Tweet
Hello all,
I'm not sure how many of you have gotten the chance to visit Appomattox Court House, as I'm new here and this is only my second post so far. I've visited the area several times over the years, and the spot that has always drawn me the most has been the Confederate cemetery near the entrance to the park. The cemetery contains the graves of 19 soldiers, 18 Confederate and 1 Union, all of whom were killed in the Battle of Appomattox Court House. During my latest visit there, I decided to write a poem that expressed what I felt in my heart. I know this doesn't really fit with reenacting or campaigning, but I thought I would share it with you all, as I wrote it to pay my respects to these men, and to all the soldiers who gave their lives in the War Between The States. I hope you like it.
Remember These Nineteen
As you stand upon this field of green,
Take just a moment to remember these nineteen,
Nineteen men, young and old, who witnessed the horrors of war untold.
In '61 they answered the call to arms, and left behind loving families and farms,
Innocent to war's terrors then they were, until the nightmares of the war chased them like a rabid cur,
Nightmares of dear friends lost in battle, slaughtered in masses as if they were cattle.
All of these agonies heaped upon the men, as if their minds were trapped in a lion's den,
But yet on they marched, as combat and carnage left their spirits parched,
In service to God and country they marched on, hopeful to see a new day's dawn.
For often no doubt they wondered, as they heard the cannons that thundered,
When it would be that the angel of death, would come to collect their last breath,
Alas, you see, for these nineteen, a long life of peace and joy would never be seen,
For in that day of conflict long ago, eternity's reaper came to deliver his final blow,
For each of these nineteen, in a swift instant they were washed clean,
As their spirits were relieved of the burdens of death and war, and they next found themselves at Heaven's front door,
Finally at peace with God in paradise they remain, scarred no longer by war's great pain,
We honor them here on this field of green, we solemnly remember these nineteen.
-by Robert M. Farley
I'm not sure how many of you have gotten the chance to visit Appomattox Court House, as I'm new here and this is only my second post so far. I've visited the area several times over the years, and the spot that has always drawn me the most has been the Confederate cemetery near the entrance to the park. The cemetery contains the graves of 19 soldiers, 18 Confederate and 1 Union, all of whom were killed in the Battle of Appomattox Court House. During my latest visit there, I decided to write a poem that expressed what I felt in my heart. I know this doesn't really fit with reenacting or campaigning, but I thought I would share it with you all, as I wrote it to pay my respects to these men, and to all the soldiers who gave their lives in the War Between The States. I hope you like it.
Remember These Nineteen
As you stand upon this field of green,
Take just a moment to remember these nineteen,
Nineteen men, young and old, who witnessed the horrors of war untold.
In '61 they answered the call to arms, and left behind loving families and farms,
Innocent to war's terrors then they were, until the nightmares of the war chased them like a rabid cur,
Nightmares of dear friends lost in battle, slaughtered in masses as if they were cattle.
All of these agonies heaped upon the men, as if their minds were trapped in a lion's den,
But yet on they marched, as combat and carnage left their spirits parched,
In service to God and country they marched on, hopeful to see a new day's dawn.
For often no doubt they wondered, as they heard the cannons that thundered,
When it would be that the angel of death, would come to collect their last breath,
Alas, you see, for these nineteen, a long life of peace and joy would never be seen,
For in that day of conflict long ago, eternity's reaper came to deliver his final blow,
For each of these nineteen, in a swift instant they were washed clean,
As their spirits were relieved of the burdens of death and war, and they next found themselves at Heaven's front door,
Finally at peace with God in paradise they remain, scarred no longer by war's great pain,
We honor them here on this field of green, we solemnly remember these nineteen.
-by Robert M. Farley