384 The Story of The Bronx 



had ever done anything of the kind before. Though the 

 scene of the poem is laid in the Highlands of the Hudson, 

 its chief associations are with the salt water, "the poet drawing 

 his inspiration from his familiar haunt on the Sound, at Hunt's 

 Point." 



The best known of his poems is The American Flag; and 

 this alone would have made him famous. The verses are 

 magnificent in their glowing patriotism and glory in the flag. 



Drake's most intimate friend was Fitz-Greene Halleck, 

 whose whole life was affected by the early death of his gifted 

 friend. The first stanza of Halleck's poem on the death of 

 Drake is exquisite, and from it are taken the two lines placed 

 upon the tomb, though thee is changed to him. 



" Green be the turf above thee, 

 Friend of my better days ; 

 None knew thee but to love thee, 

 Nor named thee but to praise." 



Many years after Drake's death, Halleck visited the grave 

 of his colleague in the Croaker Papers with General James 

 Grant Wilson; to whom he remarked that his dearest wish 

 was to be laid by the side of his friend when it came his turn 

 to die, and that if it ever became necessary to remove Drake's 

 body, it should be laid beside his. Halleck died in 1867 and 

 was buried at Guilford, Connecticut. The plan of street 

 improvements of 1903 took no cognizance of the ancient 

 cemetery and proposed to cut two streets through it. In 

 view of this fact, in September of that year, a number of gentle- 

 men proposed to exhume the body of Drake and reinter it by 

 the side of Halleck in accordance with the expressed wish of 

 the latter. The scheme met with strong opposition from the 

 North Side Board of Trade and the literary societies of the 



