Civil War Poem
(Source: Alcorn County Family History Volume I, page 97)
Mr. E.B. Rorie was from Rienzi. He was a member of the 32nd Mississippi Infantry and composed the following poem on the day the Battle of Chickamauga was fought and he was killed during the fight.
I’m sad, my dear, my heart is sad,
Dark clouds obscure my days;
Deep melancholy fills my soul,
‘Cause thou art far away.

My moments hang with heavy weight,
Each hour appears a day,
And days seem dreary winter months,
‘Cause thou art far away.

I’m sad; why should I not be sad?
There is naught to make me gay;
I cannot wear a cheerful face
Whilst thou art far away.

Fly swift ye moments, fly and bring
Around that joyful day,
When I shall be with again those
Dear loved ones far away.

But O, my dear, remember this-
Our days are not our own-
Then let’s prepare to meet above
Where parting ne’er is known.

‘Tis now a score of months, my dear,
Since last I saw your face,
And with an aching heart received,
Perhaps, thy last embrace.

They lips were sealed; ‘Twas not from words
I learned thy deep distress;
A trickling tear related more
Than volumes could express.
Those little pledges dear to me,
Received my last fond kiss;
With paid I turned my back on all
That makes my earthly bliss.

Since then I’ve passed through dangers,
Through heat and cold and rain,
And often prayed that I might live
To see you all again.

On Chickamauga’s bloody field,
Beneath a beating rain,
My thoughts were turned to thee and those
I long to see again.

That Sabbath morn, that Holy day,
While deadly missiles fell,
I prayed to God to bring me back
To those I love so well.

I prayed that should my life be lost
On that terrific day,
That God would bless my wife and babes
Through all remaining life.

Where e’er I go, where e’er I be,
My prayer shall ever be
That God may bless those absent ones
So very dear to me.

And now, loved one, again adieu,
It fills my heart with pain,
To think that I may never live
To see you all again.

But should we never meet again,
Shed not a tear for me,
But with a cheerful heart prepare
For blessed eternity.