Rev. S.R. Thompson wrote my poem. My poem is called Tom Traynham's Ride. Tom Traynham was a Confederate Corporal who delivered a message to Jackson.

An' you don' know Tom Traynham?

I cert'ly wished you did,

For Never a bravah soljar

Behin' ole Stuart rid.

Belonged to Easley's comp'ny

Made up ovah south o'Dan;

A little bit of a body -

But a powerful great big man.

'Twas back in the Sixties,

I don' remembah the yeah -

When Lee, he needed a couriah,

What want acquainted with feah.

The Captain detailed Traynham,

To answer the Gen'ral's call.

"An' Traynham," he writ a lettah,

"Aint afeahed of a minnie ball."

An' did Traynham finch, sah?

Ef he did nobody knows;

He's allus ready in sunshine.

Or in rain, or hail, or snows.

Why, lemme tell you a story

Of what that fellah done -

Him an' the little ole sorrel,

An' that ole carbine gun.

Mars Bob, he wanted a message

Carried to ole Stonewall -

Traynham an' the mare was ready

To answer his every call.

"Attention, Corporal Traynham,"

An' Tom saluted an' faced;

Then into the hands couriah,

The papers, the Gen'ral placed.

"I want the dispatch delivered

To Jackson," an' tenderly laid

His hand on Traynham's shouldah.

"I'll try," was all Tom said.

"An' Traynham, I wouldn' deceive you

As you ride to Jackson's tent,

In that woods, ten thousand Yankees

Upon your destruction are bent."

He shook the Corporal's hand, sah,

While a teah 'stole from his eye;

"I know you'll do yo' duty -"

Tom simply said, "I'll try."

He mounted the mare'n saluted -

Rode stragiht fo' Jackson's tent,

Although ten thousand Yankees

Was in the road he went.

I only know he got thah,

I don' know the how nor why;

But the fate of Lee's army

Was in Tom Traynham's "Try."

An' when he reported nex' morin',

Why Gen'ral Lee, he cried,

An' said, "You done yo' duty."

Tom answered, "Yes, I tried."

An' that's a Confederate soljah,

Back thah in sixty-three -

I hold up 'san example

Fo' our nabers and you an' me.

He's jes a Halifax farmer

And lives ovah south o'Dan -

But you' have to live a life-time

To find a bravah man.

An' on the greatah battle

Of this heah thing called life,

With all its car an' burdens,

In all its toils an' strife.

This heah one-legged soljah,

Who never asked the why,

Could give us all a lesson,

In his simple words, "I'll try."

This poem is kind of weird especially when the author talks about not remembering the year this story took place, but then towards the end he suddenly remembers the year, perfectly. The rhyme in my poem has an end rhyme. You can almost see Tom riding on his horse straight to Jackson's tent and deliver the message. The Rhythm in this poem is very interesting. The Rhyme scheme in this poem is:

A

B

C

B

Like this since it's an end rhyme:

A - soljah

B - why

C - lesson

B - try

This poem is probably THE BEST poem on earth.

This has been a student poem update. Tune in next week for another update by Patrick Douglas.

This journal was found on the Internet. The man was very confident on winning the war and did not believe every thing he saw in the papers either. The soldier who wrote this poem does not reveal his name and the site did not tell any background or the name either.

I have inferred that he was a Union soldier because he talks about attacking the rebels. I never saw in the entries that he attack the Union. This journal was very boring. There was some action but no major fights. The underlined word caisson is a vocabulary word that I think some Jr. High students will have trouble knowing what it is. A caisson is (do not have this yet).

This concludes the report on the Language part of the Civil War.

Common Field Fortifications

This journal was found on the Internet. The man was very confident on winning the war and did not believe every thing he saw in the papers either. The soldier who wrote this poem does not reveal his name and the site did not tell any background or the name either.

I have inferred that he was a Union soldier because he talks about attacking the rebels. I never saw in the entries that he attack the Union. This journal was very boring. There was some action but no major fights. The underlined word caisson is a vocabulary word that I think some Jr. High students will have trouble knowing what it is. A caisson is (do not have this yet).

This concludes the report on the Language part of the Civil War.

Common Field Fortifications