A Nameless Grave
A Nameless Grave - context Summary
Aftermath of the Civil War
Longfellow addresses an unmarked Union soldier's grave at Newport News, reflecting on the anonymity and sacrifice of a man killed in Civil War fighting. The speaker confronts feelings of shame and helpless gratitude, recognizing that the soldier gave his life and identity for others while remaining unknown and unreciprocated. The poem links public conflict to private emotion, honoring sacrifice while expressing the poet's personal inability to repay that debt.
Read Complete Analyses'A soldier of the Union mustered out,' Is the inscription on an unknown grave At Newport News, beside the salt-sea wave, Nameless and dateless; sentinel or scout Shot down in skirmish, or disastrous rout Of battle, when the loud artillery drave Its iron wedges through the ranks of brave And doomed battalions, storming the redoubt. Thou unknown hero sleeping by the sea In thy forgotten grave! with secret shame I feel my pulses beat, my forehead burn, When I remember thou hast given for me All that thou hadst, thy life, thy very name, And I can give thee nothing in return.
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