Two hundred and fifty and two--all that were left of us then--
Two hundred and fifty and two fearless, unfaltering men
Dashed at a run for the enemy, sprang to the charge with a yell.
On us their batteries thundered solid shot, grape shot and shell;
Never a man of us faltered, but many a comrade fell.
"_Forward, the First Minnesota!_"--like tigers we sprang at our foes;
Grim gaps of death in our ranks, but ever the brave ranks close:
Down went our sergeant and colors--defiant our colors arose!
"_Fire_!" At the flash of our rifles--grim gaps in the ranks of our foes!
"_Forward, the First Minnesota!_" our brave Colonel cried as he fell
Gashed and shattered and mangled--"_Forward_!" he cried as he fell.
Over him mangled and bleeding frenzied we sprang to the fight,
Over him mangled and bleeding we sprang to the jaws of hell.
Flashed in our faces their rifles, roared on the left and the right,
Swarming around us by thousands we fought them with desperate might.
Five times our banner went down--five times our banner arose,
Tattered and torn but defiant, and flapped in the face of our foes.
Hold them? We held them at bay, as a bear holds the hounds on his track,
Knee to knee, shoulder to shoulder, we met them and staggered them back.
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