Turnbaugh

Turnbaugh means "strongly bold."

Remember when we dressed in gray
And stood in line at break of day
In silence waiting to call our mark
As heat and haze beat back the dark

Our eyes stretched out cross open fields
Our hearts resolved to never yield
We paused to hear the horn and drum
And kissed the memory of those back home

The enemy in hated blue
Stormed the ridge as bullets flew
Our brothers fell as cannons roared
Our bones in tatters, our prayers ignored

We waded deep through war’s black hell
With Yankee curse and Rebel yell
We fought as demons our rights to save
And earned our bodies an early grave

We shed our blood on hallowed ground
And now they tear our likeness down
They cry for shame but get no reply
A Rebel’s Cause will never die



-Zoe Richardson

Author's Note

I wrote this poem and couldn't think of a title. The name "Turnbaugh" came to me in a dream. When I looked up the meaning I knew an angel whispered in my ear. Or perhaps a long lost ancestor...

Reviews

[Bhuyanshi Talukdar]

This poem is a powerful and evocative tribute to the soldiers who fought and died in the Civil War. The use of vivid sensory details, such as the "heat and haze" and the "Yankee curse and Rebel yell," creates a sense of immediacy and intimacy that draws the reader into the speaker's experience.

The lines "We fought as demons our rights to save / And earned our bodies an early grave" are particularly striking, highlighting the sense of sacrifice and dedication that drove many soldiers to fight in the war.

The final lines of the poem, which assert that "A Rebel's Cause will never die," are a poignant reminder of the ongoing legacy of the Civil War and the ways in which its impact can still be felt today.

Overall, this is a beautifully crafted and deeply moving poem that pays tribute to the soldiers who fought and died in the Civil War, while also acknowledging the complex and often controversial nature of their cause.

[Zoe Richardson]

What a thoughtful review! I am homored and pleased you chose to read my work, and give me such praise and encouragement. I almost feel like I'm in a college class and people are studying my poetry!

[Fabian G. Franklin]

People today think the Civil War was about slavery and that point of view has long been propounded by the United States government and institutions of supposed "higher learning". It's sheep dip. The Emancipation Proclamation wasn't even signed until two years into the war by a president scared out of his wits that the south might actually win its independence. Part of the conflict WAS about the expansion of slavery into newly formed states but that wasn't the centerpiece of debate. Some of the southern states actually had written into their state charters the right to secede from the Union and absolve all ties with federal government if they so chose. These were ratified by both the federal government and the states in agreement. The retraction of those legal rights by the federal government without so much as consulting the state legislatures was not only very illegal but highly inflammatory to those states. The war was about money more than anything else. When cotton was king, the south had all the money. The Fed wanted it, needed it, and decided to take it, by force, if necessary. This federal government overreach was drastically opposed by the south, of course. If they had only waited until after the industrial revolution (beginning with Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin) slavery would have died out on its own, the need for it being a moot point. Slaves were expensive and required oversight, housing, feeding and continued upkeep and appeasement. Machinery required much less effort and cost. But mostly, only the very rich in the south had slaves; the plantation owners and cotton barons. And many influential whites in the south were already opposed to slavery on moral and religious grounds. But when the federal government decided to enforce taxation without representation (the same things fought against in the revolutionary war) and threatened to send troops to confiscate land and properties if the tax was not paid, the south closed ranks and seceded. The rich might have been fighting to maintain their slaves. The poor were fighting for their homes and farms and to keep out "Yankee aggression". They believed with the law and right on their side they had to win. It was a mistaken belief. When Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, it was a last ditch effort to pull more of the abolitionists to his side as well as those influential persons opposed to slavery in the south. And it gave all the outward appearance of a moral high-ground. And it did help rally the support and morale of the troops as well as that of the abolitionist movement. What it didn't do was change the fact that laws were being broken by the federal government against the states and promised rights were being trampled in the dirt. My great-grandfather fought in the Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee (Lincoln's first choice to lead his northern army who politely declined and resigned). Nobody in my entire family history EVER own slaves. I've researched it. But, if you won't fight for your legal rights, your homes, your families and land that you've earned by the blood of your calloused hands and the honest sweat of your brow, then I'd venture you don't deserve respect from anyone. I've read probably 20 books on the Civil War including Mary Chestnut's Civil War (by someone who lived through it and had great insights into the political workings of her day) and The American Experience: A Picture History of The Civil War by historian Bruce Catton which formed much of the basis for the Ken Burns PBS documentary, The Civil War (the latter being skewered with a great deal of intended bias for its audiences). But from all the factual and historical accounts I've gleaned a better understanding of how America sweeps her trash under the rug hoping nobody will notice the lump under the carpet in the middle of the room. It's the same with the great American holocaust where millions of non-hostile native Americans were slaughtered and robbed of their lands under the pretentious title of "Eminent Domain". The fact is that if the government wants what you have, they will find a way to take it. And if it's over your dead body, or their lackey's dead bodies they do not care one whit.

