The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1861-10-10

Upon the restless sleep of crime
What history of another time
What dismal vision. darkly seen
BY the stern featured Florentne,
Can give a hint to dimy draw
The likeness of the scene saw?
Saw, vet saw not. In that sea,
That chaos of humanity,
NJ more the eve could catch and keep
A single point than on the deep
The eye may mark a single wave
Where hurrying myriads leap and rave.
Men of all arms and costumes,
Bare headed, decke ed with broken plumes
Soldiers and officers, and those
Who wore but civil-suited clothes
On foot or mOunted-sOme bestrode
Steeds severed from their harnessed load
Wild mObs of white-topped Wagons, cars
OF wounded, red with bleeding scars;
The whole grim panoply of war
Surged ON me with IA deafening roar
All shades of fear, dsiguring man,
Glared through their faces brazen tan.
Not one moment paused or stood
D see WHAT enemy pursued
With shreks of fear and yells of pain,
With every muscle on the strain,
Onward the struggling masses bore.
Oh had the foemen lain before,
They'd trampled him to dust aud gore,
AND swept their lines and batteries
AS autumn sweeps the windy trees
Here one cast forth his wounded friend,
And with his sword or milsket end
Urged on the horses there one trod
Upon the likeness of his God
As if 'twcre dust a coward here
Grew valiant with his very fear,
And struck his weaker 2omradc prone,
And struggled to the front alone.
All had purpose. one sole aim,
That mocked the decency of shame,
To fly, by any means to fly;
1hey cared hot how, they asked not why.
! found a voice. Ny burning blood
Flamed up. Upon mound | stood;
could no more restrain my voice
Than could the prophet of Gods choice.
Back, animated dirt " | cred,
'Back, on your wretched lives, and hide
Yonr sh me beneath your native clay
Or, if the foe alright you, s!ay
Your own base selves and, dying, leave
Your children's fearful cheeks to grieve,
Not quail and blush when you shall come
Alive to their degraded home
Your wives will look askance with scorn
Your boys. and infants yet unborn,
VIII curse you to Gods holy face
Heaven holds no pardon in its grace
For towards. Oh such as ye
The guardians Of our liberty?
Back, if one trace of manhood still
May nerve your arm and brace your Will
lon s'sIn your country in the eyes
OF Europe and her empires
The despCts laugh, the people groan,
Mans cause is lost and overthrow
curse You, by the sacred blood
That irc eley poured its purple flood
Down Bunker's heights, On Monmosth's plain
From Georgia to the rocks Of Maine,
curse you, by the patriot band
Whose bones are crumbling i'll the land,
BY those who saved what these had won
Then | remember little more,
As the tides rising waves, that pour
Over some low and rounded rock,
The coming mass with one great shock,
Flowed over the shelter of my mound,
And raised me helpless from the ground
AS the huge shouldering pillows bear,
Half in the sea and half in air,
swimmer on their foaming crest,
SO the foul throng beneath me pressed,
Swept me along with curse and blow,
And flung me where, ne'er shall know.
When Iawoke, steady rain
Made rivulets across the plain
And 1t was dark-oh very dark
was so stunned as scarce to mark
The ghostly figures of the trees,
Or hear the sobbng of the breeze
That flung the wet leaves to and fro
Upon me lay dismal woe,
bvundless supcrhuman grief
That drew no promise of relief
From any hope. Then arose,
As one who struggles up from blows
BY unseen hands and as | stood
Alone, thouoht that God was good,
To dc. in clouds and driving rain,
Our low world from the angel train
Whose souls flied heroes when the earth
Was worthy Of t.reir noble birth
BY that dull instinct of the mind
Which leads Alright the helpless blind,
| struggled onward, TILL the dawn
Across the eastern clouds had drawn
narrow line of watery gray;
And full before my vision lay
The great dome's Saunt and naked bones
Beneath whose crown the nation thrones
Her queenv person. On | stole,
With hanging head and abject soul,
Across the high embattlcd ridge,
And DER the arches of the bridge.
So freshly pricked my sharp disgrace,
fea red to meetthe human face.
Sknlking, as any woman might
Who'd lost her virtue in the ninbt,
And sees the dreadful glare of day
Prepare to light her homeward way.
Alone, heart-broken, shamed, undone,
staggered irto Washington
Since then long sluggish days have passed,
And on The wings OF every blast
Have come the distant natron's snecrs
To tingle in Our hlushing ears.
In woe and ashes, as was meet,