Raynors HCA 2019-05
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/30/2019
A great Civil War era manuscript rendition of Francis Miles Finch's (1827-1907) Revolutionary War inspired poem on the execution of Nathan Hale. In 1776, nineteen year old Hale was sent by Gen. George Washington's to spy on British forces that were camped in and around New York City. He was captured and hung as a spy on Sept. 22, 1776. The poem, 2 1/2pp. 4to., reads, in part: "To drum beat and heart bear a soldier marches by. There is color in his cheek…courage in his eye…by the starlight and moonlight he seeks the Briton's camp. He hears the rustling flag…the armed sentry's tramp…with slow tread, still tread he scans the center line and…counts the battery guns…a dark wave, a plumed wave…meets his eager glance…a sharp clang, a steel clang, and terror in the sound…with calm brow, steady brow he listens to his doom…in the…still night he kneels upon the sod…in the blue morn, the sunny morn he dies upon the tree…he morns that can lose but one life for liberty…his last words…read how proud and calm a patriot could die…from monument and arm…his tragic fate shall learn…and on fame-leaf and angel-leaf the name of Hale shall burn. Finis." Near fine.
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