The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-02-14

too; but the result had been decided 1t
Spottsylvania.
The Rebel armies had invaded the North
and been driven ingleriously back. Many
times we had started for Richmond and been
repulssd But at length Ne we're not repulsed
the overwhelming wave poured oyer the en-
bankments. rses
Such thoughts-or rather deep emotions,
of which such thoughts are but the feeble ex-
pression-possess the serious tourist, who
stands upon that field furrowed and ridged
with earthworks and with grayes,-beside
that grove of shattered and shrivelled trees.
A conscious solemnity seems brooding in the
air. If the intrenchments could speak, what
history could they disclose But those
sphynxhk lips of the earth are rigid and
still. Even the winds seem to hush their
whispers about that scene Of desolaton. All
is silence; and the heart of the visitor is
constrained to silence also.
r. Upon hacked and barkiess trunk at the
angle of the woods, in the midst of the
graves, was nailed aloft board bearing these
words:
"On Fame's eternal camping ground
Their silent tents spread,
And glory guards with solemn round
The biyouae of the dead"
A thick underground had sprung up in the
woods. / noticed, STOPPING among the bushes
along by the breastworks, an old woman and
two young girls.
'sDey re chincapinnin' - said Richard.
But observed that they gathered the nuts,
not from the bushes, but from the ground.
Curiosity impelled me to follow them The
woman had haversack slung at her side
one of the girls carried an open pail They
passed along the intrenehments, searching
intently, and occasionally picking something
out Of the dirt. Pressing into the bushes,
accosted them. They scarcely deigned to
look at me, but continued their strange occu.
patton. questioned them about the battle
but their answers were as vague and stupid n
if they then heard of it for the first time.
Meanwhile obtained glance at the open
mouth Of the heavily freighted haverssck and
the half filed pail, and saw not chincapns
but several quarts of old bullets.
| Wandering along by the intrenchments.
observed the half rotted fragments of a book
on the ground. They we're leaves from q
I German pocket Testament, which doubtless
/ some soldier had carried into the fight
picked them up, and glanced my eye over the
miidewed pages. By whom were they last
perused? What poor immigrants heart
lighting here the battles Of his adopted coun
/ try, had drawn consolation from those word:
of life, which lose not their vitality in any
4 language? What was the fate of that sol
/ der? Was he now telling the story of hi.
/ campaigns to his bearded comrades, wife and
/ children; or was that tongue forever sIen
in the dust of the graves that surrounded me
While | pondered, these words caught my
/ eyer
Die du mir gegeben hast, die habe icl
bewahret, und ist kelner Won linen verloren.
=. Those that thou gayest me | have kept
and none Of them is lost.
| looked round upon the graves; / though
Of the patriot hosts that had fallen on thes,
fearful battle fields.-of the households be
reft. of the husbands, fathers, brothers an,
sons, who went down to the Wilderness ant
were never heard of more: and peace an,
solace, sweet as the winds of Paradise, cam
to me in these words, as | repeated them,-
" None of them is lost, none Of them i
! loet