Gettysburg
By: Wayne Brown
Down the Shenandoah Valley marched Lee’s Virginia Army
Fresh from victory at Chancellorsville in May of 1863
Lee would push hard northward with great determination
The Union Army waited at Gettysburg to halt the invasion
The Battle commenced at Gettysburg on the 1st of July
Meade’s Potomac Army caught up with Lee on the fly
The Confederates were in high spirit and ready to fight
The Battle commenced and raged on for day and night
By the second day of battle both armies were in full force
The fight would rage a third day to run its course
Fighting raged at Little Round Top and Cemetery Hill
Lee pounded Union lines but could not break their will
Men died at Wheatfield, Peach Orchard, and Devil’s Den
Both lines would collapse and reform time and again
By the 3rd of July, the struggle lived on resolve and will
The fighting had focused along lines known as Culp’s Hill
Pickett’s Cavalry was large standing almost 13,000 men strong
Lee ordered Pickett to charge the center of Union lines headlong
Pickett made the charge but a victory his Cavalry could not bridge
Men lay bloodied, dead and dying over the lines of Cemetery Ridge
General Lee’s Confederates made their retreat to the south
The price had been paid for entering into the Union’s mouth
The Potomac Army had tasted blood and held the ground
Now it was ready to march south and go yet another round
Gettysburg forever stands in history as a Union rally forth
The point at which Lee’s invasion was halted into the north
Nearly 50,000 from both sides suffered or died; battle’s misery
Gettysburg stands as the bloodiest battle in Civil War history
President Lincoln, in November 1863, offered his decree
To declare the Gettysburg grounds as a national cemetery
He cited the heavy loss, the pain, the death and duress
In his famed speech of the day, The Gettysburg Address
©Copyright WBrown2010. All Rights Reserved
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Comments
Lovely poem, Wayne! Great tribute to our history :) So many forget-or don't care-about what was given up in order for us to have our freedoms.
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@rkhyclak....Thanks bekka! Gettysburg was such a bloody piece of ground and so early in a long war. It had to be a sobering moment for both sides to see all the death that lay on that field but still it was not enough to bring it to a halt. We are a strong-willed people and that much we can be thankful for in our heritage. WB
Wayne...This is a beautiful poetic eulogy of that famous and pivotal battle, from the fanatically insane Pickett's charge, ( What price Glory }, to the heart-pounding bayonet charge of Chamberlain's refusing the line at Little Big Top, , to the unfortunate death of probably the most capable general in the Union Army, Reynolds...
Thank you for this remarkable historical poem...Larry
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@maven101...Thank you, Larry. I was afraid that I could not do the battle justice in verse. Glad to hear you liked. I am taking your words as a real compliment in that it sounds like you know the details of the engagement. I appreciate your words. WB
Wayne...History and poetry are my two passions in literature...You have combined the two beautifully...
I taught US History in Hawaii and the Civil War was always my favorite subject for discussion...Take care, my friend...Larry
Such a wonderful tribute to our country and to those who put themselves in harm's way for the honor of our country. Thank you, Wayne, for yet another great hub.
Thank you, Wayne, for this very powerful poem. This is the first time I have heard the Gettysburg Address, too and maybe everyone all over North America should listen to it on a regular basis. We all seem to think we can preserve freedom with no vigilance and no work. There are so many who have gone before us who paid the ultimate price. We need to remember and step forward right now and make an effort to hang onto what they fought for before it's gone.
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@maven101...That's plenty credentials for me Larry...you just made my day! WB
@Phyllis Doyle...Thank you for the read and the great comments Phyllis. This was a great battle and I was a bit intimidated to tackle it and try to keep the verse realatively short as well. It worked it! WB
@SilverGenes...You are so right. Can you imagine the hell these folks went through fighting with their fellow Americans and seeing all the death and carnage so early in this war. Life was hard enough then without the ravages of war. People bucked up and did what they had to do to survive the times. We need more of that courage today. Thanks for the good words! WB
Wayne,
Your verse is a great reminder of the stife brought by political differences between people of one nation. Let us pray that current divions can be overcome and peacefully solved. Amen
Great Hub.
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@Tom Whitworth...Amen,Tom. That is a road America must never go down again. Thank you for your comments. WB
...I was just taking notes on your poetry over at Micky Dee's hub on some guy called the epigramman - and if you're gonna steal you may as well steal from the best(and I mean - me stealing from you - lol lol) - and Mr. Brown you write some dang fine poetry - I was so impressed and moved by your poetic gesture - and of course I love this hub (ironically I just wrote one on the Civil War called Disinterment for the Dead) ... and you are a master historian and master hubber with an astute mind - and yes very much - a total gentleman!!!!
Wayne -
Another winner. We're going to have to use it on the show.
All the Best,
Tim
Good job. Liked the flow & rhythm.
The first time I visited Gettysburg in 1979, I sat on a rock on Little Round Top & I swear, closing my eyes I could hear & smell the battle. This poem brought back the vividness of those memories. Thank you.
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Ken R. Abell....Thank you, Ken. I am so glad I could help you recapture those moments in time...that is a real compliment. Thanks much! WB
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@Tim Bryce...We sure can, Tim! Thanks for the good words! WB
@epigramman...Thank you for the good words on the poem. I will get over to your place and read that new one. Thanks much, Colin! WB
I cannot imagine "fighting" as they did then... Standing in ranks, with a cadence where the lines of soldiers kneel to fire while the other lines are re loading.. Each opposing side firing point blank into the other. No guerrilla "warfare," no "hide and seek," just like shooting into a barrel of fish. A war of attrition... last man standing wins.
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@dallas93444...Yes more of a struggle hand to hand than a fire-fight carried all the way through from the revolutionary era. At the same time the range and accuracy of the weapons left much to be desired so I would guess that is what eventually pulled them together so closely. I had a 3ggrandfather who took a musket ball through the cheek at the seige of Vicksburg. Some say he had a hole clear through his cheek for the rest of his life. I am not sure who got the worst end those who died or those who were maimed. Thanks for the read and great comments! WB
Thianks Wayne for the beautiful poem and the great videos. I think it's important to remember where we came from from time to time!
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@akirchner....A lot of good Americans died on that bloody battlefield. It merits a memory or from us. Thanks for the good words! WB
You blazed a trail of memories for this awful and very sad time. Wars are ugly and unjust and serve no purpose other than to move the ranks of men to higher heights of control over their fellow man. I could not imagine the devastation at the time and the loss of so many young men in their prime of life. Great videos and sound track Wayne, you have over delivered as usual, but we all thank you for being you. Peace and love is what most of us are striving for in life. Thank you for the share.
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@saddlerider1...Thank you, Ken...great comments. I am glad to hear that it was up to the standard as Gettysburg is such a monumental part of the Civil War. Much blood was shed there and very early on in the war. If folks did not have the stomach for it, that should have been enough to make them quit. WB
Wayne, You are a true student of history, thanks for the lesson. H
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@Harvey Stelman...Thanks Harvey...wish I knew more! WB
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