Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, American-German
“Wait! On Second Thought, I Could Be Wrong. Adele Might Actually Be Singing ‘Set Fire to the RAIN,'” 1852
Oil on canvas
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“Madame Schuyler Burning her Wheat Fields on the Approach of the British”
/// Madam Schuyler, (the General’s spouse),
saw the British approaching her house.
Burning acres of wheat
left troops little to eat.
Burgoyne found nothing there they could douse.
/// It’s a policy known as “scorched-earth,”
to leave enemy soldiers a dearth
of food to survive.
Madam Schuyler’s alive,
but destroyed much of what they were worth.
/// If it’s arson she plans to commit,
what she’s wearing counts more than a bit.
For herself she should aim
not to go up in flame.
Many layers of cloth could get lit.
/// This scene may be a myth, scholars say.
She retrieved some belongings that day,
and when burning occurred,
John Burgoyne gave the word.
Torched the mansion and then rode away.