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                A LAMENTATION ON THE

              AMERICAN WAR.

                    Awful Battle at Vicksburg.

You feeling hearted Irishmen, and maidens now draw near,
Its when that you peruse those lines, you cant but shed a tear,
When you think on our misery 'twill cause your hearts full sere,
When I relate the hardships all on Columbia's shore.

Its since this cruel war began most grievions for to say,
Alas employment has declined and commerce did decay,
Has caused our Irish boys to list for the battle field array,
To fight our own relations here, all in America.

The South prepared for action upon the battle ground,
Our cavalry and Infanty with cannons planted round,
The star and stripes does proudly float unwantin the contest,
Old Erin's flag on both sides hoised by Irish hearts arrest.

Like thunder bolts, the balls do fly from the artillery,
the fire aud smoke ascend the sky most dismal for to see,
The brother fight the brother and the father fight the son,
And after all no sign at all of this sad war being done.

Thro' fields of blood we have waded, where, cannon balls do roar,
And many a brave commander lay bleeding in their gore,
And heaps of Irish heroes brave on the plains there lay,
That was both killed and wouuded there all in America.

It would melt your hearts with pity for to see the soldiers wifes,
Looking for their dead husbands with sad and dismal cries,
The children crying mama shure we may rue the day,
We lost our own poor dadas all in America.

After each and every battle, see the memory of the dead,
Some wanting legs and arms, and more without their heads,
In pits some thousands here does lie far from taeir native clay,
To take a long and silent sleep until the Judgment day.

Many a mother anxiously to the Post Office ran,
In hopes a welcome letter should return from her son,
Alas but little do they know they fell in crimson gore,
Their bones lie mouldering with the dust all on Columbia's shore

America once happy land, but now a scene of woe,
President Lincoln and his slave bill has proved an overthrow,
For thousands of our Irish boys without employment strong,
The widows and their orphans dear, all in America.

Good Christians, all ! now bear in min and mark the words I say,
When you are at devotion let it be night or day,
Then for those Irish soldiers brave you earnestly will pray
For those poor souls in battle fell all in America.