The Bells of Richmond

 

The War for the Union, 1862 - A Bayonet Charge (July 12th, 1862 from "Harper's Weekly" Vol. VII) by Winslow Homer

My eyes they stiffly opened

In the morning hour's light

And horror flooded memory

Of the moon from yesternight

Men bled in fields of amber

Bayonets charged with shaking hand

Please lord tell me what has happened

To this green and promised land?

It was brother fighting brother

A poor man's fight a rich man's war

Shall we feel these implications

For centuries or more?

As I wait to heed my orders

I feel a wrench upon my soul

This war is just beginning

As the bells of Richmond toll

- ZB James

February 19th, 2021