The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1864-03-15

From the Madison (Wis.) Journal.
The Charge.
ASSEMBLY CHAxBERs, Feb. 2, 1864

The Charge.
ASSEMBLY CHAMBERs, Feb. 9, 1864.
EprroRs STATE JorRNAL The following
poem, written by . young lady at
tending the Female Seminary at Rockford, Ill.
has never been published. You viii mucl
oblige the subscriber. and several members o
the Legislature who admire it, by giving it
place in your columns. w. L. Al
It was inst before the last fierce charge
When two aoldiers drew their reins
For q parting word and a touch Of hands
They might never meet again.
Z One had blue eyes and clustering curls,
Nineteen but a month ago
Down OH his chin, red en- his cheek
He was only boy, you know.
The other was dark. and stern, and proud
If his faith in the world wa. dim.
He only trusted the more in those
Who were all the world to him. a
They had ridden together in many q road,
And ever till now they had met the foe
With calm and hopeful smile.
But now they looked in each others eyes,
With an awful. ghastly gloom;
And the tall, dark man was the first to
speak:
"Charlie, my hour has come"
1--WE shall ride together up the hill,
But you will ride back alone
Promise little trouble to tke
For me when am gone.
"You will find fac. upon my breast
shall wear it into the fight
With soft, blue eyes, and clust ering curls,
And Q smile like morning light.
Like morninfi light was her love to me;
1t gladdened lonely life
And little l cared for the frown of fate
When she promised to be my wife.
Write to her, Charlie, when am gone,
And send back the fair. fond face;
Tell her tenderly how died,
And where is my resting place.
"Tell her my soul shall wait for hers
In the border land between
ue euTln Huu HtdVtIi, untll kue COmSe,-
1t will not be long, Tween"
Tears dimmed the blue eyes Of the boy,
His voice wcA low wi h pain:
Il will do your bidding, conrsde, mine,
If ride back again.
Bnt if you come back, and am dead,
You mnst do as much for me;
A., ,I
o, write to her tenderly.
Zone after another Of those she loved
She has buried, husband and son,
! was the last--when our country called,
She kissed me and sent me on.
"She has prayed at home like a waiting
saint,
With her fond faee white with woe:
Her heart will be broken when 1 am gone,
shall see her soon, know
Just then the order came to "chsrge I"
For an instant hand touched hand,
Eye answered eye. then on they rushed,
That brave devoted band.
Straight they went toward the crest Of Ihe
HlHy
And the rebels with shot and shell
Plowed riffs of death in their toiling ranks,
And jeered them as they fell.
They turned with horrible yell
From the Heights they could not gain.
And the few whom death and doom had
spared
Rode slowly back again.
But among the dead whom they left be
hind
Was the boy with his curly hair.
Aud the stern dark man who marched BY
his side
Lay dead beside him there.
There is no one to write to the blue eyed
girl
The words her lover said,
And the mother who waits for her boy a
home
Will but learn that he 10 dead.
And never can know the last fond tn ought
That sought TO soften her pain.
Until she crosses the river of death,
And sIands by his side again.