The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1864-08-18
Night Visions of the War.

cdhhOC Siccp- Iy hIunlSnC II
without moon without stars. The
hour is sullen and still. Why should a
man sleep when all nature is quiet i'll the
darkness? There is world within man
not always in harmony with the world
without. What availeth a quiet pillow to
an unquiet spirit? Mad thoughts of war
rush through my brain. War between
my corntrymcn between bone of my
bone, and flesh ofmy flesh An ocean of
blood mountains of dead Ny country
men my friends. Two hund.cd thous-
and widows, Five hundred thousand or
phans. o God, [ shall 90 mad I am
torn with alternate fits of rage and shame
All day I read of nothing but levics of
troops; equipments of troops; the drafted;
the conscripted. See nothing but soldiers
marching and counter marching in the
detestcd and damnablc cvolutions of muir
derOus war. Hateful sight. 1t burns IN
to my cycballs; it torturcs my heart by
day; freezes my blood. carry the cursed
vision to my pillow; night is made hidcous.
My brain is on fire. In agony | begin to
pray. Ny prayers fall in broken ejacula-
tions-in curses. | call upon God to
curse abolitionists, the authors Of the ruin.
| remember the commandment of the di-
vine One, who said Glove your enemies. -
| begin to pray for them but my heart
smites me in the face. If [ loved them,
| should hate myself If | did not hate
them, | should not love my country.
said this land was the abode of peace
| the abolitionist has made it one of war
| We were humane and enlightened reo-
plc-wc lived in fellowship around the
affairs of orr fathers-he has driven Us
apart, and thrown those affairs down i'll
blood NJ nations feared and respected
us All nations despisc us. Our name
rose upon the people of the earth like the
sun after a night of storn-hc has made
it morn of blood Our States stood forth
as distinct and harmonious as the planets
of heaven in their orbits-hc has set them
flying apart like meteors Of fire.
Alas! l remember the glowing words
of the good old Able Raynal, who SAT
there in France contemplating the elori-
Gus termination of our Revolutionary
struggle, blessing q cd to see Us become
free nation. Let me refresh mine eye,
by reading the praise which so great a &C.
MUS bestowed upon my newborn country
"!Teroic country, my advanced age per
mits me not to visit thee Never shall
sec myself among the respectable person
ages of thy Areopagus; never shall | be
present at the deliberations Of thy Con
gress. | shall die without having seen
the retreat of toleration, of manners, oi
laws. of virtue, and of freedom Ny ashe,
will not be covered by free and holy
earth; but | shall have desired it; and my
last breath shall bear to Heaven an cjacu
lation for thy prosperity"
Alas, good Able, rest quiet in thy
grave Never more open thine eyes t.
look upon this wrctched country! ., seek
not to ''be present at the deliberations OF
our Congress Draw closer the mantl,
of the grave over thine eyes, that thou
maycst not be humiliatcd By our Owl
shame. o look not upon this doomed
land Thirty millions ofwhitc men los'
their liberty in bloody strife for negroes
Would that | had been in the gray
with thee, before mine eyes had seen tn
dcsolation of my country. ., God, II
Thy wrath smitc the foes of the whit,
man Smitc the enemies Of my country
Put fire in the hearts of Thy people; pu
steel into their hands Teach them tina
they are not the sons of towards, nor tn
descendants of slaves. o, give wrath t
their strength. Let their thoughts b.
like flame, ana their words Ike canno
balls. Let black anarchy perish lie
the usurpcrs and the despots die !. lie
e my country liye.-[Old Guard