[Zoe Richardson]

I tried having that argument with a college professor. He just dismissed my claims as non-important. I've read extensively about the War of Northern Aggression, and discussed it with others. I've also made the claim that, with the rest of the world refusing to buy cotton from slave states, slavery would have died out on its own, even without an industrial revolution. Instead, we had a bloody war, an extensive period of "Reconstruction" in which the South was ground under the heel of its conquerors. I told many people up north, when I was forced to live there, that it wasn't the war that made Southerners hate Yankees. It was Reconstruction. The war was a fight for state's rights to be recongized by the federal government and to protest government overreach. It was a deeply divisive conflict, literally pitting brother against brother. Not over slavery, but over whether to stay or leave the Union. Slavery did not become a hot topic until The Union troops needed fresh recruits and decided to use 'end slavery' as a rallying cry for immigrants, most of whom were being ground under the heel of the British. During reconstruction, however, the South was invaded, occupied, lived without the rights of an American citizen, plunged into abject poverty, and the entire debacle sowed the seeds of racism and Jim Crow. If the only currency you have is your skin color, then you are going to make that the focus of your pride. Had the north, under the puppet President Andrew Johnson, let the South sort out what to do with former slaves, race relations would be vastly different over the past 150 years. Instead, they insisted each former slave be treated as an equal. They let former slaves vote and run for office, something former slave holders and Confederate soliders couldn't do. That's what sowed all the hatred and gave birth to white supremacist groups like the KKK. (Which, by the way, was a huge organization throughout the US, not just the South.) I realize I am veering off course with this, but the narraitve that all our societal ills stem from slavery is such a false narrative and it makes me angry. My relatives never owned slaves. I come from a long line of dirt poor Appalachian hillbillies. I've looked it up. However, I did have three great great grandfathers who fought for the South, and one distant relative who actually fought for the Union. (The traitor!) One of my great-great grandfathers was taking prisoner at the Battle of Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga. He was given a pension from the federal government once the war was over. The other either died, or took the opportunity to sing into yonder can in skeddadle, leaving his family behind. One of my favorite books of all time is Gone With The Wind. Yes, it is fiction and a large part of it is romantic. But Margaret Mitchell grew up hearing all about the war and the aftermath from her ancestors. It is full of the intricacies of slave/owner relationships, the hardships endured by the Southerners, the battles and the deaths, and the reasons for the war. The South was ill prepared for that war, something the character of Rhett Butler points out. In high school (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) I learned that the South had all the military power and genius. Their generals were much better suited for command than the Union's. Unfortunately, they could not keep their armies provisioned. As Rhett pointed out, all they had was slaves, cotton, and arrogance. I disagree that it was arrogance. I think it was anger. How else do you convince dirt poor farmers, fishermen, moonshiners, and outlaws to fight? It sure wasn't so wealthy plantation owners could sit on the porch and drink their mint juleps, watching the cotton grow. The south had a purpose. A Glorious Cause, as it is named. If they had the manpower and resources, the world might be a very different place today.

[Dave Brown]

you honor a cause men were willing to die for
as excellent a poem of remembrance it is I often wonder if man will ever get past whatever conflict for whatever reason
was this written before or after the recent Trump influenced invasion (?)
It seems much the same frame of mind being acted upon

[Zoe Richardson]

This was written in 2019. As a lifelong Southerner with a proud heritage I get a little tired of the denigration, and assumption that everything revolved around slavery. My ancestors never owned slaves. They fought to oppose government overreach and tyranny. I wanted to honor them, and the courage it takes to fight for something you believe in.

[Gee]

I know little of the civil war fought all those years ago but can see from your poem that time does not heal the wounds, sense of injustice( if that the right term to use)
As always a well written piece:)

[Zoe Richardson]

People like to view history through the lens of the present, thinking decision we make now can somehow change it. But history has already happened, and nothing can change it I try to honor the past without living in it. If we don't, we lose the future. Thank you for your kind praise and thoughtful words! They mean so much to me.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

so many died in that war, brothers killing brothers...
very sad...the reasons for it....but it became states against states...
and so many really felt they had a good cause...secession ....they almost had no choice
but to fight...this is a very strong poem...the title feels so perfect.
j.

[Zoe Richardson]

It was a war against government overreach. Something that is conveniently left out of today's history's books. We've always had the attitude of 'Hell no, you aren't telling me what I can and cannot do" down here. And many died for this right. I try to honor that, because that's why my ancestors fought on the side they chose. Thank you for your praise and kindness. It is always good to see you here!

[John the Baptist]

Three of my family members died in that war. Now the presentists are trying to vilify them. I voted against a gubernatorial candidate primarily for this reason.

[Zoe Richardson]

And God Bless you for that. Whether we agree with the past or not, we cannot change it. It is what it is. That doesn't mean these soldiers were not brave, or bold, or standing up for their rights. They deserve honor for that, not villification. Thank you for your contribution to their memory, and for you ancestors' sacrifice!