Lord Jeffrey Amherst

The time-honored Amherst College song, now under fire because of Lord Jeffrey Amherst's benighted 18th-century attitude toward indigenous native Americans.
Sung by the Amherst College Glee Club.

[@siriuswang9575]

This song was introduced to Taiwan by Presbyterian church and become the song of Tamkang high school. In 2020 this song was played during the state funeral of Lee Teng-hui, Taiwan’s first democratically elected president, father of Taiwanese democracy, and an alumni of Tamkang high school.

[@PaulZink]

Interesting; do you know of any Amherst College connection with the Presbyterian church or Tamkang high school?

[@siriuswang9575]

@@PaulZink No it's oral history, not official record. It is said that the song was chosen by founder's wife from a book called "Songs Of Amherst College (1906)".

[@mickeyr2005]

Thank you for posting this. A throw-away line in a C S Forester short story led me here and I am very glad it did. It seems rather sad that this song is no longer sung in moments of triumph, as the nameless American Admiral (clearly a graduate of Amherst) cannot restrain himself from doing as he and the Royal Navy destroyer captain score a metaphorical touchdown against the Nazis during the Battle of the Atlantic.

[@PaulZink]

Do you remember the name of the Forester short story? I know of at least one actual U.S. Navy admiral who was an Amherst man: Admiral Stansfield Turner, class of 1945, and who later in his life was President of the Naval War College, Commander-in-Chief of NATO, and then Director of the CIA (appointed by fellow Annapolis classmate Jimmy Carter)…

[@mickeyr2005]

It was in the collection “Gold from Crete”, and the story title was “Intelligence”.

[@curtpiazza1688]

👍

[@bobhamilton3135]

My Great Uncle was James Shelley Hamilton, the man who wrote that song.

[@PaulZink]

I'm honored that you watched my little nostalgic video. Paul Zink '73

[@CrashingCrockery]

I learned of it from "Titanic" (1953) as a kid, and loved it ever since!

[@PaulZink]

@@CrashingCrockery Yes, I think a young Robert Wagner led a group in singing it, right?

[@CrashingCrockery]

@@PaulZink Yes! He was the token Young-Good-Looking hero in the cast playing opposite Attractive-Young-Audrey-Dalton.

[@originalismisacrock166]

Too bad the timing was off in the movie. And they seem to be pronouncing the "h" in Amherst .... (Of course, they also seem to be drunk - perhaps "Paige's Horse" would have been more appropriate?)

[@davidromero3803]

Never mind I’m drunk!

[@davidromero3803]

Did they cut this song? What about the French and the Indians?

[@PaulZink]

The lyrics say clearly, "to the Frenchmen and the Indians he didn't do a thing…" The lyrics are being playfully sarcastic of course: he drove the French and their native American allies out of colonial New England and across the St. Lawrence River into what's now Quebec Province, Canada.

[@davidromero3803]

@@PaulZink no shit! That’s what makes this song great

[@PaulZink]

@@davidromero3803 Exactly. It's a joyful expression of the traditional college spirit, as it was through most of the 19trh century and well into the 20th. Until maybe 1975, when the college changed forever, along with Williams, Harvard College, Yale College, Haverford, and even Dartmouth-among others. You know what I'm talking about… #Alumna

[@gummiesrule88]

@@PaulZink Hmmmm. Kinda like Deutschland Uber Alles was "a joyful expression of the traditional Teutonic spirt". Those lyrics needed to end. There are ways to be joyful about the good things the Fair College stands for other than by eulogizing Lord Jeffrey Amherst, for Chrissake. Amherst was a great school, and great time, for me, all things considered. But some traditions need to expire in their old form, and be re-formed. Not all, but a few.

[@edlane9882]

Good to see that free speech is still practiced.

[@shamsarp]

that this song isn't intended to be even a little ironic is insane

[@smudgey1kenobey]

I’m here because of the same C.S. Forester story. But I did read that Amherst’s use of smallpox blankets was the ONLY documented case of their use against Native Americans. I hope it isn’t true because I grew up in Amherstburg Ontario, Canada.

[@PaulZink]

Rest easy, Maureen. General Amherst did write in a letter that he thought it was an excellent idea and suitable method to "eradicate that execrable race" (indigenous peoples). However, there is no evidence whatsoever that he implemented the actual use of infected blankets or was involved with such implementation.

[@JuanQuixote159]

@@PaulZink And there's more--from modern medical analysis of smallpox epidemics in history. Turns out using blankets that smallpox patients used can't spread the disease anyway! Viruses can't survive the open air more than a few seconds. It takes close contact with an infected person, so little droplets in the breath can pass from the infected to the uninfected. (The letter also may not even be genuine.)

[@sammartland932]

@@PaulZink According to Elizabeth Fenn, Pox Americana, 2001, the incident really happened in 1763 while Amherst was commander in chief -- she quotes "William Trent's Journal at Fort Pitt, 1763, published in the Mississippi Valley Historical Review in 1924. Amherst's successor Gen Gage signed off on the expenses of the undertaking. Make of it what you will.

[@PaulZink]

@@sammartland932 Thanks for the info and reference source.

[@PaulZink]

He approved of the idea but never put it into action.