To The Sons And Daughters
Of The Veterans
by Elizabeth Rees Legaré
O’er thirty years have passed away
Since our Confederate war.
O time of sorrow, wretched day,
That Lee’s surrender saw!
And well the men, and women too,
Who lived and suffered then,
Remember how the brave and true
Fought to the bitter end.
They honor and revere the names
Of those who bled and died,
And for each one who still remains
Their portals open wide.
But time will soon have gathered all
Who figured in that scene.
On whom, then, will the duty fall
To keep their memory green?
‘Tis yours, 0 sons, and daughters, too,
To lift the ensigns high.
To those brave souls who, though but few,
‘Gainst odds so great did try.
And though the end they did not gain,
Their manhood was not lost.
The principle is still the same,
And worth all that it cost.
Then see to it you don’t forget
That which you’ve heard them tell.
Of glorious deeds, you owe that debt
To those who bravely fell.
Nor let the flippant tongue of youth
Speak slightingly of such.
Because they failed, as if, forsooth,
That did their glory smirch.
As long as gallant men still live
Their country’s best to do.
To patriots pure they still will give
All praise, and reverence too.
And think ye what a heritage
Of honor, if not fame,
Is yours to write on history’s page
And with affection frame.
