The Minnesotan Gazette
This article is based on the story, Soldier's Heart, by Gary Paulsen.
Charley Goddard comes home from Civil War!
By: Brian Matesic
Charley Goddard is a native of Minnesota, having lived here all his life, and when the bustle of the Civil War came to town, Charley just couldn’t resist. At the age of fifteen, he asked his widowed mother if he could join the local regiment and persuaded her by telling him he would send the money back to her.
She eventually gave in and he went to an enlistment station far from where he lived; so if anyone knew his age, he wouldn’t run into them. He enlisted into the First Minnesota Volunteers.
This regiment was first stationed at Fort Snelling, where they Charley made some friends with other volunteers. They waited here until finally, they were told to make their way towards Manassas. They eventually got there and Charley fought his first battle, he realized here that making friends with fellow volunteers was a mistake, as most of them died and he luckily survived to back down from the rebels.
Charley had to go on to fight in three more battle with the astonishment of how close he had come to death and the loss of his only friends. It was now that he felt a sense of loneliness, having lost the only people he had ever known for the past months.
The next day after his first battle, Charley had to walk across the battlefield of the dead to reach the next battle he was to fight. Here, the Union did not retreat, they fought until they had to "charge bayonets" to finish the rebels off.
After this, the Union gained many reinforcements and trudged on to their next battle where Charley was given a special job. He was to kill horses and bring the meat back to feed the sick in the hospital, he hated this job, because he was a farmer back in Minnesota and had loved horses all his life.
The next battle Charley fought, he was told he was hit, and he retreated to the Doctor’s tent and finally, the Doctor got to him and removed all his clothes and he wasn’t even scratched.
Finally, at Gettysburg, Charley survived until he was given the order to charge bayonets and he was bayoneted twice. He was then sent home with both the wounds and the mental anguish known as Soldier’s Heart.
He came home at the age of twenty-one with the hatred of war and the thought of how incredibly insane war is against humanity.
Poem Analysis
Brian
5-9-00
8-2
The title of this poem, "The Vicksburg Jail," tells the main subject in which this poem is about. The marine who wrote and composed this was obviously a prisoner in this jail of the Confederates during the Battle of Vicksburg in the Civil War. This battle was said to be the meeting of the most brilliant militaries in the whole war.
O, when the poar pris'ner is put in the jaile,
he is put in a cell and his doors are all bar'd
With a great long chane he is bound to the floor,
And dam thear mean soles thay can do nothing more.
Our beds are maid of old rotten rugs,
And when you lay down you are covered with bugs;
The rugs they will swear they will never give bail,
And you're bound to get lousy in Vicksburg Jale.
In the morning you get a piece of bread
As hard as a rock and as heavy as lead,
A cup of cold coffee and meat that is stale,
And your are bound to get hungry in the Vicksburg jale.
Our jury they are a mighty mean crew,
Thay will look at a man as if thay would look him through;
The Judge he will prattle, all hell he don't fear,
He will bring you in guilty if you prove yourself clear.
Our Stats Arturny are men of renown,
Thay spend all thear time in lofing around,
Your pockets they will pick and your cloths will sell,
Get drunk on the mony, that is doing well.
The jailor comes round at nine in the night,
In one of his hands he carrys a light,
He will rap at your door and give you a hale,
To see that you're safe in the Vickburg Jale.
Oh, honrably kind friends I have finish'd my song,
I hipe I have song to you nothing that is wrong;
For fighting and drinking I never did fail,
And I don't give a dam for the Vicksburg Jail.
The main objective of this poem is to give the reader the feeling of how horrible the conditions in this jail are and also how impossible it will be to get out. The author is briefly running through a day such as when a man is taken into the jail, all the way through the day, when he is to go on trial and finally at night.
In the beginning of the poem, the marine is telling of when someone first comes into the jail. A feeling of helplessness is suggested with the line, "With a great long chane he is bound to the floor,/ And dam thear mean soles thay can do nothing more."
Next, the author tells of the dreadful conditions of the jail and much imagery is felt. The second stanza says, "The beds are maid of old rotten rugs,/ And when you lay down you are covered with bugs," reading this the reader can feel the bugs crawling on the skin and already is getting the feeling that this jail is despicable. In the next stanza, the jail is even worse, a reader can imagine waking up hungry and only being given the worst food possible.
Stanzas two and three suggest a feeling of hopelessness to all marines in the jail when the court doesn’t seem to follow the justice system very well as suggested by the lines, "The Judge he will prattle, and hell he don’t fear,/ He will bring you in guilty if you prove yourself clear."
This poem is written with both rhythm and rhyme, which is almost always required when writing a song. In the third stanza, the author uses metaphor when describing the piece of bread as being ‘as hard as a rock and as heavy as lead.’ The overall mood of the poem is hatred towards the jail, but it is told in kind of a happy tone.
Poem and information about the Battle of Vicksburg were found at the following sites: