- description
- # The Fortitude of the North under the Disaster of the Second Manassas.
## Overview
This is a segment of poetry titled "The Fortitude of the North under the Disaster of the Second Manassas." It is extracted from a text file and included in the poetry collection [Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.](arke:01KG8AJ6FNQ0XKWBY52P8DRPC9) The segment consists of 16 lines of verse.
## Context
This segment is part of a larger collection of works by Herman Melville, contained within the [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. The text was extracted from the file [battle_pieces_and_aspects_of_the_war.txt](arke:01KG89J1G8S4TRWXNCBRKCRKS8). It appears in sequence between [Inscription for Graves at Pea Ridge, Arkansas.](arke:01KG8AJQNXX1YGG18EHTBJSGFF) and [On the Men of Maine killed in the Victory of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.](arke:01KG8AJQP8PH6KSDZM3507TSWE)
## Contents
The poem reflects on the resilience of the North despite suffering defeat at the Second Battle of Manassas (also known as the Second Battle of Bull Run) during the American Civil War. The poem uses the metaphor of the "Cape-of-Storms" to illustrate the North's unwavering fortitude in the face of adversity. It speaks of fighting for what is right, even in retreat, and persevering until the task is complete. The poem emphasizes the strength and gleam of the "black cliffs" even amidst the storm.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:24.514Z
- description_model
- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- The Fortitude of the North under the Disaster of the Second Manassas.
- end_line
- 3452
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:47:35.910Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 3437
- text
- The Fortitude of the North
under the Disaster of the Second Manassas.
They take no shame for dark defeat
While prizing yet each victory won,
Who fight for the Right through all retreat,
Nor pause until their work is done.
The Cape-of-Storms is proof to every throe;
Vainly against that foreland beat
Wild winds aloft and wilder waves below:
The black cliffs gleam through rents in sleet
When the livid Antarctic storm-clouds glow.
- title
- The Fortitude of the North under the Disaster of the Second Manassas.