jazzeum
Four Star General
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2005
- Messages
- 38,434
The Drummer Boy of Shiloh
-- W.S. Hays
On Shiloh's dark and bloody ground,
The dead and wounded lay;
Amongst them was a drummer boy,
Who beat the drum that day.
A wounded soldier held him up
His drum was by his side;
He clasp'd his hands, then rais'd his eyes,
And prayed before he died.
He clasp'd his hands, then rais'd his eyes,
And prayed before he died.
"Look down upon the battle field,
Oh, Thou our Heavenly Friend!
Have mercy on our sinful souls!"
The soldiers cried "Amen!"
For gathered 'round a little group,
Each brave man knelt and cried;
They listened to the drummer boy,
Who prayed before he died,
They listened to the drummer boy,
Who prayed before he died.
"Oh, Mother," said the dying boy,
"Look down from heaven on me,
Receive me to thy fond embrace-
Oh, take me home to thee.
I've loved my country as my God;
To serve them both I've tried,"
He smiled, shook hands - death seized the boy
Who prayed before he died.
He smiled, shook hands - death seized the boy
Who prayed before he died.
This song about the last words of a dying drummer boy brings home the horror of war in which boys were killed and wounded. The Battle of Shiloh took place on April 6 and 7, 1862 in Tennessee. In two days time, over 13,000 Union troops and almost 11,000 Confederate troops were killed, wounded, captured, or reported missing. The approximately 24,000 total casualties exceeded the combined casualties of the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War. At that time, it was the bloodiest battle of the war (but as we now know, this was just a hint of what was to come). Shiloh, ironically, in Hebrew means "place of peace."
Figure and tents by First Legion.
-- W.S. Hays
On Shiloh's dark and bloody ground,
The dead and wounded lay;
Amongst them was a drummer boy,
Who beat the drum that day.
A wounded soldier held him up
His drum was by his side;
He clasp'd his hands, then rais'd his eyes,
And prayed before he died.
He clasp'd his hands, then rais'd his eyes,
And prayed before he died.
"Look down upon the battle field,
Oh, Thou our Heavenly Friend!
Have mercy on our sinful souls!"
The soldiers cried "Amen!"
For gathered 'round a little group,
Each brave man knelt and cried;
They listened to the drummer boy,
Who prayed before he died,
They listened to the drummer boy,
Who prayed before he died.
"Oh, Mother," said the dying boy,
"Look down from heaven on me,
Receive me to thy fond embrace-
Oh, take me home to thee.
I've loved my country as my God;
To serve them both I've tried,"
He smiled, shook hands - death seized the boy
Who prayed before he died.
He smiled, shook hands - death seized the boy
Who prayed before he died.
This song about the last words of a dying drummer boy brings home the horror of war in which boys were killed and wounded. The Battle of Shiloh took place on April 6 and 7, 1862 in Tennessee. In two days time, over 13,000 Union troops and almost 11,000 Confederate troops were killed, wounded, captured, or reported missing. The approximately 24,000 total casualties exceeded the combined casualties of the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War. At that time, it was the bloodiest battle of the war (but as we now know, this was just a hint of what was to come). Shiloh, ironically, in Hebrew means "place of peace."
Figure and tents by First Legion.
