At Griswoldville, Blue’s Howard left behind
Rear guard to watch as his men moved away.
Some Rebels sniffed them out as hounds will find
The wily fox who is the hunters’ prey.
In close formation, Gray made its attack
With courage, but without a bit of art,
Straight toward the waiting guns which drove them back,
To charge twice more, and failing, then depart.
The Union soldiers went into the field
As victors, cheering loudly with broad smiles.
But what to them had till then been concealed
Froze lips – the fallen Gray in many piles.
As Southern cause was close to its last breath,
Youth and the age-ed for the war were grist.
Six hundred lay, in agony or death,
So green, these Gray, that Blue troops rarely missed.
At Griswoldville, one viewed the grisly scene
And grieving, said, “There is no God in war.”
And thinking of a mother’s mournful keen,
He said, “War’s what the devil wishes for.”
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© Dennis Lange and thebardonthehill.wordpress.com, 2016.
The Bard on the Hill 
This is so powerful, Dennis! it brings to mind, of course, all the true events described to me by relatives and friends who fought in wars. And I’ve often thought about how it must be the very closest thing to hell that a human being could endure. It’s no wonder we have thousands of men and women who suffer such gruesome effects for the rest of their lives. Yet, knowing that monsters are out there bent on destroying everyone and everything that’s Godly, I’m also grateful beyond words for those who march into harm’s way to keep those monsters at bay.
Thank you. I’ve just about concluded that war is most often started by someone for the wrong reason while the defender is drawn into it by necessity (your “keep those monsters at bay”).