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Tag Archives: Civil War poetry
Ball’s Bluff: “Has Sparta More?”
Recently, I came across some poems written about the Battle of Ball’s Bluff which was fought on October 21, 1861. This one was penned by a Union general from Massachusetts, Frederick Lander, and I’ve included a few historical notes after … Continue reading
October The Sixteenth – “Alive With Ghosts Today”
Perhaps You will remember John Brown. John Brown Who took his gun, Took twenty-one companions, White and black, Went to shoot your way to freedom Where two rivers meet And the hills of the North And the hills of the … Continue reading
Union Heroic Poetry: Kearny at Seven Pines
I’ve probably been reading or looking in all the wrong places, but I’ve had a hard time finding “heroic style” poetry for dead Union officers. (I mean the ones that died in battle ’cause I know they’re all dead now.) … Continue reading
“The Lively Old Lady” – A Poem About Civil War Knitting
Yesterday, I sat in an archive basement, looking through material about women’s efforts to support the Union during the Civil War. Yesterday was also my Grandma Barbara’s birthday. She is no longer with us, so it was a bittersweet moment … Continue reading
Posted in Civilian
Tagged 19th Century Women, Civil War poetry, homefront, Union women, Women's History Month 2019
2 Comments
“Freedom!” Their Battle-Cry: 1863 Poetry For African American Soldiers
Poetry has many form and uses, and this writing form has legendarily been used to celebrate heroes. Some of the earliest epics in World History – Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey – were crafted in poetry form. Through meter, rhythm, and … Continue reading
A Poet’s Perspective: Melville On Pickett’s Charge
So few poets chose to write about the American Civil War that it is sometimes described as the “unwritten war.” Herman Melville, however, was among the few who chose to do so. His collection of poems on the war, in … Continue reading
Posted in Battles
Tagged Battle of Gettysburg, Civil War poetry, herman melville, Pickett's Charge, poetry
4 Comments
A Poet’s Perspective: On Stonewall Jackson’s Death
“I have always desired to die on Sunday.” — General Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson. On May 2, 1863, shots rang out from the 18th North Carolina line in the woods at Chancellorsville. Unbeknownst to the soldiers at the time, they were … Continue reading
A Poet’s Perspective: March into Virginia
By July 1861, the tension described in “Misgivings” and “The Conflict of Convictions” had been realized. The United States was at war with itself. In his poem “March Into Virginia,” Melville describes the first battle fought between the North and … Continue reading
Posted in Battles, Ties to the War
Tagged Bull Run, Civil War poetry, Irvin McDowell, P.G.T. Beauregard
1 Comment
A Poet’s Perspective: Herman Melville and the Civil War
It was November of 1860, and America had a new president. He was highly popular among the northern states, but he was widely disliked in the South. At the same time you have Herman Melville, famous for his 1851 novel … Continue reading
