Manassas

by Dave Gregg

At Bull Run hundreds assemble
On nearby hillsides to watch
The Blue send the Grey running
Back to their slave-fed fields
In seconds sixty soldiers are slain
Within an hour the battlefield
Littered with maimed and dying
Picnic lunches are abandoned
Flags wave in a stillborn cheer
Union forces abruptly retreat as
Frightened spectators join in panic
Joyous rebels revel in the rout
Snack on their opponents’ surplus
Strip shoes from the Union dead
It’s evident gentlemen meet no longer