For that heroic band—those children of the furnace who, in regions like Texas and Tennessee, maintained their fidelity through terrible trials—we of the North felt for them, and profoundly we honor them.

only a small percent attain the top ranks

Wild wind that beareth the spin-drift afar, / Wild chant that telleth the doom of Asgar, / Shriek ye, and wail ye, while shudd’ring doth sweep / Serpent, his sea-horse, adown the great deep, / Battling and mad like an eagle gone blind, / Seeking the war-fleets, long sunken, to find , / Down to the arms of Queen Ran of the sea, / Down to the sea-floor, where mer-wolves go free.

The totalism of his commitment led, in turn, to his practice of taking charge of even the smallest matters and of ruling autocratically, since he believed God was holding him completely accountable for every act of his government.