Dunmore's Lamentation
by Michael Doyle

A seeming footnote on the journey
Was found about the struggle for liberty
We had gone to Point Pleasant to see
Another point of what is legendary

On to find that the struggle for this nation
Also began with Lord Dunmore's lamentation
As he sided with Cornstalk against Americans
Betraying them as only a turncoat can

Kanawha alongside the battles of Concord and Lexington
Belongs in the tales of the fight for our nation
As among the first bullets fired in the cause of freedom
And our fight to find the keys from the British kingdom

This battle ceded Kentucky and West Virginia lands
As part of the American victor's claims and demands
Among the first blood of America lost for the Revolution
Tecumseh and Dunsmore were among the lamentations

That come from bad decisions that bring about the good
It's a pattern of history that remains to be understood
That here among the steps of America's manifest destiny
Dunsmore's betrayal led the westward way of America's journey

(c) July 6, 2023   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved