[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 10912-10913]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF THE BLUE AND GRAY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. MICHAEL G. FITZPATRICK

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 28, 2013

  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the service 
and sacrifice of the brave heroes who fought at the Battle of 
Gettysburg. As we approach the 150th anniversary of one of the most 
crucial battles of the Civil War I have been highlighting the unique 
personal stories of soldiers from my district of Pennsylvania who 
served at Gettysburg. Each day leading up to the anniversary we 
recognize that these citizen soldiers were regular people, just like 
us, who rose to extraordinary challenges in defense of liberty and 
freedom for all. Today, in the honor of those brave men, I am proud to 
submit this tribute poem written Albert Carey Caswell.

                             Blue And Gray

     Blue . . .
     Blue and Gray . . .
     As a coming storm,
     before our Nation so lay!
     So surely one of her darkest of all nights!
     Darkest of all days!

     Blue . . .
     Blue and Gray!
     When, it was Brother versus Brother . . .
     Taking up arms against one another,
     marching out into that darkness of,
     all of those most dreadful of days!
     From the battle of Bull Run,
     to ``Pickett's Charge'' . . .
     as so gallantly moving forth,
     were but all of America's Sons!
     As we so look back,
     at all of that heartache begun,
     and all of their graves!
     So contemplating,
     all of their bright futures they gave!
     As all of those grieving Mothers,
     so cried and so prayed!
     So cried and so prayed!
     While, all of those tears,
     ran down their most quivering face,
     as upon them now lay!

     Blue . . .
     Blue and Gray,
     as some of America's darkest of nights . . .
     So surely,
     some of her darkest of all days!
     As the blood flowed and poured . . .
     With all of that death and so gore!
     That which time can not so erase,
     nor so ever ignore!
     The ones,
     Who So Gave Those Last Full Measures,
     one's life is but the greatest of treasures!

     Blue . . .
     Blue and Gray!
     As with all of its scars,
     our Nation so lives with this day!
     All in its loss!
     All in it's cost!
     Of such a magnitude so very grave!

     Blue . . .
     Blue and Gray . . .
     As dark evil slavery,
     so held our Nation at bay!
     And States Rights,
     were but the talk of the day!
     As it was North vs South!
     As a Nation's future,
     so hung all in the balance!

     Blue!
     Blue and Gray!
     As this war would so take,
     eventually this great President to his grave!
     And all of the burdens he bore,
     so made him so age!
     Each year was ten as you looked at his face!
     When Succession and Sumner,
     exploded all on that day!
     With a coming great battle up ahead,
     but still on its way!
     Which would so determine this war's fate!
     For ``a house divided can not so stand'',
     in any way!

     Blue!
     Blue and Gray!
     As the children so cried both night and day!
     As now without Fathers,
     their futures were paved!
     And then three days in July,
     all in the midst of such hell,
     as they so battled two sides!
     As for victory they were all so trying to vie!
     As they all so moved forth,
     with but tears in their eyes . . .
     Knowing full well,
     that all in this hell,
     that death before them now lie!
     And yet still,
     with all of their iron wills they so heroically,
     marched into the darkness!
     as the fields turned to red . . .
     All on this day,
     and to the South what it all had to say . . .
     With bodies strewn into pieces,
     which now all so beseech us!
     As everywhere the smell of death as so greets us!
     Of which now so lies beneath us!
     And all about their faith and courage,
     of what it so teaches!
     As The South had so lost the future,
     and now eventually the war,
     as victory they would never so see again so for sure!
     In three days over 51,000 most magnificent men died,
     and over 27,000 were wounded . . .
     as our Nation so wept and so cried!
     As they gave up their strong arms and once legs,
     and all of those most precious of all eyes,
     and their bright futures they gave!
     In places like Little and Big Round Top,
     as they fell and would not so stop,
     in Gulp's Hill where the blood flowed and poured,
     where they all so gave all the more!

[[Page 10913]]

     From Oak's to McPherson's Ridge,
     and from Seminary to Cemetery all of their gifts,
     and heard all of their last final cries . . .
     to Devil's Den where face down they so lie!
     As one and all so gave up their most precious lives!
     As the Mothers cried!
     As the first innocent died,
     as her name was Ginnie Wade!
     As why,
     we should all so hate most evil war on this day!
     But, the ones who so hate war but the most!
     Are all of those magnificent's,
     who must take all of those lives while fighting close!
     And so watch all of their Brothers die in their arms,
     who meant the most!
     And leave all their loved ones so far behind,
     all in such tears now all as ghosts!
     But where would we all be,
     if it were but not for the likes of all of these?
     From this The Home of The Brave,
     and this The Land of The Free . . .
     And then into a future,
     such a most magnificent moment so came to be!
     As now all so etched in time,
     is but a sheer work of art and beauty!
     Serving as a blessing to all of Mankind and history!
     As the beginning of a healing that a Nation would need!
     With a President's Gettysburg Address . . .
     Which so brought tears to history's eyes all in its behest!
     ``To bind up our Nation's wounds'',
     as Abraham so spoke these words which would bless! ``That 
           this nation, by the
     people, for the people,
     shall not perish from the earth'' as was this test!
     So simple!
     So sure!
     So perfect and pure!
     272 words, that which said . . . so . . . so . . . so much 
           more!
     Then, all the volumes of books in a library so ever stored!
     As each word was so built upon the next!
     Like a pyramid,
     all in its strength as out into a future as etched!
     As was Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, no less!
     A Gift To The Ages that he so left!

     Blue . . .
     Blue and Gray!
     Some of our Nation's darkest of nights,
     darkest of days!
     And let us not forget,
     all of their light that which they so was left!
     ``That these dead shall not have died in vain'' . . .
     By remembering,
     all their life's embers,
     as we so walk through these hallowed fields . . .
     All in what they so faced!
     And what was so said,
     all in this most hallowed place where they bled!
     All in their most precious blood,
     which so turned all of those fields into red,
     from their heroic bodies which raced!
     All in what was so heard and so done!
     By all of these most selfless of all ones!
     All so help a war to be won!
     In this town called Gettysburg,
     please listen to what was so said all in history heard!
     Close your eyes and now listen!
     As you can hear the cannons exploding,
     as by you head the bullets are hissing!
     As you can feel and hear their last most valiant cries,
     as your listening!
     And feel all of their loved ones tears,
     who will forever be missing!

     Blue . . .
     Blue and Gray!
     As why we have all so enshrined this most hallowed place!
     Where valor and courage were but the words of the day!
     So take the time,
     to homage to so pay,
     to so concert crate what they all gave!
     So that as a Nation we may long well remember,
     all of those most heroic moments in July and November . . .
     and what it all so says about America Face!
     As we now so reflect back in awe,
     and so reflect back in splendor at all of their grace!
     At Their Last Full Measures they were so to render,
     all in this place!
     And take stock in all of their courage and faith!
     All of their strong hearts of steel,
     as to our Nation what was all so revealed!
     So that never may again such heartache we feel,
     and so let such a dark day begin!
     Of Brother versus Brother,
     as so ever happen again!
     As we have so set aside this most sacred land,
     to preserve and protect and never neglect,
     but to so ever honor The Valor of Man!
     And remember that ``a house divided can not stand!''

     Blue . . .
     Blue and Gray . . .
     as somehow . . .
     from out of all of this darkness we all found our way!

     Blue . . .
     Blue and Gray!

                          ____________________