Pittsylvania County, VA - 1861 Poem written by Booker. R. Shorter

Submitted by Mary Beth <mydesire2@juno.com> for use in the USGenWeb Archives

August 10, 1861
	These lines are composed by B. R. Shorter,
which you will keep and bring home with you:

To my dear John, who is not gone to war,
The dearest of all John that I ever saw; 
May God be your guide through perilous ways, 
And prolong your life for millions of days.
If in contact with the enemy you should happen to meet,
Pray the Lord to help you to stand on your feet;
And use your weapons with the most acute skill,
And the wishes of your Father completely fulfill.
Strew the enemy before you as you may have to go,

	With the help of Asa Wyatt and Mr. Livermore;
If they are not enough, call up Billy Core, 
For some say that he is a good hand to bore.
If his fist gives out, let him apply to the racks, 
And call in his brother Lieutenant John Core; 
If that will not do, lead again with beams,
And hand to your friend James Arthur Eanes.
If Mat is standing by, let him call his brother John, 
And prostrate the enemy like they have Old Mahon; 
Then if you should say, "upon my soul," 
We must call upon our friend William B. Cole
Then if you should want to make a double file,
Remember in your Company your have Mr. Lyle; 
When if you should wish to gain a free reason,
Call for Thompson, Allen, Morgan, Young, and Camson;
For Camson is the man many years ago,
who slew the Philistines by thousands, you know,
For God was on his side because he was right, 
and that makes me think he will help you to fight.
If you should lack weapons, make you a maul,
And hand to your friend Crispin N. Hall;
If you should not, then be in good plight
Hand to your friend, Lewis A. Wright.
If you desire to make the enemy slip,
Call for George Galloway and his brother, Tip
Then if you should be so lucky as to regain Kit Bell
I think you can drown them all in the well.
There is Joseph Hankins and his brother, Dan,

	Would be good hands to make lead the van;
There is Vincent Swanson and Bone Allens Dump
Could take a Yankee by the heels and slap him against a stump.
I think your Captain William A. Witcher, 
Is skillful enough to make a good fisher;
If he has the skill to catch and kill men,
I hope he will take them ten thousand times ten.
There is Oliver Smith I will not leave out,
For I think he would be most useful out in the route;
And along with the rest take Henry and Joe,
Then if you still lack, there are a few more.
When this you read my son do remember me,
For now I am trying to be in a glee;
But trouble has already so weighted me down,
That my body is ready almost for the ground
But I pray for you to return to your Nancy,
Which seems to be of all the greatest of your fancy,
And if I knew that would certainly be,
I would try to return to merriment and glee.
But I do trust and pray to my God above
To save the life of him that I do dearly love;
And if you return to your wife and children three,
Which would animate and enliven your mother and me.
So farewell, my dear son, farewell for a while,
I hope the Lord will bless you with a sweet smile;
And lead you home again through perilous ways,
And with your beloved spend millions of days.
With these lines of poetry  I shortly must close;
By saying your acquaintance everyone knows;
That your dear hands have done so much for me,
That it causes my soul to love and pity thee.
Remember now your Father and poor old Mother dear,
Who hath cherished and nourished you for many a year;
But your years that are past seem as minutes to me,
I pray for your future happiness, which I hope you will see.

(Transcribed from a Xeroxed copy sent from Dolly Vick,
 granddaughter of Martha Emma Shorter, who is daughter of Robert Walker 
Shorter and granddaughter of Booker R. Shorter)