Tune Req: Burning of the Henry Clay

Subject: Burning of the Henry Clay
From: Brían
Date: 01 Jul 01 - 02:51 AM

I am trying to find the melody to this song. I am not finding it in the DT. I am getting a lot on Henry Clay Work and otherwise a lot on abolition and slavery.

Brían.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Burning of the Henry Clay
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 01 Jul 01 - 10:24 AM

I'm not surprised you can't find it here; beside references to the historical event itself, the only reference to a song of that name I can find anywhere is in a songsheet at the Library of Congress  America Singing: Nineteenth-Century Song Sheets  site:

:

The flow'ry Shannon side.  Air: Burning of the Henry Clay.  H. De Marsan, Publisher, 38 Chatham Street, N. Y.

Which is no direct help, but at least may provide an alternate line for enquiry.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Burning of the Henry Clay
From: Brían
Date: 01 Jul 01 - 02:00 PM

Thank you, Malcolm. i assume it must have been a popular melody at one time. Perhaps it is known by another name. It was actually in reference to THE FLOWERY SHANNON SIDE I was looking. Thank you for more resources to search.

Brían.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Burning of the Henry Clay
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 01 Jul 01 - 08:27 PM

I suspected it might have been.  As I expect you know, as a rule with such things, a "new" song would be set to a currently popular tune which was usually only identified by the name of the last, temporarily popular song set to it (as presumably in this case) -it does make things a bit difficult to track later on, and can lead to very confusing circular references.  Let's hope that somebody round here knows something specific about either song!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Burning of the Henry Clay
From: SINSULL
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 05:11 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Burning of the Henry Clay
From: Brían
Date: 03 Jul 01 - 04:52 PM

Thanks for refreshing that, Sinsull. I have tried it to various tunes, but nothing seems to work. I am still looking.
Brían.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Burning of the Henry Clay
From: Brían
Date: 07 Jul 01 - 09:35 AM

I found that THE LILY OF THE WEST seems to work pretty well with THE FLOW'RY SHANNON SIDE.

Brían.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Burning of the Henry Clay
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Jul 01 - 09:09 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Burning of the Henry Clay
From: Brían
Date: 08 Jul 01 - 11:32 PM

Thanks, Guest, whoever you are. I am starting some research on the background of the Henry Clay. I presume the song is not about the submarine named Henry Clay. I found in a ship index there were barkentines, clipper ships and steam ships all named Henry Clay. I have a bibliography to work with. I need to get to the library. I'm hoping this might lead me to a possible song.

Brían.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Burning of the Henry Clay
From: Brían
Date: 10 Jul 01 - 10:37 PM

Well, I just got back from the library with some background on the Henry Clay. I got this information from Robert Albion's book, The Rise of New York Port.

The Henry Clay was a steamer on the Hudson river in the 19th century. She caught fire and burned on July 28, 1852.

Racing down the river against a rival steamer, she was discovered to be afire near Sing Sing. Apparently her wood work had ignited from the excessive heat of the boilers or stacks. Her captain ran her bow ashore, but most of her passengers were trapped in her stern, which was in deep water. The sixty-odd victims included several prominent New York residents, including the sister of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Seven men were indicted for manslaughter in connection with the burning of the Hudson River steamer.

A news account I got from a Portland, Maine paper july 29, 1852 stated that a Stephen Allen, former mayor of New York city was among the missing.

I am hoping this information will help narrow the search for the song down. I am assuming it must have been quite popular at one time. Any N.Y. 'catters out there want to take a peek in your local history library?

Maybe we can reconstruct the song ourselves.

Brían.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Burning of the Henry Clay
From: Brían
Date: 11 Jul 01 - 07:09 PM

I have made a request of a N.Y. Folklore society asking if they have any information on this song. It may take a while.

Brían.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Burning of the Henry Clay
From: Brían
Date: 13 Jul 01 - 04:45 PM

Refresh.
Brían.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Burning of the Henry Clay
From: masato sakurai
Date: 15 Oct 01 - 02:54 AM

There was another burning of the Henry Clay, at Vickburg, though the song may not be related to this burning. Gen. Sherman, in his Memories, says:

"Gen. Grant's orders for the general movement past Vicksburg by Richmond and Carthage, were dated April 20, 1863. McClernand was to lead off with his corps, McPherson next, and my corps (the 15th) to bring up the rear. Preliminary thereto, on the night of April 16, seven iron-clads, led by Admiral Porter in person, in the Benton, with three transports and ten barges in tow, ran the Vicksburg batteries by night. Anticipating a scene, I had four yawl-boats hauled across the swamp to the reach of the river below Vicksburg, and manned them with soldiers, ready to pick up any of the disabled wrecks as they floated by. I was out on the stream when the fleet passed Vicksburg, and the scene was truly sublime. As soon as the rebel gunners detected the Benton, which ,was in the lead, they opened on her, and on the others in succession, with shot and shell. Houses on the Vicksburg side and on the opposite shore were set on fire, which lighted up the whole river; and the roar of cannon, bursting of shells, and finally the burning of the Henry Clay, drifting with the current, made up a picture terrible, not often seen. Each gun-boat returned the fire as she passed the town, while the transports hugged the opposite shore. (undeline added)

SOURCED: From History of the 48th OVVI.

~Masato

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Burning of the Henry Clay
From: Brían
Date: 15 Oct 01 - 12:57 PM

Thanks, Masato. That makes an interesting possibility to follw. I still haven't found any information on the song itself, but I am still very interested.

Brían

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Burning of the Henry Clay
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Mar 24 - 08:49 AM

FROM WIKIPEDIA VISCKSBUG CAMPAIGN

The fleet survived with little damage; thirteen men were wounded and none killed. The Henry Clay was disabled and burned at the water's edge. On April 22, six more boats loaded with supplies made the run; one boat did not make it, though no one was killed. The crew floated downstream on the boat's remnants.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicksburg_campaign

I was hoping you were right and that this was The Burning of the Henry Clay written by the Saugerties Bard. I've been trying to find the actual words and haven't. The Flowery Shannon Side was published by the same publisher that published many of the Saugerties Bards' works. Interesting but haven't been able to make the connection.