- description
- # VICISSITUDES OF THE WAR.
## Overview
This is a segment of text, titled "VICISSITUDES OF THE WAR.", extracted from a larger work. It is a poetic description of the events and sentiments surrounding a Civil War battle, likely Fort Donelson, given the explicit mention. The segment spans lines 861 to 903 of its source file.
## Context
This segment is part of the poetry collection "[Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.](arke:01KG8AJ6FNQ0XKWBY52P8DRPC9)", a work by Herman Melville. The collection itself was extracted from the file "[battle_pieces_and_aspects_of_the_war.txt](arke:01KG89J1G8S4TRWXNCBRKCRKS8)" and is contained within the larger "[Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW)" collection. This segment follows the text titled "[STORY OF SATURDAY AFTERNOON.](arke:01KG8AJKCS6DZ3QG2VTR1KT6ST)" and precedes the segment titled "[3 P.M.](arke:01KG8AJM1NNNK11CMVQBKK3KWR)".
## Contents
The text vividly portrays the grim atmosphere of a Civil War battlefield. It opens with the Commodore's report of damaged gunboats preventing further action, leading to a somber mood among the soldiers. The poem describes the soldiers' resilience despite hardship, their determination to hold their ground at "This Donelson." It then shifts to an account of troop movements, with weary regiments being replaced by fresh ones. The narrative touches upon the psychological toll of war, the "self-scorn" of soldiers who feel they have failed, and the fierce determination of some warriors. The imagery of blood-stained snow evokes the brutal reality of the conflict, emphasizing the sacrifices made and the call to continue the fight.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:22.355Z
- description_model
- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- VICISSITUDES OF THE WAR.
- end_line
- 903
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:47:35.910Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 861
- text
- VICISSITUDES OF THE WAR.
_The damaged gun-boats can’t wage fight
For days; so says the Commodore.
Thus no diversion can be had.
Under a sunless sky of lead
Our grim-faced boys in blacked plight
Gaze toward the ground they held before,
And then on Grant. He marks their mood,
And hails it, and will turn the same to good.
Spite all that they have undergone,
Their desperate hearts are set upon
This winter fort, this stubborn fort,
This castle of the last resort,
This Donelson.
1 P.M.
An order given
Requires withdrawal from the front
Of regiments that bore the brunt
Of morning’s fray. Their ranks all riven
Are being replaced by fresh, strong men.
Great vigilance in the foeman’s Den;
He snuffs the stormers. Need it is
That for that fell assault of his,
That rout inflicted, and self-scorn--
Immoderate in noble natures, torn
By sense of being through slackness overborne--
The rebel be given a quick return:
The kindest face looks now half stern.
Balked of their prey in airs that freeze,
Some fierce ones glare like savages.
And yet, and yet, strange moments are--
Well--blood, and tears, and anguished War!
The morning’s battle-ground is seen
In lifted glades, like meadows rare;
The blood-drops on the snow-crust there
Like clover in the white-week show--
Flushed fields of death, that call again--
Call to our men, and not in vain,
For that way must the stormers go.
- title
- VICISSITUDES OF THE WAR.