‘Fame's Eternal Camping Ground’

On this Memorial Day, as on others, every American will turn to his own thoughts and prayers, and recall his own favorite speeches, music, and poetry. Memorial Day has no one dominant “text.” But for those who aren’t familiar with it, I recommend Theodore O’Hara’s poem, “Bivouac of the Dead,” written in 1847 in memory of Kentucky troops killed in the Mexican War. Various lines are inscribed at different places in Arlington Cemetery, including at the McClellan Gate. It’s not, I suppose, great poetry, but I’ve always found it moving.

Bivouac of the Dead