"Soldier, say, did you meet my Jimmy in the fight?
You'd know him by his manliness, and by his eye's sweet light."
"I fought beside your gallant son - a brave, good fellow he;
Alas! he fell beneath the shot that should have taken me."
"And think you that my Jimmy cared about a little fall?
Why make a great ado of what he would not mind at all?
When Jimmy was a little boy, and played with Bobby Brown,
He always played the enemy, and Bob he shot him down.
"I've seen him fall a hundred times, the cunning little sprite;
He can't forget his boyish tricks though in an earnest fight.
But never mind about the fall; I want to hear of him;
Perhaps you've heard the Captain speak of what he thinks of Jim."
"I've often heard the Captain say Jim was a splendid lad,
The bravest and the handsomest of all the boys he had.
And here's a lock of Jimmy's hair, and here's a golden ring;
I found it tied around his neck upon a silken string."
The mother took the matted tress, she took the ring of gold,
But shook her head, and laughed aloud at what the soldier told.
"Soldier," said she, "where is my boy? Where is my brave boy Jim?
I gave the others all to God, but God he left me him.
"Hush, there is Uncle Abraham a-knocking at the door;
He calls for other mother's sons, 'Three hundred thousand more!'
Be still, Old Uncle Abraham; 'twill do no good to call:
You think my house is full of boys; ah, Jimmy was my all."
The Home Front