Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ROBERT G. SHAW, by HENRIETTA CORDELIA RAY


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ROBERT G. SHAW, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: When war's red banners trailed along the sky
Last Line: In rev'rent love we guard thy memory.
Alternate Author Name(s): Ray, Cordelia
Subject(s): African Americans - Military; African Americans - Women; Shaw, Robert Gould (1847-1863); Soldiers


When War's red banners trailed along the sky,
And many a manly heart grew all aflame
With patriotic love and purest aim,
There rose a noble soul who dared to die,
If only Right could win. He heard the cry
Of struggling bondmen and he quickly came,
Leaving the haunts where Learning tenders fame
Unto her honored sons; for it was ay
A loftier cause that lured him on to death.
Brave men who saw their brothers held in chains,
Beneath his standard battled ardently.
O friend! O hero! thou who yielded breath
That others might share Freedom's priceless gains,
In rev'rent love we guard thy memory.





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