Sons of the Dark and Bloody Ground,
Ye must not slumber there,
Where stranger steps and tongues resound
Along the heedless air;
Your own proud land's heroic soil
Shall be your fitter grave;
She claims from war his richest spoil—
The ashes of her brave.

— Theodore O'Hara The Bivouac of the Dead (1847)

Notes from Wikiquote

Written for the Kentuckians who fell at Buena Vista (February 22–23, 1847). The "Dark and Bloody Ground" was a name used to describe the region that became Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio

More quotes by Theodore O'Hara

Nor wreck, nor change, nor winter's blight,
Nor Time's remorseless doom,
Shall dim one ray of glory's light
That gilds your deathless tomb.

The Bivouac of the Dead (1847)

The muffled drum's sad roll has beat
The soldier's last tattoo;
No more on life's parade shall meet
That brave and fallen few.
On fame's eternal camping ground
Their silent tents are spread,
And glory guards, with solemn round,
The bivouac of the dead.

The Bivouac of the Dead (1847)

A dirge for the brave old pioneer!
Knight-errant of the wood!
Calmly beneath the green sod here
He rests from field and flood
The war-whoop and the panther's screams
No more his soul shall rouse,
For well the aged hunter dreams
Beside his good old spouse.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Theodore O'Hara (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.

Sons of the Dark and Bloody Ground,Ye must not slumber there,Where stranger steps and tongues resoundAlong the heedless air;Your own proud land's heroic soilShall be your fitter grave;She claims from war his richest spoil—The ashes of her brave.

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Notes from Wikiquote

More quotes by Theodore O'Hara

Attribution

Sons of the Dark and Bloody Ground,
Ye must not slumber there,
Where stranger steps and tongues resound
Along the heedless air;
Your own proud land's heroic soil
Shall be your fitter grave;
She claims from war his richest spoil—
The ashes of her brave.