Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ZOLLICOFFER, by                    
First Line: First in the fight, and first in the arms
Last Line: Dead on the field of glory!
Subject(s): American Civil War; Somerset, Kentucky, Battle Of (1862); United States - History; Zollicoffer, Felix Kirk (1812-1862)


FIRST in the fight, and first in the arms
Of the white-winged angels of glory,
With the heart of the South at the feet of God,
And his wounds to tell the story;

For the blood that flowed from his hero heart,
On the spot where he nobly perished,
Was drunk by the earth as a sacrament
In the holy cause he cherished!

In Heaven a home with the brave and blessed,
And for his soul's sustaining
The apocalyptic eyes of Christ --
And nothing on earth remaining,

But a handful of dust in the land of his choice
A name in song and story --
And fame to shout with immortal voice
Dead on the field of Glory!





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net