When tempest winnowed grain from bran;
And men were looking for a man,
Authority called you to the van,
Clellan:
Along the line the plaudit ran,
As later when Antietam's cheers began.
Through storm-cloud and eclipse must
Each Cause and Man, dear to the stars and Jove;
Nor always can the wisest
Deferred fulfillment from the hopeless knell—The struggler from the floundering ne'er-do-well.
A pall-cloth on the Seven Days fell,
Clellan:
Unprosperously heroical!
Who could Antietam's wreath foretell?
Authority called you; then, in
And loom of jeopardy—dismissed.
But staring peril soon appalled;
You, the Discarded, she recalled—Recalled you, nor endured delay;
And forth you rode upon a blasted way,
Arrayed Pope's rout, and routed Lee's array,
Clellan:
Your tent was choked with captured flags that day,
Clellan:
Antietam was a telling fray.
Recalled you; and she heard your
Advancing through the ghastly gloom.
You manned the wall, you propped the Dome,
You stormed the powerful stormer home.
Clellan:
Antietam's cannon long shall boom.
At Alexandria, left alone,
Clellan:
Your veterans sent from you, and
To fields and fortunes all unknown—What thoughts were yours, revealed to none,
While faithful still you labored on—Hearing the far Manassas gun!
Clellan:
Only Antietam could atone.
You fought in the front (an evil day,
Clellan)—The fore-front of the first assay;
The Cause went sounding, groped its way;
The leadsmen quarrelled in the bay;
Quills thwarted swords; divided sway;
The rebel flushed in his lusty May:
You did your best, as in you lay,
Clellan.
Antietam's sun-burst sheds a ray.
Your medalled soldiers love you well,
Clellan:
Name your name, their true hearts swell;
With you they shook dread Stonewall's spell,
With you they braved the blended
Of rebel and maligner fell;
With you in shame or fame they dwell,
Clellan:
Antietam-braves a brave can tell.
And when your comrades (now so few,
Clellan—Such ravage in deep files they rue)Meet round the board, and sadly
The empty places; tribute
They render to the dead—and you!
Absent and silent o'er the blue;
The one-armed lift the wine to you,
Clellan,
And great Antietam's cheers renew.
