Susannah Warfield was a benefactress of Holy Trinity Church. She was also known as a musician and poetess. The following poem was written and dedicated to Col Armistead, who commanded the troops in the defense of Ft. McHenry in Baltimore against the British invasion of 1814. This poem was included in a series featuring poetry written by Carroll countians, entitled “A Group of Poems by Sons and Daughters of Carroll”. The series was published in “The Times”, a newspaper from Westminster, MD, beginning in April 1937.
The Defense of Fort McHenry
Hail to the hero, our guardian and friend,
Honor’d and bless’d may he ever be hail’d.
As victor possessing the skill to defend,
Who baffl’d the foe when proudly assail’d.
Ye patriots brave, who delight in true fame,
Forever remember the warrior’s name,
Who nobly defended the banners that wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
To the shells bursting wide and cannons’ loud roar,
Our brave, gallant Armistead was adamantly rock;
Tho’ vengeance propell’d by the sail and the oar,
The thunders of Britain were to him no shock;
Their midnight assault he with vigilance met,
Oh! the gloom of that night we shall ne’er forget,
And lovely the morn that beheld them retiring,
For vanquished were Britons and Ross[1]was expiring.
“Now gone is the foe whom with dread and with fear
We saw proudly advancing with favoring tide,
And what like our homes and our country so dear,
We owe them to him, our protector and pride,
Under him have our arm’d defied that proud foe,
By him are we sav’d from pain and from woe,
To him may the praise of posterity rise,
And valor ne’er leave its abode in the skies.” (1814)
[1]British General Ross was killed at the Battle of North Point.