Axis & Allies - damowords

Carvello Carnage
The entire army clamourʹd into square,
Formʹd chequer‐style for fire‐fields to combine,
The poignant whispers of an English prayer
As onto the ridge surged the mounted line;
Out rings the scream,
One wild ʺVive LʹEmpereur!ʺ
The Cuirassiers stream... Wellesley shakes off wonder,
ʺPrepare to receive cavalry!ʺ
The front ranks of redcoats kneel,
Whose bayonets in company
Form a bristling hedge of steel,
Muzzles trainʹd on an enemy
Charging empassionʹd zeal;
Lucid blue horde meets the red, ragged host ‐
A stormy ocean & a jagged coast.
ʺShoot at the horses!ʺ came the cry,
Down fell many a steed,
A human sigh dwelt in the eye
Of our most noble breed,
Manʹs heavenly companions dying hell‐bent for his greed.
The Fields of Waterloo
16:00
Rocks of Empire
They stood about the shot‐tatterʹd colours,
Driven to the limits of endurance,
Defending their ground ʹgainst the warriors
Driven by the spirits of ancyent France;
Without a flinch
They took all France could throw,
Nor yield a single inch to the relentless foe.
Each wave of brave sabres withstood
By the savage squares of red,
Melting into the Belgian mud,
Courtyards litterʹd with the dead,
Between each foam‐fleckʹd horseman flood
Descended deadly dread,
For black balls from BOOM‐BOOMING batteries
Cut carnage in swathes throʹ the companies.
With each assault dwindlʹd the foe,
Their dead litterʹd the plain,
The weighty blow did drain & slow
Thoʹ still they came again,
Til the last spectres of this ghastly danse macabre wane.
The Fields of Waterloo
17:30