Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.
For Liberty our fathers fought,
For Liberty they died;
And when their arms had freedom wrought,
They threw those arms aside,
And gladly seeking toils of peace
Made forests fall and farms increase.
CHORUS
And proudly all their children sing
With tones that thrill and words that ring,
We know no Prince, we fear no King,
But Liberty alone we sing,
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
Equality we boldly wrote,
And set our banners high,
And aristocracy we smote
To brisket, hip and thigh,
Our efforts made the last slave free
And gave him Law’s Equality.
CHORUS
And gladly all our people sing,
With tones that thrill and words that ring,
We know no Master, Prince, nor King,
Equality of man we sing,
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
Fraternity must yet be won,
God make us one right soon,
While yet our journey’s scarce begun
Toward our Nation’s noon,
Then men shall sink place, race and creed,
And loving tolerance succeed.
CHORUS
And gaily shall our children sing,
With tones that thrill and words that ring,
We know no Prince, we fear no King
Mankind’s Fraternity we sing,
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
In the years leading up to the Civil War the Newark Brigade comprised a number of companies of militia. Most were known only by letters but others had more picturesque names: the Washington Erina Guard, the Newark Irish Volunteers and the Lafayette Guards, to name a few.
This tribute to veterans was included in Frederick Pilch’s Homespun Verses, published in Newark in 1882.
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