The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-05-01
-Brom the Atlantic Monthly for May
RP.pnliSfpd

Oh, did yOu sec h.m in the street. dressed up in
aruy-bue.
When drums ami ,rumpets into town their storm
A louder time thsn ail the winds could muster in
the air.
The rebel winds, that tired so hari our a1g in strips
70 tear2
You did ut mind him. Oh, YOU looked beyond
him. thea, perhaps
To see the mounted officers rgged out with trooper
And shiny .l7the~, and -ashes red, and epaulets
and al -
It wasn't lor such things as these he heard his
country call.
She asked for men and up he spoke, my han6-
"rH die for tie dear oii Union, if she'll take me as
/ am
And if a better man than he there's mother thst
From Maine to Minnesots, then let tho nation
know.
YOuw would not pick him from the res' by eagles or
By straps upon his coat sleeve. or gold or silver
Nor coTporars strip Of worsted, but there's
something in his tlce,
And something IN his even step, marching in his
place,
That couldn't be improved by all the badges in the
land,
A patriot and a good, strong man; are generals
much more grand?
We rest our pride On that big heart, wrapped UP in
The grl he loves, Mehitabel, anil who love him.
too.
lie never shirl,ed battle yet, though frghtful
Since treason flooded Baltimore, the spring Of
'sjvty-oue
Through blood and storm he'd held ont firm, not
Az svainTS of ChieIlsbolninv. or fields Of Anfie-
tam:
Though many time he's told Us, when he saw
The boys thit came from Newburyport, snd Lynn,
and Marblchead,
Stretched ont upon the tT8mpled turf and wept on
by the sky,
Il seemed 70 him the Commonwealth had drained
her likelihood dry.
..But then" ne said. "the more's the need the
country has ioI me:
To live and fight the war all through, what glory it
The rebel ielis don't hit me, and, mother, if they
youl ilio% I've allen in my place, where Ihaye
always stood"
He's taken ont his flrough, and short enough it
seemed.
] often tell NehitabeI he'll think he only dreamed
Of walking with her nights so bright you couldn't
And hearing the swia tidecorne in aaross the har-
lor-bar.
The stars that shine above the stripes, they light
HIM Southwark now;
The tide Of war has swept him back he's made a
solemn vow
To build himself no home-uest TIL ms countrys
work IS done
God bless the vow, and speed the work, my patriot,
my son.
And yet it is pretty place, where bis new house
An orchard road that leads your eye straight out
The BOY not work his fathers f,rn it seems almost
But any selfish plan for him he'd never let me
name.
He's ra-enhsted for the war, for victory or for
death;
soldiers grave, pcrhap-,-the thought las half
way stopped my breathi
And driven a cloud across the sm;-my boy, It
VIII not be.
The war VIII soon be over home again you'll come
to me.
He's re-enIistadi andI smiled to see him going,
too;
There's nothing that becomes him half so wen as
army-bue.
Only private in the ranks; but sure am, indeed,
# all the privates were Ike him, they'd scarcely
Captains ueedi
And and Massachusetts share the honor Of his
hrth,-
The grand Old State! to me the best in all the peo-
pied earth
/ cannot hold a musket, but I have son who
can;
And I am proud for Freedoms sake to be the
mother Of q man!