Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1845-12-04
THE BATTLE FIELD.
BY TIMOTHY FLINT.

Alter many gorgeous scenes, in which princes
have conferred honors and swords upon command
ers, who to 90 forth and fight manfully for their
country and king; after beauty and innocence,
strange infatuation have smiled upon the future
murderers, and with their white hands have waived
them on to their bloody purpose the terrible pa
Intellectually all glitter, pomp, and clrcum
stance, aud within all hunger, disease, corruption,
and misery-marchcs, with its squadrons and divis
ions, its cavalry and artillery, banners displayed,
pennons streaming and marshal music resounding
and as the squadrons move on in their regular and
SERTED ranks, the admring multitude from city, viii
!age and field, gaze with qulckened pulses and
thfobbing bosoms, and say, as the host moves by,
'Ihis is glorious iUar
The grand army plundering alike friend and en-
envy on its passage has finally passed the broad
stream or mountain range or firth of the that
separate their country from that of their foe. Long
columns Of smoke stream up from their line of
march, indicating that villages were burned and
fields trampled in the dust; the unofIending peas
ants, who knew nothing about the causes of the in
vasion. contribute their last blanket and loaf; it
may be are harnessed to the artillery to drag for
ward the cannon to fire upon their kindred and
countrymen. Their wives and daughters are vio-
lated under their eye; and the fathers and mothers
and helpless infants, are left to die of desttuton
and despair; or they are forced away prisoners of
These are the exploits which have been con.
secrated with fasting and prayer
IL
many leagues in extent has been desolated with fire
and blood Before thom are green fields and pop
ulOus villages, and country bright and beautiful,
with all the cheerfulness of cultivation and life
Behind, are desolation and silence Their foe has
been preparing to meet them and now hundreds
of thousands of soldiers, waiting appointed sig
nal to murder each other are separated only by d
narrow interval, which the desolaton of war has
not yet touched. We are told that it often happens
in such cases that the sentnels OF the opposing
mics the night before battle meet, interchange sal
utations and mutual kind offices, but few hours
before they are called out to cut each others
throats In what strong relief do such facts pre-
sent the guilt of those merciless rulers, who thus
convert men formed to love and help each other in
to deadly enemies!
The signal is given to 90 forth to the terrible
work. Forthwith the explosion ofartillery, in long
repeated and terrible bursts, is neutrality-suspicious.
of cavalry thunder over the plan.-Stee cangs
with steel in the desperate conflict of life for life,
in the midst of the smoke, darkness and the intern
al din of all that is astounding in the last fierce eff
forts of human nature wrought up to the infatuated
recklessness of revenge and despair, the combat
ants feel strange uhconcern and Indifference to
life {; madness like that which arrack and opium
give to the desperate Malay which they feel in no
other position; an Indifference which renders them
careless to consequences and causes them, with an
unbanching eye, to note the streaming carnage,
and hear without feeling, the wild wall of death
groans around IN wild confusion, in which the cang
of saores is heard, the fierce shouts and cries
Of agony. The veteran mercenary, trained to cool
ness even in this horrid scene, watches with eye
and hand and braced muscle, the moment to thrust
home his steel to his opponents bosom happy, if
while intent on that issue, an unmatched foe seize
| not the unguarded moment, and vital space, and
! give him the death blow he medtatng for an
! other.
Some of the fallen wreches are uttering loud
] mi tbo fria al
or foe to finish their agony. Over the bodies Of
the wounded trample the cavalry at the height Of
! their speed. The grinding wheels of the artillery
plough over half expiring victims deep in the mas
ses of the dead into the fosse, to make bridge Of
bodies. On this point of fierce conflict park o.
artillery is finally brought to bear, and the victors
and vanquished, and the untouched warriors in the
thickest Of the fight, are promscuousy swept away
in columns. The loud hurdh of the conquerine
assailants, pursuing their foe, is replaced by the
low and expiring means of the dying. Such is
battle. Forty thousand young and vigorous mel
lie dead, dying, in the field. Thousands of war
Il horses are scattered IN confusion among them.
Greedy and heartless plunderers, the vampires o
battle, are gathering up the wrecks, stripping thu
dead, and giving the last fatal thrust to the wound
ed while, intermXed among them, are friends, rel
atives, children, parents, wives, searching and We
fearing to find among the fallen, those dear to then
as life Such is the central point OH the picture
and burning towns, and a smoking and desolat
country, in all the visible distance, fill the bac
ground Extravagant, and abhorrent and out G
nature as this spectacle may seem, it has been pre-
scented, with the reality of horrors hundred fol-
more revotlng in every period of history, and il
the falrest portions OF every civilized country.
The battle, however, is past battle fierce con
tested from the rising to the setting sun of sum
mer's day. What heart would not slcken at tn
horrid spectacle! What ruler, whose nature wa
not waxing fiendish; not pause before he ye
\ ded any contribution of influence to produce
scene thus abhorrent and accused in the sight
. God and man! My heart bleeds at the sight fu
e all these fallen were brethren; with nerves as sus
Y cepuble, hopes and fears as intense, as my own
: and they had equal claims to continue to cares
+ their children, behold the bright sun, and exult
G feeling life and admrlng Gods beautiful creation
@ | look around where yesterday there were so man
s thousands Of men, with hearts beating warm S
= many villages, groves iarn-houses peasants bird
= singing IN the branches, and the hope of harry e.
@ waving IN the breeze. 1t now presents shoulder
ing ruins, soil polluted with blood and covere
| with corses; picture all loathsomeness and ho
n ror The scent of carnage has already aured III
birds of prey, and they sailing above this Sc
= of human madness and depravity, presenting {
k least one OF Cousins Wanted "compensationSn {
@ the honOrs of war a gale which has brought IN
vultures gratultous feast.
@ Were TO follow the letters and messengers
e forty thousand dwellings, announcing to mother
fathers brothers, sisters, widows orphans, the name
S Of the slain were | to attempt TO delineate tn
: general result OF sweeping disease in all the mme
> date vicinity of the battle and of individual DO,
erty, helpessness and despair, blasting the berea,
: ed cottages, flor most Of the fallen were dweei
: in humble cabins,) the picture of misery would b
IS too vast and ndisllnct to produce clear perceI
s ton OF the result Life blood poured out as waite
n may have swollen to river, without presenting tn
h eye and the heart with just conceptions of the
), mount of misery which has been caused in consC
quence.
II Fathers .adUice. Col. George Mason, of Vii
h GINA, made the following remarks in his will III
Il AlNce CnnLainel In IheIn a ual,a Lla