Lighthouse Art Haiku

by Constantine Gregory

Title

Lighthouse Art Haiku

Artist

Constantine Gregory

Medium

Photograph - Photo Art

Description

Although it is the fifth oldest light in New England and the eleventh oldest in the United States, Scituate Lighthouse, on the South Shore of Boston, Massachusetts, is far more famous for the actions of two quick thinking girls , The Army of Two. These heroines of the War of 1812 lived at Scituate Lighthouse and have been immortalized in a number of books and publications.
On June 11, 1814, during the War of 1812, British forces burned and plundered a number of ships at Scituate. A few months later Keeper Bates and most of his family were temporarily away from the light, leaving his 21-year old daughter Rebecca and her younger sister Abigail in charge, along with a younger brother. The girls were horrified to spy the British warship La Hogue anchored in the harbor along with redcoat filled barges rowing toward shore. Hurriedly, they sent the boy running to warn Scituate village.

Rebecca knew she could kill one or two of the British with a musket, but realized the others would retaliate on the village. And during the embargo, the town could scarcely stand to lose the two vessels at the wharf loaded with flour.
Rebecca told her sister to take up the drum and she got her fife. The girls took cover behind a dense stand of cedar trees, playing louder and louder hoping to deceive the British into believing an American militia was massing to meet them. The British withdrew, and thus the famous story of Scituates Army of Two was born. The fife played by Rebecca is still on display in the keepers house.

Uploaded

December 4th, 2021

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