The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-05-11
From the Louisville CsWrier.l
The Tribute of Flowers.

dedicated to the ladies everywhere who as
sisted in decorating with flowers the graves of
the Confederate dead.l
All! far away under Southern skies,
Where war-scarr'd mountains loftily rise,
Girdled with evergreens, mantled in mist,
Haunts where our heroes with glory kept tryst;
Where broad branching woodlands mournfully
Der landmarks of battle, there's love hallow'd
grave
Aye, msny enshrinei in the hearts warm ap-
plause-
Ours, as offerings unto the "Lost Cause"
But this precious one near the aspen alone,
In the edge of the wood is mine-aye, mine own !
I've never seen it, but comrades tell
How they buried him there where he bravely
fell;
Shroudless, cofinless, crimsoned and gory,
And carved on the aspen his brief sad story
I've never seen it, save in my dreams
Where, night after night, it bitterly seems
Dreary, neglected, forgotten, alone,
With rank dark weeds and brambles o'ergrown;
Tangling wild vines and Wondering leaves
Rioting over him as they please.
No fond, loving hand, with heart prompted
care,
To train the white rose and bright myrtle there.
But women throughout the sunny South cline
Tested with sorrows and sufferings sublime,
Mourning for dear ones, martyred in vain,
Are woven together in sympathy's chain
Magnetical chain-heart touching heart
Throb answering throb, till all bosoms start,
Ihey felt my heart when it yearned and cried
Ger that unmarked grave on the mount ain side
Ihey Jelt-and 10 on this hallow'd day,
sweet responsive tribute they paw
Again in my dreams, through mist of tears
And sweet sad pleasure that grave appearsl
But now, bright wreaths of early spring fow-
ers,
Symbols, SO pure, of his bright young hours,
And eyergreens, types of the fadeless love-
Cherished for him, they are braided above
Are lovingly scatteredin freshness there
Tributes of honor, affection and care!
God bless the gentle spirits refined,
Who met my yearnings-sweety OWNED
My unworded Wishes and meekly gave
All in their gitt-fowers for his grave!
God bless the fingers, tenderly fair,
That culled and twined every chaplet there
May they pluck iiie's brightest flowers revealed,
Nor feel the piercing of thorns concealed,
Ills little thing, this tribute of flowers
But 1t freshens my heart, like May -day showers.
The MORTALITY IN WAR-In addition to
the figures already given in thee columns rel
alive to the dreadful cost of war in lfe the
report of the Provost Marshal General affords
some further striking and suggestive facts, de-
duced from his startling roll of DEATH one of
which is, that of the grand total of 28O APO
deaths during the war, there died in action
and of wounds 1877 officers of the regular
army and 1904 officers of other white and
colored troops, and of disease, SO of the former
and 2,23S of the latter, making an aggregate
of 1912 officers. Of the enlisted men COM
prised in the above grand total, there died in
action and of wounds, 90, 867, and Of disease,
one hundred and eighty-two thousand and ten.
From this, it appears first, that of killed in
battle and of wounds, there was one officer to
every eighteen enlisted men, showing greater
suffering from the chances of battle of officers,
who with full ranks, constitute about TWEEN
ty-tifth part of the army, than of enlisted
mea. Secondly, that only one officer to every
ninety men has died of disease which fact is
attributable in great part to the superior COM
forts which officers are permitted to enjoy.