Will Henry Thompson is the author of this poem. He took part in Pickett’s Charge on July 3, 1863. He also served in the Fourth Georgia. His poem, " The High Tide at Gettysburg," describes the battle at Gettysburg from the perspective of a Southern.

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The poem describes the battlefield. It is smoky. Across the field, lightning flashes and through the cloudy field, a horseman comes riding. From the mountains, thunder roars.

At Lee’s command, the soldiers move out because Pickett’s men were rushing toward them. Pickett’s men started to fire at them, which made a load commotion. The Southerners cheer their men on as they fight.

The wind started to blow a hot, southerly, Egyptian wind like the hot fire at the Battle of Waterloo.

Many people died where Kemper and Garnett led their men. Through all of the gun smoke, only a small surviving group remained.

Virginia and Tennessee will have to work together in the war. More people died in this war than many other wars put together. Virginia heard that Tennessee was in trouble, so they went to help them fight. The South was starting to lose to the North. They were losing all of their hope, too. Virginia came to Tennessee’s rescue. They keep fighting until the battlefield was wet with blood. Through all of the gun smoke on the cloudy field, the South realized that their nation was losing the war.

All of the brave men died, but the people that were still living realized that the war was over. Many people died in the war. Now people were stopping their work to remember those people that died, fighting for their nation. People could now go on with their lives since the Battle of Gettysburg was over, but times would still be tough for them because the Civil War wasn’t over. All of the Christians were glad that the battle was over. God was with the soldiers during the war and helped them get through the battles. It is now time to put the war equipment away. A mother starts to cry as she remembers her sons that died while fighting in the war.

There is a lot of imagery in this poem. One of the best stanzas is "A thousand fell where Kemper led;/ A thousand died where Garnett bled:/ In blinding flame and strangling smoke/ Their remnant through the batteries broke/ And crossed the works with Armistead." It allows the reader to imagine the people being shot down. Also, the reader can see all of the people fighting and bleeding. Another one of the best stanzas with imagery is "In vain Virginia charged and raged,/ A tigress in her wrath uncaged,/ Till all the hill was red and wet!" It lets the reader imagine Virginia’s army charging toward the enemy and fighting with all their might until the battlefield is covered in blood. Last, "Fold up the banners! Smelt the guns!/ Love rules. Her gentler purpose runs./ A mighty mother turns in tears/ The pages of her battle years,/ Lamenting all her fallen sons!" is another good stanza. It explains the way they put all of the war equipment away. Also, it reminds the reader that family members will always remember their loved ones that died while fighting in the battle.

There is an example of alliteration in this poem. The "Men saw a gray, gigantic ghost" has the repeated "G" sound. It sounds like the soldiers are tired of fighting. The way the "G" sound is written makes it sound like the soldiers are moving really slow.

There is also personification in the poem. The way Thompson talks about Virginia and Tennessee makes them seem like real people because they are crying for each other and hear each other talk just like real people do.

The rhythm in this poem is like the footsteps of a soldier’s march. It has a constant beat. When soldiers march, they step to a constant beat and always stay in line. The rhyme scheme adds to the rhythm with a constant beat, too.

"A Khamsin wind that scorched and singed/Like that infernal flame that fringed," is a simile of a hot wind like a flame inside of humans. It is describing the hot wind on the battlefield. Also, it describes the weather and how the wind was blowing.

The mood and tone explain how tragic the war was. It was tough for people to deal with the loss of friends and family members that fought in the battle. These people risked their lives for their nation. The mood and tone are thought to be very sad and tragic because of all the deaths.

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