Page:Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.djvu/73

Rh The shock of ships, the jar of walls,

The rush through thick and thin—

The flaring fire-rafts, glare and gloom—

Eddies, and shells that spin—

The boom-chain burst, the hulks dislodged,

The jam of gun-boats driven,

Or fired, or sunk—made up a war

Like Michael's waged with leven.

The manned Varuna stemmed and quelled

The odds which hard beset;

The oaken flag-ship, half ablaze,

Passed on and thundered yet;

While foundering, gloomed in grimy flame,

The Ram Manassas—hark the yell!—

Plunged, and was gone; in joy or fright,

The River gave a startled swell.

They fought through lurid dark till dawn;

The war-smoke rolled away

With clouds of night, and showed the fleet

In scarred yet firm array,

Above the forts, above the drift

Of wrecks which strife had made;