The Toll of War
The subtitle of the poem indicates its prevailing theme. It is a requiem; a lamentation for the loss of life on the battlefield. Shiloh was the site of one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War. In choosing this as the setting and title, Melville is making the poem resonate with the scale of lives lost. Stripped of the action or potential heroism of a battle scene, the poem is solely focused on those left to suffer and die. This is particularly pointed given Shiloh's historical reputation as a key victory for the Union. There is no trace of celebration or human nobility in these lines. Melville takes this moment as an opportunity to remind his readers that victories, however politically or morally justified, are built on body counts.
Grace
While on the whole "Shiloh" is a somber poem, Melville offers small moments of grace. From the swallows' gentle flight to the brief reprieve afforded by the rain, the poem deals with what might provide limited comfort to the wounded. In many regards, the poem's central incident is the soldiers' cries filtering in and around the small church. In this moment, the hope of salvation comes across as a redemptive peace. This falling away of difference represents an understanding that the soldiers' suffering is shared and entirely alike. As much as the poem is an elegy, it is also a reminder of an essential humanness that, in battle, these men were forced to negate.
Identity
One of the poem's recurring themes is identity. The soldiers are never named. There are no individuals referenced in the poem and there is no mention of the Union or the Confederacy. What Melville seems to do with these omissions is solidify a composite portrait of the anonymity of suffering. In avoiding the specifics of any single soldier, Melville is offering an image of the battlefield as a site that deconstructs these foundations of concrete identity. The image of these men as one suffering mass, crying out in prayer and pain, is more poignant given this frame. Differences haven't been settled, but the questions of allegiance have faded away.
