- description
- # Donelson.
## Overview
This is a segment of the poem "Donelson." from [Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.](arke:01KG8AJ6FNQ0XKWBY52P8DRPC9), extracted from the file [battle_pieces_and_aspects_of_the_war.txt](arke:01KG89J1G8S4TRWXNCBRKCRKS8). It is part of the [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. The segment spans lines 485-538 of the source file.
## Context
"Donelson." is positioned in [Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.](arke:01KG8AJ6FNQ0XKWBY52P8DRPC9) between the segments "[The Old Stone Fleet.](arke:01KG8AJKCSBM04ZGSCPN72M8MB)" and "[LATER FROM THE FORT.](arke:01KG8AJKCSSBJ0JZFF9XYBQFAQ)". The poem reflects on the Battle of Fort Donelson in February 1862 during the American Civil War.
## Contents
The segment describes the anticipation and news surrounding the siege of Fort Donelson by General Grant. It depicts people gathering to read bulletins about the battle, detailing the strategic importance of the fort, the landscape surrounding it, and the spirit of the Union troops. The poem notes the contrast between the mild weather and the harsh realities of war, ending with the anticipation of the fort's fall.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:22.658Z
- description_model
- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- Donelson.
- end_line
- 538
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:47:35.910Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 485
- text
- Donelson.
(February, 1862.)
The bitter cup
Of that hard countermand
Which gave the Envoys up,
Still was wormwood in the mouth,
And clouds involved the land,
When, pelted by sleet in the icy street,
About the bulletin-board a band
Of eager, anxious people met,
And every wakeful heart was set
On latest news from West or South.
“No seeing here,” cries one--“don’t crowd--”
“You tall man, pray you, read aloud.”
IMPORTANT.
_We learn that General Grant,
Marching from Henry overland,
And joined by a force up the Cumberland sent
(Some thirty thousand the command),
On Wednesday a good position won--
Began the siege of Donelson.
The stronghold crowns a river-bluff,
A good broad mile of leveled top;
Inland the ground rolls off
Deep-gorged, and rocky, and broken up--
A wilderness of trees and brush.
The spaded summit shows the roods
Of fixed intrenchments in their hush;
Breast-works and rifle-pits in woods
Perplex the base.--
The welcome weather
Is clear and mild; ’tis much like May.
The ancient boughs that lace together
Along the stream, and hang far forth,
Strange with green mistletoe, betray
A dreamy contrast to the North.
Our troops are full of spirits--say
The siege won’t prove a creeping one.
They purpose not the lingering stay
Of old beleaguerers; not that way;
But, full of _vim_ from Western prairies won,
They’ll make, ere long, a dash at Donelson._
Washed by the storm till the paper grew
Every shade of a streaky blue,
That bulletin stood. The next day brought
A second.
- title
- Donelson.