In this poem, the speaker of the poem is a soldier who has just joined the Union. The soldier at first did not know which road to take, to join the Confederates or the Union. Upon deciding to join the Union, he realized that with his choice of entering, there may be altercations with people that do not have the same views as he does. After choosing the North, the soldier saw that being a soldier was going to be hard. For example, he needed to find food and water to survive. This is shown in the poem when “though we try to steal what we can to get what might be our last meal” is stated in the poem. After hard work and commitment, the soldier knows he has chosen the right side for him. This is expressed when “I chose the Union and I am proud
