[Sidenote: June 28, 1778] The battle of Monmouth was indecisive, but the Americans held the field, and the British retreated and remained inactive for the rest of the summer.

Question

On the bloody field of Monmouth
Flashed the guns of Greene and Wayne.
Fiercely roared the tide of battle,

Thick the sward was heaped with slain.
Foremost, facing death and danger,
Hessian, horse, and grenadier,
In the vanguard, fiercely fighting,

Stood an Irish Cannonier.

Loudly roared his iron cannon,
Mingling ever in the strife,
And beside him, firm and daring,

Stood his faithful Irish wife.
Of her bold contempt of danger
Greene and Lee's Brigades could tell,
Every one knew "Captain Molly,"

And the army loved her well.

Surged the roar of battle round them,
Swiftly flew the iron hail,
Forward dashed a thousand bayonets,

That lone battery to assail.
From the foeman's foremost columns
Swept a furious fusillade,
Mowing down the massed battalions

In the ranks of Greene's Brigade.

Fast and faster worked the gunner,
Soiled with powder, blood, and dust,
English bayonets shone before him,

Shot and shell around him burst;
Still he fought with reckless daring,
Stood and manned her long and well,
Till at last the gallant fellow

Dead—beside his cannon fell.

With a bitter cry of sorrow,
And a dark and angry frown,
Looked that band of gallant patriots

At their gunner stricken down.
"Fall back, comrades, it is folly
Thus to strive against the foe."
"No! not so," cried Irish Molly;

"We can strike another blow."

* * * * *

Quickly leaped she to the cannon,
In her fallen husband's place,

Sponged and rammed it fast and steady,
Fired it in the foeman's face.
Flashed another ringing volley,
Roared another from the gun;

"Boys, hurrah!" cried gallant Molly,
"For the flag of Washington."

Greene's Brigade, though shorn and shattered,
Slain and bleeding half their men,

When they heard that Irish slogan,
Turned and charged the foe again.
Knox and Wayne and Morgan rally,
To the front they forward wheel,

And before their rushing onset
Clinton's English columns reel.

Still the cannon's voice in anger
Rolled and rattled o'er the plain,

Till there lay in swarms around it
Mangled heaps of Hessian slain.
"Forward! charge them with the bayonet!"
'Twas the voice of Washington,

And there burst a fiery greeting
From the Irish woman's gun.

Monckton falls; against his columns
Leap the troops of Wayne and Lee,

And before their reeking bayonets
Clinton's red battalions flee.
Morgan's rifles, fiercely flashing,
Thin the foe's retreating ranks,

And behind them onward dashing
Ogden hovers on their flanks.

Fast they fly, these boasting Britons,
Who in all their glory came,

With their brutal Hessian hirelings
To wipe out our country's name.
Proudly floats the starry banner,
Monmouth's glorious field is won,

And in triumph Irish Molly
Stands beside her smoking gun.

"Molly Maguire at Monmouth" by William Collins

Question
Use the image and the passage to answer the question.

A painting of the Battle of Monmouth that shows Molly Maguire surrounded by fallen soldiers. The flag of Washington flies behind her.
Source: Pictures Now. Alamy Stock Photo

Describe how sensory details relating to sound in the poem enhance moments captured by BOTH the poem and the painting. Cite at least 2 examples of sensory details relating to sound in the poem. Also, include a summary of the moment you are describing. Use 3–5 sentences.

(4 points)

Answer 1

In both the poem and the painting of the Battle of Monmouth, sensory details relating to sound vividly enhance the emotional and dramatic moments of the scene. For instance, lines such as "Loudly roared his iron cannon" convey the fierce cacophony of the battlefield, immersing the reader in the chaos of war. Similarly, the phrase "with a bitter cry of sorrow" illustrates the anguish felt by the soldiers at the loss of their comrade, adding a layer of emotional weight to the visual portrayal of fallen soldiers around Molly Maguire. Summarizing the moment, the poem depicts Molly stepping bravely into the fray after her husband's death, determined to continue the fight as she fires the cannon, while the painting captures her fierce resolve and the grim reality of combat, with the flag of Washington symbolizing hope amidst the turmoil. Together, these sound elements create a powerful atmosphere of conflict and courage.