- description
- # REBEL COLOR-BEARERS AT SHILOH
## Overview - What this is (type, form, dates, scope)
"REBEL COLOR-BEARERS AT SHILOH" is a chapter, specifically a poem, by Herman Melville, extracted from the text file [john_marr_and_other_poems.txt](arke:01KG89J19Y3FNVN5KWASY78BP4). The poem is part of the larger [John Marr and Other Poems](arke:01KG8AJ5CWVMSM9AY2938E996H) collection, which was published posthumously. The text was extracted on January 30, 2026, and spans lines 3096-3144 of the source file.
## Context - Background and provenance from related entities
This poem is included in the "John Marr and Other Poems" collection, which is part of the "Melville Complete Works" collection. The poem is preceded by "THE MARTYR" ([arke:01KG8AJJPPZFK6N9NAWEW5920V]) and followed by "AURORA BOREALIS" ([arke:01KG8AJJPJS7YP5MS1RA9RV0J4]) within the collection. The poem reflects on the American Civil War, specifically the Battle of Shiloh, and was likely written in the aftermath of the war.
## Contents - What it contains, key subjects and details
The poem reflects on the bravery of Confederate soldiers, the "color-bearers," facing death at the Battle of Shiloh. It contrasts their courage with the vindictive attitudes of some civilians after the war's end. The poem references key events of the Civil War, including Shiloh, Stonewall Jackson's charge, and the surrender at Appomattox. It questions the impulse to punish the defeated and suggests a more magnanimous approach, referencing General Grant's treatment of General Lee.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:14.477Z
- description_model
- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- REBEL COLOR-BEARERS AT SHILOH
- end_line
- 3144
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:47:32.310Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 3096
- text
- REBEL COLOR-BEARERS AT SHILOH
_A plea against the vindictive cry raised by civilians shortly after
the surrender at Appomattox_
The color-bearers facing death
White in the whirling sulphurous wreath,
Stand boldly out before the line;
Right and left their glances go,
Proud of each other, glorying in their show;
Their battle-flags about them blow,
And fold them as in flame divine:
Such living robes are only seen
Round martyrs burning on the green—
And martyrs for the Wrong have been.
Perish their Cause! but mark the men—
Mark the planted statues, then
Draw trigger on them if you can.
The leader of a patriot-band
Even so could view rebels who so could stand;
And this when peril pressed him sore,
Left aidless in the shivered front of war—
Skulkers behind, defiant foes before,
And fighting with a broken brand.
The challenge in that courage rare—
Courage defenseless, proudly bare—
Never could tempt him; he could dare
Strike up the leveled rifle there.
Sunday at Shiloh, and the day
When Stonewall charged—McClellan’s crimson May,
And Chickamauga’s wave of death,
And of the Wilderness the cypress wreath—
All these have passed away.
The life in the veins of Treason lags,
Her daring color-bearers drop their flags,
And yield. _Now_ shall we fire?
Can poor spite be?
Shall nobleness in victory less aspire
Than in reverse? Spare Spleen her ire,
And think how Grant met Lee.
- title
- REBEL COLOR-BEARERS AT SHILOH