Ms. Jane Brown

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Because of the proclamation that set slaves free, many have started immigrating north. Ticey, a twelve year- old former slave, knew the tragic affects of slavery after being born into it. That’s why she decided to set off for Ohio after becoming free. "I had no one to live with since my mother had died and my father was moved to another plantation," claimed Ticey. "So I decided to look for Mr. Brown." Mr. Brown was a Yankee soldier that Ticey had met when his troop passed through her hometown. "He was very nice. He told me to holler for him if I needed anything. He also changed my name to Jane, because Ticey was a ‘slave name’." After that, Ms. Jane Brown, along with 30 other slaves, set out in search for a better way of life. But the Secesh soon stopped them in their tracks. Being African-American haters, they killed as many of Jane’s friends as they could catch/find. After the damage had been done, only Jane and 6-year old Ned were alive. "I knew his mother very well. After I saw her dead, I knew he was my responsibility," Jane told us. They walked for many days, staying in the bushes, terrified of another attack. They’d eat only what they could find. Such as corn, berries, potatoes, or any other crop a farmer happened to be growing. They walked and walked until a river came in their way. "It was the biggest river I’d ever seen! I knew it was way to deep to try and swim across, especially since I had Ned with me. So we tried to hitch a ride on the ferry," Jane exclaimed. They were not allowed on the ferry the same time the whites were, so they patiently sat on the beach waiting their turn. It was dark before they were let on, when a white man paid their way across the river. The New Yorker took them to a shelter that was held for slaves who had no where to go. "I didn’t like that place at all," Jane said. "It made me feel as if I were sold back into slavery." They soon ran-away, and continued their walk to Ohio. Their walk went on for weeks and weeks as they struggled to survive. "We stopped at houses to try and beg for water, some would give into our needs, while others ran us off," Jane said. "We’d also ask if we were headed in the direction of Ohio. Many didn’t know which way was the right way to Ohio and some had never heard of the place. That’s when I figured I had come to a dead end." Feeling sick and humiliated, Jane kept on walking. After days of despair, a poor man in a wagon picked them up. He took them to his house where he fed them and gave them a place to spend the night. "His wife didn’t like us very much. All she did was yell at him for bringing home a bunch of ‘niggers’," said Jane. But when they thought they were safe with him, he took them to a big plantation with thoughts of selling them off. However, since slavery was over, he couldn’t get any money for them and ended up giving them to the plantation owner for free. Not knowing what else to do, Jane lost all hope and ended up living at the plantation. "Mr. Bone, the plantation owner, pays me $10.00 a month for my work and also puts Ned through school!" Jane happily told us.

By: Jena

"Private Miles O’ Reilly," the Irish emigrant who wrote this poem, is also known as Charles Graham Halpine. He chose the moniker "Miles O’ Reilly" so he could write into newspapers while serving in the Civil War. He enjoyed writing into editorials and loved journalism. He wrote for a numerous amount of newspapers before he became private secretary for Senator Stephen Douglas. On April 20, 1861, he was made lieutenant of the Irish Brigade (a battle fought). Six years after he mustered out of the war (due to bad eye-sight), he died because of an accidental overdose of pain medicine he used for his severe headaches.

By: Private Miles O’ Reilly

The poem first starts out by Halpine remembering the roll-call of his 37 member troop. As they begin marching, Halpine described the day as cloudless, sunny, and overall "a day never to forget." Music played as they marched their way into battle. As soon as they made it to the battlefield, however, the scenery suddenly seemed to change. Halpine described the battle so horrifically that it makes the reader cringe. He saw many of his men dying as others were being "torn-apart." After the battle, Halpine begins to talk about the banquet that was held for his troop. The room held 37 seats, designed especially for all the soldiers. Unfortunately, only 11 men were alive to arrive. The men all saw the vacant seats and a rush of sadness and sorrow swept over them. In the end, in spite of all that had happened, the soldiers kept their peace by drinking to the dead.

To help Halpine describe what he experienced during the war, he uses imagery abundantly throughout the poem. He described how the fife (a flute-like instrument) and the bugles played as he and his 37-member troop marched along. He described the environment beautifully, as the sun twinkled off the swords and bayonets. Then, tragedy struck as they went into battle. He told how the men were falling all over the place and how others carried their severed limbs. "And other hundreds, less happy, drag their shattered limbs around..…." This line he uses gives the reader an image of the terrified soldiers struggling to get out alive. Halpine also uses imagery to describe his feelings at the banquet as well. "And with choking throats, we pushed aside the rich but untasted meats; then in silence we brimmed our glasses/ and bowed and drank to the loved and the dead…"

This poem is filled with sadness and sorrow which represents the mood. The 11 soldiers that survived all have this battle and its horror stuck in their memory. Therefore, in the end when Halpine says, "And the room seemed filled with whispers as we looked at the empty seats…", he is explaining how sadness swept across the room as they remembered their dead partners. I also think that that line is filled with alliteration. It constantly uses the "S" sound, which may represent the sounds of people whispering.

Although this poem has a smooth and steady rhythm, I don’t think Halpine meant for it to stand for anything. However, it does have an even rhyme scheme.

A

B

C

B

D

B

E

B

Poem and information about the Poet found at:

http://users.erols.com/kfraser/april20.htm

http://users.erols.com/kfraser/oreilly.htm