Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1865-10-20

the time had at length come when right~
eous Providence designed to give us the
utter overthrow of our enemies and the
triumph of the glorious principles he so
much loved. When his men tagged or
grumbled his trustful undaunted spirit
lifted them up to higher level of in
creased effort and cheerful expectation.
l shall not dwell upon the details-of
the fearful disaster of the I'd of May
Though the battle of Charlottesville
still remains riddle to the public, this
is not the occasion for me to ehdeav0r to
throw light upon the subject. Ambitious
Generals may quarrel with each other,
but they cannot quarrel with History
when she comes to settle conelusiEely the
question of their resp onsibilities. Ignor-
ing these matters 1 shall only say that
while the mellow light of that calm May
evening gilded our bright bayonets, we
lay quietly by our stacked guns dreaming
only of success. My friend and walked
about the meadow together, unconscious
that the green sward our footballs pressed
would in a few brief moments be Grim
soned with his life blood. Yet SO it hap
pened. With the suddenness of a thun-
upon our ears, Stonewall jackson was
upon US with thirty thousand men. The
stealthy foe had crept to our rear The
sulphurous battle-smoke, like hot fumes
from hell s mouth, soon filled the atmos-
phere, and deadly missiles shrieked and
whizzed where few moments before the \
evening swallow twittered unmolested.-
And there, more terrible and heartrend
ing than all, thousands of our demOral-
lied soldiers came rushing to the rear In
complete rout, with the savage legions of
secession close upon their heels. | trust
/ may be INDUCED in the pride of saying
that every soldier of the SD sprang
promptly to his musket and stood calmly
in his place awaiting orders.
as there a dismayed!
a Not tho the soldier knew
Some one had blundered;
Theirs not TO make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but TO do or die"
Soon our ranks were formed with brist-
ling bayonets ready for the charge. / saw
my friend for the last time as our divis-
ion was broken up in the evolutions and
the companies separated right and lett to
go to their appointed places. On came
the foe, and the regiment was withdrawn
to get a better position O, the hurry,
the terror, the confusion, the slaughter
of those awful moments But 1t was no
time to think of aught but duty. Cross
ing a slight ravine our little handful of
braves moved to their appointed position
and opened fire. But before We reached
that spot some of our number had fallen,
and among them he of whom am writ
ing. His hurrying comrades had to leave
him where he lay, and his lifeless remains
were soon afterward within the possess
sion of the rebels There at this moment
they still repose, though the noble soul
has gone from the bitter cross of the bat
tie field to wear the crown of here-mar-
tyr. No monument decks his mold. It
is a simple soldiers grave, with naught
to mark it but rude board, on which
rough hands of loving comrades years
afterward traced his name. For though
they were forbidden by the minions Of
rebellion to return to his resting place
directly after the battle, yet, in the slow
course of events, the time came, thank
God, when they could 60, and did go, not
only unmolested, but in triumph and ex-
ultatien, to that scene of disaster, and
there look up the remains of fallen
brothers-in arms. Yes, the victory came
at last, and the veteran 82d had the graf
ifcation to revisit. on its home march, the
graves of its Ch hancellorsVille dead.
with banners stained and torn,
That through many heht " re borne,
Where death rained thick and fast
eII Now our glorious work was done,
Now the Union was won,
9tf We were marching home at last"
Z All. how we wished that the noble spir-
its that persisted there might have Joined
us in that march. But such was not the
will of Him who hath decreed that great
truths and principles shall triumph only
by the slow and painful but unyielding
law of sacrifice.
A. T. SECHAND.