Background To Patriotic Diggers?

Subject: Background REQ To Patriotic Diggers?
From: Gerard
Date: 16 Jul 03 - 09:34 PM

In the song, Patriotic Diggers, verse 2, 5th line says: "Bright Apollo's Sons leave their pipe and tabor" Now, I am curious, where does the term "Apollo's Sons" come from? From what little I know, I suspect they were ship builder's. Was there a guild at one time called "Apollo's Sons"?

Subject: RE: Background To Patriotic Diggers?
From: LadyJean
Date: 16 Jul 03 - 11:13 PM

There is a recording of songs from the English Civil Wars, I suggest you try that. I know they had a song from the Diggers.

Subject: RE: Background To Patriotic Diggers?
From: toadfrog
Date: 16 Jul 03 - 11:28 PM

According to this site HERE, the patriotic diggers were sappers or engineers in the War for Independence. Yet another site, HERE, identifies Appollo's sons as Trojans who flung rocks at Achilles. Most mentioned on the Web is Asclepius, a god of healing and medicine and allegedly a son of Apollo. Yet another was Orpheus. Quite a distinguished crew, I would say, but not a group easily lumped into a single guild.
This Saturday's New York Times had a story about a gentleman who completed his father's work, a full scholarly family tree of the Greek gods. It was finally finished with the assistance of a classical scholar. She took about 2 years to add the footnotes. Doubt you will want to pay for that, but here is a link to a site that will enable you to trace Apollo's family about as far as you will want to. LINK.

Have tried to find a "guild" with that name, and found none. So I think that is probably the wrong approach.

Subject: RE: Background To Patriotic Diggers?
From: toadfrog
Date: 16 Jul 03 - 11:41 PM

Sorry, I was wrong about the War for Independence. The "patriotic diggers" were a group of volunteers who turned out in August, 1814, to fortify New York when Washington was about to be captured. Or so it says at this site, which describes the 1812 war.