Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-11-27


gave the lie to mirth, and she turned her face
to fall fainting in her mothers arms. Tho
form OF this young lieutenant looks terribly
like an early play of yours--an only son
and his mother widow. Together you
chased squirrels to their nests, and shoo's
walnuts and beachnuts down into the apron
of the browneyed girl he called Ellen then.
and was to call wife when his regiment re-
turned. Poor fellow tho mother that bore
him would scarce know him now, as he lies
at the trunk OF the spreading sycamore tree
where he crawied to dic-his blue eyes
closed forever, and his fair hair clottcd around
the gaping seaW in cheek and skull which
the sharpe edged, sabre Of the fierce trooper
left. You turn away and hope his mother
may not visit the gallery. That's Ellen
died when the news OF the victory came. -
They thought she slept when they stole softly
into her room to break the news Of the Lieu
tenants death TO her, and found ncwspa.
persdamp from the press lying on the floor
she on the bed with her eyes closed. But il
was a sleep from which all the bells aud can.
non that cracked their brazcn throats to
celebrate the victory did not awaken her, nor
could they had they clamored on to this
day. -s sa
1t seems somewhat singular that the same
sun that looked down ON the faces Of the
slain, blistcring them, blotting out from the
bodies all scmblance to humanity, and has.
tening corruption, should have caught their
features upon canvas and given them perpc-
tuity forever. But so It is -.
These roor subjects could not give the sun
settings, and they are taken as they.feIl, their
poor hands clatching the grass around them
in spasms Of pain, or reaching out for help
which none gave Unicn soldier and Con.
federate, side by side, here they lie, :he red
light Of battle faded from their eyes, but
lips set as when they met in the last fierce
charge which loosed their souls and sent thee,
battling and graphing with each other to the
very gates of Heaven. 1t is curious TO think
how but yesterday, as it were, these men
who now rcposc in utter indifference to all
external surroundings were busy with all the
little cares Of camp and life. There was
complaint Of too few blankets, perhaps, and
now they are stretched on tho ground with
nothing between them and the night but the
clothes in which they fell. There was bitter
complaint Of marches and rations, the ones
were too long and the others too short there
was struggling for better places in the ranks,
the notice OF the captain or even a crImb OF
favor from the corporal. These little matters
concern them no longer, for they are busy
with the mightier problems which only tho
dead can solve. The secrets which Rhamscs
Knows are already made plain to their grow.
ing vision, and the dead private is wiser than
the living General. Oh, thou grey headed
man of the pulpit, and thou, philosopher of
the night fresh from the studies Of the lamp,
look not disdainlully on the pale, cold fore.
head that lies before you, for the brain that
once beat behind its prison walls, clamornS
tn loap beyond bot beatUn bach bind and
baflied at every turn from the mysteries il
sought to explore, now knows positively Of
those secrets beyond the world and the plan
cts at which you can only guess.
One OF these sun pictures, | remember
struck me and haunted mo for days, and
rises before the now like one Of tho ghosts
which come to one from out the crypts Of
memory at night. Groups Of slain,. poor
pale faces gazing upward bat seeing no sky,
twisted muskets, and broken cannon wheels
strew the foreground, and in the perspective
groaniDg ambuances may be seen bearing
away the wounded. The ground is torn by
shot and shell, the grass is trampled down
by the tread of hot, hurrying feet, and little
rivulets that can scarcely bo of water, 90
trickiing along the earth like tears over a
mothers face. 1t is bleak barren plain
whereon they lie, and above It bends a sui.
len, ashcn sky--thcre is no friendly shade
from the MONDAY sun nor shelter from the
midnight dews; coldly and unpityngly the
stars will look down on them, and darkness
will come with night to shut them Il. But
there is poetry in the scene which no green
fields nor smiling landscape can possess
Here lie men who have not hositatcd to seal
their convictions with their blood men who
have flung themselves into the great gulf Of
the Unknown to teach the world that there
are truths dcarer than life, wrongs and
shames encolnpasscd by the ringed horizon
more to bc dreaded than death. Out to the
field they went, needing not the threatening
shadow Of a terrible death which looked out
from the cloud where those ut home saw only
glory sfs. ass
The shrekng Of shot Tho Minnie balls singing,
Were sweet to their ears rs bridal bells ringing
And IT there be on earth one spot where the
grass will grow grecner than on another
when the next summer comes, where the
leaves Of Autumn will drop more lightly
when they fall like bcncdicton on n prom
ise fulfilled and work completed it is these
soldiers graves.
But there is one side of the picture that
the sun, faithful as it is in fixing al visible
objects, did not catch Where is the back
ground Of widows and orphans, torn from
the bosom Of their natural protectors by the
red :etnorsciess, right hand Of Battle, and
thrown upon the fathcrhood Of God Go
through New England homes, out over the
western praircs, through the sayannas OF
Georgia or the rice fields OF the more distant
South, and everywhere you shall find women
and children wearing black aud wildly call.
ing for those who can never reply. For the
whole land is one universal Rama, and the
figure Of Rachel but family fills ,ip the pic
turc to which all of death and dcsolation that
the grave could furnish were bn. the accom-.
paniinants Of truth. Homes cpough to make
the Desert Of Sahara blossom have been
made desola.e and the light Of life In nearly
a million of true hearts quenched forever
All Of this desolation and dcarth Imagination
must paint--bIoken hearts cannot be photo
graphed. Parhassius could not paint Dr.
ing groan, Tor can the sun put upon can
vas widows wall, or the orphans cry FOR
bread.
These pictures have terrible distinctncss
and minutencss. AS have before remarked.
with the aid Of q inagnifying glass, the very
features OF the slain may be distinguished
One picture represents buryirg pnrty at It's
sad work-a shallow grave they DIG. 1
would scarcely choose to be in the gallery
when one Of the women bending over this
scene should recognize husband, brother,
q son, or q lover in one Of tho still, lifelcss
lines Of bodies that lie ready for the gaping
f,.s, 4 go. n