does the Maxwell carry?"

"Spare parts, tire chains, steel spring leaves, jack, hand
pump, tire irons, spare inner tubs, patch kits, two spare
tires, a gallon water jug, canvas water bag, a small Sterno
stove, camera, hamper basket of food, suitcases of city
and driving clothes for each of us."

"I hear that at 21 you are the greatest natural woman driver
in the country. How did you get the assignment to Frisco?"

"I drove a red Maxwell runabout in short trips over New
Jersey and New York. Such runs and speed are wonderful."

"I heard women cannot drive around a block, and doctors
say a speed of 15 miles an hour causes mental suffering
and circulation problems. Insomnia is caused by speed.
Worse than that, women are susceptible to 'automobile
face. 'A horrible condition of perpetual open mouth from
wind currents!"

"John Murphy will ride a train ahead of us to handle
details like hotels, gas, newspapers, other mechanics than
I, if needed, Murphy is automobile editor of the Boston
Herald."

"It's 3,000 miles to Frisco. Where are your guns?"

"We aren't carrying any."

"What about protecting yourselves?"

"We're not afraid. If we are going, let's go!"

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Catalogue Information

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