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Poetry · Chapter
V: General B. F. Butler explained
A brief poetic epitaph for General B.
What happens
A brief poetic epitaph for General B. F. Butler, describing the return of his flesh to earth and soul to God, with a humorous image of an awkward squad firing over his grave.
Themes in this chapter
Mortality and Regret
The epitaph directly addresses death and the disposal of the body and soul.
Political Satire
The awkward squad's misfiring satirizes the incompetence or absurdity surrounding the general's funeral.
Key passages
“Thy flesh to earth, thy soul to God, We gave, O gallant brother; And o'er thy grave the awkward squad Fired into one another!”
We committed your body to the ground and your soul to heaven, brave comrade, but the clumsy firing squad shot each other instead of saluting you properly.
The poem contrasts solemn burial with farcical military incompetence.