“UNION BLUES”

I am an infantryman, no horse do I ride,

I carry my weapon, walking side by side,

I am here to fight, to help stem the tide,

I am a member of a great battalion,

We have fought in this war; we have won many battles.

Tired though I may be, hungry yes, and even sometimes cold,

The battles we have fought and seen have made us quite old,

We were all young when we first joined up, I being sixteen & bold,

Thought I would whip them Confederates  single-handed,

Been shot several times, paid for same, in gold.

I have found in my travels through the south,

Them Confederates, they are not such a bad lot,

They are fighting for what they believe,

No different than those of us from the north,

No more, as to the horrors of war, are we naïve,

We just want this to end, so for our younger brothers we don’t have to grieve.

So dearest mother, as I miss you and father & little brother,

I end this short letter and look forward to seeing you all very soon,

Am I coming home? Yes-dear mother, I am coming home to God,

To tell him the atrocities committed in His name on His earth,   

I will not see you, mother or father or little brother right away,

But when you do also come to see God, I will be awaiting you that day…

                         Your Most Loving Son, Jeremiah

  Copywrited: ed - 6/7/04