POEMS OF JAMES RYDER RANDALL
And so today the marble shaft may soar
In memory of those who are no more;
The proudest boast of centuries shall be,
That they who fell with Jackson rise with Lee!
THE BATTLE CRY OF THE SOUTH
Arm yourselves and be valiant men, and see that we be in readiness against the morning, that ye may fight with these nations that are assembled against us, to destroy us and our sanctuary.
For it is better for us to die in battle than to behold the calamities of our people and our sanctuary.—Maccabees 1.
Brothers! the thunder-cloud is black,
And the wail of the South wings forth;
Will ye cringe to the hot tornado’s rack,
And the Vampires of the North?
Strike! ye can win a martyr’s goal;
Strike! with a ruthless hand—
Strike! with the vengeance of the soul
For your bright, beleaguered land!
To arms! to arms! for the South needs help,
And a craven is he who flees—
For ye have the sword of the Lion’s Whelp,[1]
And the God of the Maccabees!
- ↑ The surname of the great Maccabees.
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