CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY

[taylor]

Saturday, April 26th is Confederate Memorial Day



Regardless of personal feelings concerning the Civil War, these veterans deserve to be remembered. Like any soldier, they fought and died for what they believed in.


Written by Oliver F. Reeves, Poet laureate for the state of Georgia from Nov. 16, 1944 - Jan. 23, 1963.

POEM FOR CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY

How many springs have gone since they
Who wore the uniform of gray
Last looked upon summer snow of dogwood, blooming below
Their southern skies and friendly sun,
Or watched the winding rivers run
Or knew when spring wind's gentle hand
Stretched forth to heal their wounded land.
They sleep where the azaleas spread
Their glorious colors, where the red old hills
And mountain peaks
Stand listening while nature speaks.
And from the woodlands sound the strains
Of memories; where coastal plains
Run down to join the ceaseless tide
Ebbing and flowing as they died.
Let us remember them as time
And tide move on in endless rhyme.
When spring is wearing her bouquet
For the lost legions of the gray.
While bud and blossom, hill and tree
Remember them, so shall we.

[queenbee]

R.I.P brave soldiers.

[Justin Melick]

In honor of that, another free poem:

Pickett’s Charge
By Justin Melick

Onward General Pickett, lead the assault today;
Take that Pennsylvania hill.
Forth proud legions clad in gray;
You alone move while the earth stands still.

They marched forward in great columns;
Their mood was determined yet solemn.
Every step brought them closer to the hill,
The enemy’s cannons remained eerily still.

All the hopes and all the dreams of either side,
To the outcome of this great advance were tied.

Half way there, and still the Union gun’s are silent,
Steadily, bravely forward Lee’s men go.
Then the Federal guns thundered loud and violent,
Shells ripped through the neat, advancing rows.

Forward, the Southern Generals urged,
Onward, through the destruction, the gray force surged.
Oh, how mercilessly the Union guns did attack,
But for the Confederates there was no turning back.

All the hopes and all the dreams of either side,
To the outcome of this great advance were tied.

On marched the Southern soldiers,
Nowhere were there any that were bolder.
Through the fiery, smoky hell,
As the deadly shrapnel round them fell.

Their brothers dropped at their side,
They stepped over their friends who had died.
Their officers in front, bravely led,
But many were now dead.

All the hopes and all the dreams of either side,
To the outcome of this great advance were tied.

Then they were running, charging desperately,
Oh, what a captivating sight to see!
They charged the defenses with a spirited yell,
Drowning out the bursting shells.

They fought well, but there were so few,
Such destruction, no army ever knew.
Back they fell, wounded and broken,
To their lines, they limped and not a word spoken.

All the hopes and all the dreams of either side,
To the outcome of this great advance were tied.

The Union men, elated, cheered,
And some young ones jeered.
The old ones looked with great sadness at the field,
How could such horrible wounds be ever healed?

General Lee met his faithful, haggard men,
They cheered and begged to be sent out again.
He shook his head sadly, they hushed to hear what he would say,
“I cannot ask you to do more, now, but there will be another day.”

All the hopes and all the dreams of either side,
To the outcome of the great advance were tied.