Bivouac of the Dead

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A plaque quoting the poem at Golden Gate National Cemetery

"Bivouac of the Dead" is a poem written by

Mexican-American War. The poem's popularity increased after the Civil War, and its verses have been featured on many memorials to fallen Confederate soldiers in the Southern United States, as well as memorials in Arlington National Cemetery, including Arlington's gateway.[1]

Background

A plaque in Battleground National Cemetery quoting from the poem

When war against

Charles Scott. "Bivouac of the Dead" would later be called "a worthy contribution to American Literature". It was first published in the Frankfort Yeoman in 1850. However, modern historians have also claimed it was not written until 1851, after Narciso López's failed attempt to remove Cuba from Spanish control.[1][2][3][4]

O'Hara was known to change the lyrics to "Bivouac of the Dead". Alternations included removing mentions of specific places, and removing various stanzas. In 1858 the

Louisville Courier publishing the original with an introduction stating it was the version spoken at the 1847 ceremony, reflecting the changes in the poem. In 1900 The New York Times devoted an article decrying all the alterations to the poem, and stressed returning to the original version.[2][5]

When O'Hara was reinterred at Frankfort Cemetery, a friend used "Bivouac of the Dead" as the eulogy.[2]

Poem usage after O'Hara

The poem quoted at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky

The first monument to the fallen

Pennsville, New Jersey, where a significant number of Confederate Soldiers who died in captivity during the American Civil War
are buried.

It was

national cemeteries, O'Hara was not credited due to having fought for the Confederacy.[2]

Wisconsin Governor Lucius Fairchild, who lost an arm fighting for the Union at the Battle of Gettysburg, quoted the last stanza of the poem when dedicating the Grant County [Wisconsin] Soldier's Monument on July 4, 1867.[7]

During the late 1920s and 1930s, instances of lines from the poem on markers throughout national cemeteries were removed, leaving only fourteen with "Bivouac of the Dead" verses on tablets. In 2001, the

Antietam National Cemetery in Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Winchester National Cemetery
in Winchester, Virginia, have phrases from the poem on markers at various points.

References

  1. ^ a b Bivouac of the Dead – Arlington National Cemetery
  2. ^ a b c d e Bivouac of the Dead - Burial & Memorials Archived May 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Dixon, Susan Bullitt. THEODORE O'HARA.; His "Bivouac of the Dead" -- The Correct Version and the Incorrect Ones. The New York Times August 11, 1900
  4. ^ Kleber, John E. Encyclopedia of Louisville. (University Press of Kentucky). pg.666.
  5. ^ Dixon, August 11, 1900
  6. ^ Civil War in Kentucky
  7. ^ "History of Grant County, Wisconsin". archive.org. 1881. Retrieved 2016-03-30.

External links

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