- description
- # On the Photograph of a Corps Commander.
## Overview
This is a segment of poetry titled "On the Photograph of a Corps Commander," extracted from the text file [battle_pieces_and_aspects_of_the_war.txt](arke:01KG89J1G8S4TRWXNCBRKCRKS8). It is a part of the larger poetry collection [Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.](arke:01KG8AJ6FNQ0XKWBY52P8DRPC9). The segment consists of five stanzas, lines 2165-2197 of the source text.
## Context
The poem is included in [Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.](arke:01KG8AJ6FNQ0XKWBY52P8DRPC9), which is contained within the [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. It appears in sequence between [The Armies of the Wilderness.](arke:01KG8AJMQ30RYSMM8AKEVJ5Q7W) and [The Swamp Angel.](arke:01KG8AJMQ3CGQ4EMPE4MRS0VRW).
## Contents
The poem reflects on a photograph of a Union Corps Commander, praising his "warrior-carriage," "brave dilation of the frame," and the "soul that led / In Spottsylvaniaa’s charge to victory." It connects the commander's lineage to "men of Agincourt" and "Heroes who shared great Harry’s mind," invoking "knightly Norman fires." The poem concludes by stating that "Nothing can lift the heart of man / Like manhood in a fellow-man," contrasting this with the humbling thought of "heaven’s great King afar."
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:28.135Z
- description_model
- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- On the Photograph of a Corps Commander.
- end_line
- 2197
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:47:35.910Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 2165
- text
- On the Photograph of a Corps Commander.
Ay, man is manly. Here you see
The warrior-carriage of the head,
And brave dilation of the frame;
And lighting all, the soul that led
In Spottsylvaniaa’s charge to victory,
Which justifies his fame.
A cheering picture. It is good
To look upon a Chief like this,
In whom the spirit moulds the form.
Here favoring Nature, oft remiss,
With eagle mien expressive has endued
A man to kindle strains that warm.
Trace back his lineage, and his sires,
Yeoman or noble, you shall find
Enrolled with men of Agincourt,
Heroes who shared great Harry’s mind.
Down to us come the knightly Norman fires,
And front the Templars bore.
Nothing can lift the heart of man
Like manhood in a fellow-man.
The thought of heaven’s great King afar
But humbles us--too weak to scan;
But manly greatness men can span,
And feel the bonds that draw.
- title
- On the Photograph of a Corps Commander.