The Champion of the Seas

It has been fairly common in to find poems and short stories printed in the local newspapers, but this one in particular from the Winchester Virginian of August 11, 1848 caught my eye. Tantalizingly labelled "Odes for the Campaign," and set to the air "Ye Mariners of England," the full text is as follows:

YE SEAMEN OF COLUMBIA. 

BY F. A. DURIVAGE. 

Ye seamen of Columbia, 

Our country’s boast and pride, 

Who man our ships on every sea, 

Wherever keel can ride, 

Forth fling from every mizzen-peak 

Your ensign to the breeze, 

As ye sweep 

Through the deep.

In the freedom of the seas. 

For we at home will guard our rights, and the 

Freedom of the Seas. 

 

The mariners of England, 

Who ruled alone the wave, 

Till to their pride our Yankee tars 

An iron death-blow gave, 

Took heart of hope when banded kings 

Combined that flag to stain, 

Which gave light 

To the flight 

When our thunders shook the main. 

When the red cross sank beneath the stars, and 

Our thunders shook the main. 

 

But one was there to beard them, 

And hold their pride in check. 

Who swore that never foreign foe 

Should tread a Yankee deck, 

Their “right of search” he spurned with scorn, 

Their menaces and pleas ; 

Free and bold, 

Uncontrolled, 

Shall our flag rule the seas : 

And they yielded up to Lewis Cass, the 

Freedom of the Seas. 

 

Then, Seamen of Columbia, 

Uphold his honored name. 

Who saved the flag for which you fought 

From infamy and shame. 

His name inscribe upon that flag 

And give it to the breeze, 

As ye sweep

O'er the deep 

In the freedom of the seas.— 

Then strike, my lads, for Lewis Cass, the 

Champion of the Seas. 

Here is where the mystery starts creeping in. The contents of the song seem to be alluding to the War of 1812. The seamen of Columbia (a poetic name used for America, not the South American country of the same name) had closed out that campaign decades ago - so what is the relevancy here? The clue is in the name Lewis Cass.

Cass was a politician, but before that, he served in the United States military during the War of 1812, ending his career as the rank of  Brigadier General. He was subsequently appointed governor of the Michigan territory and served as Secretary of War and the Ambassador to France before coming back to serve as a Senator for Michigan in 1845. It appears that during his tenure as ambassador, he skillfully worked some negotiating magic relating to the "right of search" mentioned in this poem with Great Britain around 1842, making it a bit more timely than first impressions indicated.[1] 

Lewis Cass, detail from "Lewis Cass, Democratic candidate for president" from the Library of Congress

 

Cass was attempting a presidential bid in 1848, when this poem was published, having successfully won the Democratic nomination earlier that May. Don't be fooled by the party name; this is not the Democratic party of the 2020s. Cass believed in the concept of popular sovereignty. He was the first person to use this term in relation to the new territories acquired in the Louisiana Purchase and the Mexican Cessation determining whether they were for or against slavery. His closest rival for nomination inside the party, Martin Van Buren, opposed this concept. Cass's nomination split the Democratic party, with Van Buren ultimately running a third-party campaign under the name Free Soil Party to oppose the expansion of slavery.

The 1848 Presidential campaign was more notable for the infighting than for its outcome. Martin Van Buren, who captured over 10% of the popular vote in his third party campaign, succeeded in denying Cass, the presumed walkover candidate, victory. Zachary Taylor, the eventual winner, was a candidate of desperation for the Whigs. He did not have a strong allegiance to the party, but had popularity due to his military career. (You might also remember a previous entry here concerning his daughter's house in Winchester.)

The original "Ye Mariners of England" that this poem was based on was written by Thomas Campbell, though no firm date for this poem seems to be available. Our pastiche writer of "Ye Seamen of Columbia" seems to be Francis Alexander Durivage, an author in desperate need of some fleshing out for the history books. Interestingly, this is not the only poem or song to go by this name; the Library of Congress has an earlier version if you want to compare and contrast. You might also enjoy perusing Durivage's other writings at Internet Archive. 

As for Cass? He tried again for a Presidential run in 1852 and failed to secure the nomination. As a bit of consolation, he ended his political career as U.S. Secretary of State from 1857-1860. His most notable treaty during this time, the Clayton–Bulwer Treaty, was one final diplomatic victory (or at least stalemate) over the British.

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