Andersonville

Ten miles out of Guntown, General Forrest came,
Cut our line to pieces in the pouring rain.
I was taken prisoner, barefoot and ill,
Sent by train to Georgia, to Andersonville.

Men who looked like corpses fought for scraps of meat;
People took no notice of murders on the Street;
And if one should stumble too near the line,
The rebels gave no warning, and bullets would whine.

A sore got infected on my right footsole.
I knew I’d soon have gangrene in that cesspool hole.
I got through to sickbay – many had tried –
And each day dozens sickened, sickened and died.

But I did pass muster at the first parole
And in a northern hospice my foot was healed back whole.
Yes, I re-enlisted, so would have you
To save our noble Union, to carry it through.

Stand by the Union, may it flourish strong and true.
Freedom for all men, of every nation, creed and view.
Stand by the Union, that no man shall be enslaved.
Freedom bought at such great cost, once lost cannot be saved.