ONLY A PRIVATE, By: Margaret Junkin Preston
Only a private—and who will care
When I may pass away,
Or how, or why I perish, or where
I mix with the common clay?
They will fill my empty place again
With another as bold and brave;
And they’ll blot me out ere the autumn rain
Has freshened my nameless grave.
Only a Private—it matters not
That I did my duty well,
That all through the score of battles I fought,
And then, like a soldier, I fell.
The country I died for will never heed,
My unrequited claim;
And history cannot record the deed,
For she has never heard my name.
Only a private—and yet I know
When I heard the rallying-call
I was one of the very first to go,
And....I am one of the many to fall:
But as here I lie, it is sweet to feel
That my honor’s without a stain
And not for glory or gain.
Only a private—yet he who reads
Through the guises of the heart,
looks not at the splendor of the deeds,
But the way we do our part;
And when he shall take us by the hand,
And our small service own,
There’ll a glorious band of privates stand
As victors around the throne
The main topic of this poem is about how the private’s life was in the war, or how much the country as a whole appreciated this "one" persons duty in it.
The imagery in the poem is what really creates the mood. When we read it, some one might picture a soldier dying on a battlefield unknown and being replaced with another " as bold and as brave" without ever being recognized.
The thought that a willing and courageous soldier fighting not for himself but for his country and dying without being recognized for his duties or support that he had for his home brings a little irony into the poem.
When the person is finished reading this poem, they are left with a sad and inspiring mood. Understanding how it really was during the time of the civil war brings on a gloomy effect on the reader. But, the reader also gets a kind of inspiring or grateful feeling, to know that we had people that would sacrifice their life for their state and it’s citizens is a comforting and thankful thought.
" Only a Private " has a kind of, lowering touch to being a private. For, when some one says only a private, you may think that they were not important or didn't mean that much to the war or its people, (symbol).
As the reader can see, the soldiers or privates were the courageous men that fought for their beliefs and rights. "But as here I lie, it is sweet to feel; That my honors without a stain; That I only fought for my country’s weal; And not for glory or gain"
URL's
http://www.users.erols.com/kfraser/private.html
Execution Of Captain Brown
From the Stannton Spectator
" November 29, 1895 "
" Visitors to the Execution- the execution of Capt. Brown is to take place on Friday next before the hour of 19 o'clock, and it is expected there will be large attendance from the Northern states. We learn that a second letter has been received by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from Mr. Perham, the great "exeorstoniet," saying that he has already made arrangements to bring 8,000 as far as Baltimore. The Richmond Dispatch of Saturday, in alluding to visitors to the execution, says:
It is recorded that a great multitude from the free states will be present at Brown's execution.
It is to be hoped that the military of Virginia, which are not enrolled in the military, will stay away. At all events, the commander of the military will make such arrangements as to prevent strangers from crowding between the innocent spectators and the soldiery. Probably, visitors from other states, if they are permitted to be present at all, will be assigned a position where they can do no mischief."
In this article, it explains when John Brown is supposed to be executed. It also talks about certain people that will most likely show up to his execution. It states that "A great multitude from the free states will be present at Brown’s execution." For, most of the free states were against slavery and for Mr. Brown. The commander of the military made it so that the innocent watchers that came from other states were separated from the soldiers so that no uproars occurred.
John Brown was an abolitionist that attacked a gun arsenal at Harper’s ferry. There he planned that freed blacks would come and join them, and also help fight. When the troops came they quickly caught Mr. Brown and sentenced him to death. He is well known with the Northerners, for through his trial he did not complained and the people looked up to his courage and pride that he had.
By: Travis