As we remember Memorial Day this weekend, let's not forget the deadliest war in American history - the Civil War. Both sides, both Americans suffered great loses.
As a civilian, I can't fathom the depths of which many of our veterans have suffered, especially those who were POWs - Prisoners of War.
This George Root (1820 - 1895) Civil War song, Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!, of a Union prisoner does give a glimpse into the angish of a soldier's soul as well as the hope of being released by his comrades in arms.
The video clip below is sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and is one of the most moving renditions of this song.
The words are below:
In the prison cell I sit,
Thinking Mother dear of you,
And our bright and happy home so far away,
And the tears they fill my eyes
Spite of all that I can do
Though I try to cheer my comrades
and be gay.
Chorus:
Tramp! tramp! tramp!
The boys are marching
Cheer up comrades,
They will come.
And beneath the starry flag
We shall breathe the air again
Of the free land in our own beloved home.
In the battle front we stood
When their fiercest charge they made,
And they swept us off a hundred men or more;
But before we reached their lines
They were beaten back, dismayed,
And we heard the cry of vict'ry o'er and o'er.
So within the prison cell
We are waiting for the day
That shall come to open wide the iron door;
And the hollow eye grows bright
And the poor heart almost gay
As we think of seeing home and friends once more.
Photo from Wiki Commons: Tramp, Tramp, Tramp
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