Killed at the Ford by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A young man is shot dead while riding with the narrator through a mountain gap to visit the picket guard at a ford. His companions carry him back to camp, where lamplight reveals his pale cheeks and bloody chest. The narrator then envisions the fatal bullet reaching a woman’s heart in a distant northern town, where neighbors wonder at her death.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Elegiac Poetry, War Poetry · 434 words
First lines
He is dead, the beautiful youth, / The heart of honor, the tongue of truth, / He, the life and light of us all, / Whose voice was blithe as a bugle-call, / Whom all eyes followed with one consent, / The cheer of whose laugh, and whose pleasant word, / Hushed all murmurs of discontent.
Only last night, as we rode along, / Down the dark of the mountain gap, / To visit the picket-guard at the ford, / Little dreaming of any mishap, / He was humming the words of some old song: / "Two red roses he had on his cap, / And another he bore at the point of his sword."
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — The verse recounts a nighttime ride, a sudden shooting, the return to camp, and the narrator’s ensuing vision.
- Elegiac Poetry — The narrator mourns the dead youth, recalling his honesty, cheerful voice, and ability to quiet his companions’ discontent.
- War Poetry — A ride to a picket guard ends in fatal gunfire, and the companions bring the casualty back to their camp.
Tags
picket guard · fatal shooting · mourning · military camp · visions
What this Textopian page supports
Killed at the Ford is listed on Textopian as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Narrative Poetry, Elegiac Poetry, War Poetry
- Length: 434 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
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