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 | Collected poems of Herman Melville |  |
108
INSCRIPTION
FOR THE GRAVES AT PEA RIDGE, ARKANSAS
Let none misgive we died amissWhen here we strove in furious fight:
Furious it was; nathless was this
Better than tranquil plight,
And tame surrender of the Cause
Hallowed by hearts and by the laws.
We here who warred for Man and Right,
The choice of warring never laid with us.
There we were ruled by the traitor's choice,
Nor long we stood to trim and poise,
But marched, and fell—victorious!
| Collected poems of Herman Melville | |