John C. McLemore
The toil of the march is over–
The pack will be borne no more–
For we’ve come for the help of Richmond,
From the Rappahannock’s shore.
The foe is closing round us–
We can hear his ravening cry;
So, ho! for fair old Richmond!
Like soldiers we’ll do or die.
We have left the land that bore us,
Full many a league away,
And our mothers and sisters miss us,
As with tearful eyes they pray;
But _this_ will repress their weeping,
And still the rising sigh–
For all, for fair old Richmond,
Have come to do or die.
We have come to join our brothers
From the proud Dominion’s vales,
And to meet the dark-cheeked soldier,
Tanned by the Tropic gales;
To greet them all full gladly,
With hand and beaming eye,
And to swear, for fair old Richmond,
We all will do or die.
The fair Carolina sisters
Stand ready, lance in hand,
To fight as they did in an older war,
For the sake of their fatherland.
The glories of Sumter and Bethel
Have raised their fame full high,
But they’ll fade, if for fair old Richmond
They swear not to do or die.
Zollicoffer looks down on his people,
And trusts to their hearts and arms,
To avenge the blood he has shed,
In the midst of the battle’s alarms.
Alabamians, remember the past,
Be the “South at Manassas,” their cry;
As onward for fair old Richmond,
They marched to do or die.
Brave Bartow, from home on high,
Calls the Empire State to the front,
To bear once more as she has borne
With glory the battle’s brunt.
Mississippians who know no surrender,
Bear the flag of the Chief on high;
For he, too, for fair old Richmond,
Has sworn to do or die.
Fair land of my birth–sweet Florida–
Your arm is weak, but your soul
Must tell of a purer, holier strength,
When the drums for the battle roll.
Look within, for your hope in the combat,
Nor think of your few with a sigh–
If you win not for fair old Richmond,
At least you can bravely die.
Onward all! Oh! band of brothers!
The beat of the long roll’s heard!
And the hearts of the columns advancing,
By the sound of its music is stirred.
Onward all! and never return,
Till our foes from the Borders fly–
To be crowned by the fair of old Richmond,
As those who could do or die.
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem is built around movement and resolve. From the first lines, the march is over and the army has arrived. There is no pause to rest in any real sense. The soldiers have reached Richmond not to relax but to defend it. The repetition of “for fair old Richmond” gives the poem a fixed center. Everything—distance traveled, homes left behind, alliances formed—leads to that city. Richmond is more than a location here. It stands in for the Confederacy itself, for pride, survival, and identity.
The phrase “do or die” drives the poem forward. It appears again and again, shaping the rhythm and the mindset. There is no middle ground offered. The soldiers are not described as hoping to win or preparing for a difficult fight. They are framed as already committed to an absolute choice. This creates intensity, but it also flattens complexity. The poem leaves no space for doubt, fear, or hesitation.
One of the main features of the poem is its effort to gather different states into one unified body. The speakers have come from the Rappahannock, from Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida. Each stanza calls out a region or a fallen leader, almost like a roll call. Zollicoffer and Bartow are invoked as watching from above, reinforcing the idea that the living must live up to the dead. By naming states and figures, the poem builds a sense of collective effort. It is not just one army but a coalition bound by shared purpose.
The references to earlier battles—Sumter, Bethel, Manassas—work as reminders of past victories. They are used as motivation, as proof that courage has already been shown and can be shown again. There is an underlying anxiety in this repetition. If Richmond must be defended so urgently, then something serious is at stake. The poem counters that anxiety by invoking memory and honor, suggesting that the present crisis can be met because others have been overcome before.
The tone throughout is urgent and rallying. The language leans on exclamation and direct address. “Onward all!” “Band of brothers!” “Remember the past!” These commands keep the energy high. The soldiers are imagined as stirred by drums, driven by music, and united by oath. Even the women are described as ready with lance in hand, linking this conflict to “an older war.” That connection to the past reinforces the idea that this struggle is part of a longer story.
There is little attention paid to the cost of battle. Mothers and sisters are mentioned, but only briefly, and their grief is framed as something that will be eased by the soldiers’ bravery. Death is not treated as tragedy but as honorable outcome if victory fails. The final image of being crowned by the “fair of old Richmond” suggests reward and admiration awaiting those who survive. Even in the case of death, the emphasis remains on courage rather than loss.
As a war poem, this piece functions as a call to arms. It is meant to strengthen morale and unify different groups under one purpose. Its repetition of place names and leaders works to bind separate identities into a shared cause. It does not question whether the cause is just or whether the cost is too high. Instead, it insists that resolve itself is the measure of worth. The poem’s power comes from its rhythm, its direct appeals, and its constant return to the idea that some places and ideals demand everything.