- description
- # A Grave near Petersburg, Virginia.
## Overview
"A Grave near Petersburg, Virginia." is a poetic segment extracted from the larger work [Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.](arke:01KG8AJ6FNQ0XKWBY52P8DRPC9). This segment, spanning lines 3167-3191, is a short poem reflecting on a grave in Petersburg, Virginia, likely in the context of the American Civil War.
## Context
This poem is part of [Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.](arke:01KG8AJ6FNQ0XKWBY52P8DRPC9), a collection of poetry by Herman Melville, which is itself part of the broader [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. The text was extracted from the digital file [battle_pieces_and_aspects_of_the_war.txt](arke:01KG89J1G8S4TRWXNCBRKCRKS8). It follows the segment titled [“The Coming Storm:”](arke:01KG8AJPZHT7ZM74BQ6V3R6MXF) and precedes the segment titled [“Formerly a Slave.”](arke:01KG8AJPZHAFKJ54TG03XAHAJ4) within the collection.
## Contents
The poem describes a grave marked with a head-board and foot-board, identifying the "slumberer" as Daniel Drouth. The verses express a wish for his grave to remain green, despite Drouth being described as a "rebel of iron mould" whose "fire of hell" caused many "true hearts" to lie cold. The poem concludes with a plea for the grave to remain undisturbed, referring to "The—*Buried Gun*," suggesting a hidden or symbolic weapon associated with the deceased. The setting of Petersburg, Virginia, points to the poem's connection to the American Civil War, a common theme in Melville's *Battle-Pieces*.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:21.924Z
- description_model
- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- A Grave near Petersburg, Virginia.
- end_line
- 3191
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:47:35.910Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 3167
- text
- A Grave near Petersburg, Virginia.[19]
Head-board and foot-board duly placed--
Grassed in the mound between;
Daniel Drouth is the slumberer’s name--
Long may his grave be green!
Quick was his way--a flash and a blow,
Full of his fire was he--
A fire of hell--’tis burnt out now--
Green may his grave long be!
May his grave be green, though he
Was a rebel of iron mould;
Many a true heart--true to the Cause,
Through the blaze of his wrath lies cold.
May his grave be green--still green
While happy years shall run;
May none come nigh to disinter
The--_Buried Gun_.
- title
- A Grave near Petersburg, Virginia.