APRIL 19, 1778
As he wrote with flourishing stroke,
Elbert rejoiced, and well he should:
His eyes beheld through clearing smoke
Raccoon Gut strewn with splintered wood,
And ragged stumps where mast had stood;
His galleys’ cannons well had spoke.

Hardee aboard the Washington,
Braddock commanding the Lee,
Hatcher on the Bulloch, these three,
Matched wit for wit and gun for gun
With awesome terrors of the sea
Until victory they had won.

None know how long St. Simon shook
From seeming endless cannon roar
Nor just how long the battle took;
But well we know the Hinchinbrook
And sloop Rebecca did no more
Terrorize the seas as before.

Britannica may rule the wave,
But not that day. To its regret
Goliath had its David met
In form of men who freedom crave
Enough to choose it or the grave
And make the payments on its debt.

J. G. (Jerry) Braddock,
4th great-grandson of John Cutler Braddock
Commander of the Lee Galley