On April 9th 1865 General Lee surrendered to General Grant ending the Civil War.  The war was officially ended by declaration on May 9th, 1865 with the last know shots being fired on June 22, 1865.  (slow communications) It's believed that over 800,000 Americans lost their lives with thousands more injured.  I wrote this poem to commemorate the anniversary of the end of that war.
  

The Civil War

One hundred and fifty years ago our nation was torn in two,

Brothers fighting brothers, uncles and fathers too.

Eleven states set out to form a country all their own,

In a fight to salvage slavery, the “Rebels” stood alone.

“We the people” didn’t count for a man whose skin was black,

Brought here quite against his will, with lashes on his back.

Put to work to grow man’s crops and labor in their fields,

A piece of property was all he was, an asset to bring yields.

The battle raged, and good men died, thousands in gray and blue,

President Lincoln stood his ground; to the Union he was true.

For four long years the battle fought, General Grant vs General Lee,

On Gettysburg, and Harper's Ferry, and Shiloh to name three.

The North prevailed, and slavery became, a chapter in our past,

The black men became freemen, with freedom hard and fast.

Once again “We the People” shown proudly on the wall,

Not just a simple line or phrase but liberty and justice for all.

Ken Ferguson