The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-11-13
s9aahrille @1niOll.
sherIdan's RIde-T. D. Reeds Last
Poem.


This beautiful poem, which was read y
Mr.. MurdO h, at the Opera House, Cincin
natl, on the evening Of the day on which
it was written, has been published with al
introduction by Baytrd Taylor, who says j
deserves 10 rank with young Lochinvar
and Browning's bow they Brought th'
Good News from Client 10 AK" This !
high praise from poet who has himsei
written some Of the most musical Of Englisf
verses, and viii doubtless crafty thos'
who heard it from the lips of Mr.. Murdoch
as well as those who were not thus favored
The following is the poem:
Up from the South ct break Of day,
Bringing TO Winchester fresh dismay,
The afrighted air with a sbudder bore,
Like herald in haste TO the chieftain s door
The terrible grumble and rumble and roar
Telling the battle was on once more,
And Sheridan twenty miles away.
And wider still those pillows of war
Thundered aleng the horizons bar,
And louder yet INTO Winchester rolled
The roar Of that red sea uncontrolled,
Making the blood Of the listener cold
As be thought Of the stake in that fiery fray
And Sheridan twenty miles away.
But there is a road from Winchester town
A good, broad highway leading down;
And there, through the flush Of morning
light,
A steed, as black as the steeds of night,
Was seen TO pass as with eagle flight
As ifhe knew the terrible need
He stretched away with his utmost speed
Hill rose and iell-but his heart was gay,
With Sheridan fifteen miles away.
Still sprung from those swift boofs, thunder
ing South,
The dust, like the smoke from the cannon
mouth,
Or the trail Of a comet sweeping faster and
faster,
Foreboding 10 traitors the doom Of disaster;
The heart Of the s eed, and the heart Of the
master.
Were beating like prisoners assaulting their
walls,
impatient to be where the battlefield calls /;
Every nerve Of the charger was strained to
full play
With Sheridan only ten miles away.
Under his spurning feet, the road
Like an arrowy Alpine river flowed,
And the landscape sped away behind
Like al oestl a.ay bsfJre the nd;
And the steed, like bark fed with furnace
ire,
Swept on, with his wild eyes full Of fire.
But, 10 he is nearing his hearts desire
lie is shutting the smoke Of the roaring fray !,
With Sheridan only FIVE miles away.
The first that the General saw were the
groups
OF strsggler' and then the retreating
What was dOne--what 10 do-a glance told
him both,
Then striking his spurs with terrible oath,
He dashe down the line mid storm o.
huzzas,
And the wave Of retreat checked its course
there because
The sight OF the master compelled it to
pause,
With fosIa and with dust the black charger
was gruy;
by the flash OF his eye, and his red nostril's
play,
He seemed 20 the whole great army to say
Il have brought you Sheridan all the way
From Winchester down 10 save theday !"
Hurrah, hurrah, for Sheridan
Hurrah, hurrah, for horse and man
And when their statues are placed on high,
Underline dome Of the Union sky,
The American soldiers Temple of Fame,
There with the glorious Generals name,
b il said in letters both bold and bright:
" Here is the steeu that saved the day,
BY carry ing Sheridan into the fight,
From Enthusiastically miles away u