"Old Ironsides" is a poem

Poetry

Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...

 written by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. was an American physician, professor, lecturer, and author. Regarded by his peers as one of the best writers of the 19th century, he is considered a member of the Fireside Poets. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with The Autocrat...

, on September 16, 1830, as a tribute to the eighteenth-century frigate . Thanks in part to the poem, she was saved from being decommissioned and is now the oldest commissioned ship in the world still afloat.

Poem

Ay, tear her tattered ensign down!
Long has it waved on high,
And many an eye has danced to see
That banner in the sky;
Beneath it rung the battle shout,
And burst the cannon's roar;--
The meteor of the ocean air
Shall sweep the clouds no more.

Her deck, once red with heroes' blood,
Where knelt the vanquished foe,
When winds were hurrying o'er the flood,
And waves were white below,
No more shall feel the victor's tread,
Or know the conquered knee;--
The harpies of the shore shall pluck
The eagle of the sea!

Oh, better that her shattered hulk
Should sink beneath the wave;
Her thunders shook the mighty deep,
And there should be her grave;
Nail to the mast her holy flag,
Set every threadbare sail,
And give her to the god of storms,
The lightning and the gale!

Background

"Old Ironsides" was the nickname given to the 18th century frigate, USS Constitution during the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

 after its naval battle

USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere

The USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere, was a single ship action between the two ships during the War of 1812. It took place shortly after war had broken out, and would prove to be an important victory for American morale.-Background:...

 with the . The Constitution was one of the original six frigates of the United States Navy, commissioned by the Naval Act of 1794

Naval Act of 1794

The Act to Provide a Naval Armament, also known as the Naval Act, was passed by the United States Congress on March 27, 1794 and established the country's first naval force, which eventually became the United States Navy...

. The Constitution was the third of four ships with 44 guns and was granted its name by President George Washington

George Washington

George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

. The ship saw action during the Quasi-War

Quasi-War

The Quasi-War was an undeclared war fought mostly at sea between the United States and French Republic from 1798 to 1800. In the United States, the conflict was sometimes also referred to as the Franco-American War, the Pirate Wars, or the Half-War.-Background:The Kingdom of France had been a...

, the First Barbary War

First Barbary War

The First Barbary War , also known as the Barbary Coast War or the Tripolitan War, was the first of two wars fought between the United States and the North African Berber Muslim states known collectively as the Barbary States...

, the Battle of Tripoli Harbor

Battle of Tripoli Harbor

The Second Battle of Tripoli Harbor, was a naval action during a naval blockade which took place in Tripoli Harbor in 1804. The battle is part of the First Barbary War between forces of the United States and the forces of Tripoli.-Background:...

, and the Battle of Derne before earning her famous nickname during the War of 1812.

Composition and publication history

Holmes had recently abandoned his studies of law and began writing poetry for fun. In September 1830, he read an article in the Boston Daily Advertiser

Boston Daily Advertiser

The Boston Daily Advertiser was the first daily newspaper in Boston, and for many years the only daily paper in Boston.-History:...

about the Navy's plans to dismantle the historic USS Constitution. Startled by this, he was moved to write "Old Ironsides" to express his opposition of the scrapping. The poem was published in the Advertiser the next day and was soon reprinted by papers in New York, Philadelphia and Washington.

Response

The poem brought Holmes immediately national attention, and the poem would remain among his most well-known. Additionally, the poem generated enough public sentiment that the historic ship was preserved as a monument. Today, Constitution is well-known by its nickname "Old Ironsides" and is the oldest commissioned ship in the world still afloat.

External links

• "Old Ironsides" original text with original author notes
• "The USS Constitution and Holmes' 'Old Ironsides'", by Linda Sue Grimes