American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1867-11-20
Original Qoetrg,
IN MEMORlAM.


To think Of all the Ills 1t wrought,
Uf broken vows, Of bloody fields,
OF mangied limbs, Of cities sacked,
OF dying braves, Of heroes dead,
OF heTthstones lone, Of broke hearts,
OF widows sighs, Of orphans tears,
OF dungeon bars, Of prison pens,
OF hunger, cold and storm,
Ani ma, der, biolt AMI death.
Yes we parted
"A md our hearts with deepest sorrow,
swelied TO oyeriowing;
We felt like giving words of cheer,
But grief had sunk them in our breasts,
Too deep almost for utterauce
Sadness brooded O'er our minds;
We felt rs though the cypress crown,
That decks the brow Of death, had fell
Athwsrt Onr very threshhuld
Though thus rad and sorrow.stricken,
Though we mourniul were, and solemn;
Yet CLEAN et pride came rushing
From Its chamber In our hearts;
And it swelled up like a fountain,
Sparkling DER its silver btim
Ye-.-with pride we viewed our brothers,
da messed for the deadly strife.
Proud Of them' how could we help IL;
\ thousand other hearts beat high,
When brave and noble brothers left them
Left them for the field of Mars.
oh, the glorious field OF Mars
Where Death reigns Lord aud King,
Where glory stands within the grasp,
And passion riot rms,
Where crimson streams from brawny limbs
Purl richly out To soak tne ground,
To aggrandiIe the field.
Glorious wars! the Music Of the roaring storm,
While tossing oceans mountain high,
Whose broad, wet sheets. all fercely slap
Against the rock bound shore,
Sinks into insgufcance,
Compared with thine.
The CannoDs lund Tremendous roar,
The crashing shot tie screaming shell,
The charging squadrous thunieiing tramp,
The fierce inset, the mad recuil
The flying host, thu hot pursuit,
The death shots falling thick nd "a
The olOOdy corpse the manglrd limb,
The Silent prayer, the dying grOau,
The bitter curse, the loud hnrrah,
Cunspire 20 make thy glorious field
Oh, Dec Bellum Mars!
We gloriad In the self denial Of our brothers.
GlOred in their bravery, and
GlOried in their zeal
The zeal that led them forth TO battle
With the powers Of treas.n;
Who with malice stern md fierce
Had taken up the battle brand
Against our righteous government,
Right man iully our brothers bore
The patriotic steel:
With loyal hearts, and steady tramp,
They marched; with them sent
Our hopes ard prayers and tears:
We hOped that when the war was Ger,
That called them from their chldh Ooi's home,
That we'd meet them, not in sorrow
Such as then each look expressed
But 10 giAdness-hesrtfeltg gladuess,
How we counted on the pleasure
That would come In after days;
When beside the dear old hearthstone,
As IN days OF yore we sat,
We should sit, while they recOunted
Many fierce and bloody fray,
Many want and many trial,
And Of battle, fame and glory,
OF that cruel, cruel, war.
Yea, we parted, and the void,
The empty void Of time rolled on,
Days, and weeks, and months deCendedi
Sank into the deep vortex
OF ages past and gone.
At last the dreadful tdngs came,
A battle had been fought
Oar boys at Fair oaks met tho foe:
Brave Casey in advance was sent,
Ills troops were few, and raw recruits
Composed he bulk Of his ill.f,ted band.
Fer days, in deadly duels fought
The picket bands of either side
a hsllsh warfare worse to stand
More trying far to mortal man.
Than all the courage Of hard fought field.
Twas thus they fought. but finally
The storm burst forth In fury;
The god of battle trod tn earth,
The ground beneath his fiery feet
Shook like a passing earthquakes;
The air grew dark and vapOrs rolled
Along the mOuntsin tops,
The cannon sent it's crashing shot
The muskets ratified fe Ce and Wild,
The leaping sabers cleaned on high,
They quivered, flashed and fell
Like lightning from the cloud that rolled
AthwaTt the vault of ether.
The foe, before tho Union host
Went snrging like u broken wave
Upon the sea of death.
AT last there came sullen lull,
A silence broOded DER the field,
"A sickening sense OF dark despair
Seemed floating in the air above;
Twas mOmentary, and the storm
Burst forth anew Tornado like
The shafts Of death were buried.
And this was IIouIenteTy too;
The stubborn fee was beaten back;
With ranks and broken bands,
Whey went fHst flying from the Reid;
The firing ceased, shout rang loud,
The bloody field was won.
All this we heard; yet who were slain
We knew not; dread suspense
All who could tell us who had fallen there;
Where were now our brothers dear
Whsrei had we had worlds at command,
We'd sacrificed them all thaye known.
We're they stretched on CORY beds
Renumbed and chilled in death
Had they stood the battles shock
Add came forth crowned with laurels & reeni
Or had they fsltered turned aud fed,
Like towards from the field
Thus we ponderrd and wondered,
Till along the heated wites
Flushed ferth message; thus il read
A'CAsEY's MEN FLED orr LIKE roLTRooss"
Sfed like poitr0Ons can II he
Oh the anguish that we suffered
On the shame, the deep Disgrace
II 1t wcrr sol We drOoped our heads
and felt as though ourselves
Bore marks Of treason.
Is il soi we often asked;
1t cannot be, we can't believe Il: no
Wed sooner look for stars to fall,
Than 70 believe our brothers faltered
bn-the'f lace Of any foe, f...
Thus we thought and often reason ed;
hndfull soon that imputation,
Nss tke dew drops, brushed away;
iSoOh we heard, that like q whiTlwind
'Canie the rebels Thousands strong
Came like a besom Of destruction,
Sweeping down On Casey's band;
Down on Casey's weak division,
Down upon his raw recruits. H'.
%hese'e.sent by great Mcclellan,
On that awful bloody day; .. ..
.All unsupported unprotected,
To begin that dneful fray.
Twas then we kaew that blunderin & hraggart,
de that eunbeat herU, FAMOUS
FOR his boasti ng, te't that nisssage,
Though he knew not why he sent it,
Sent It forth 20 tell creation,
That ths men of vetran Casey.
had disreputabjy fed. rI
Thus IL is and always will be
6hen commanders lurk behind;
What report TO send, they know not
KNOWING not, they go it blind.
In the swamp and by the morass,
Camped our soldiers night and day:
There inhaling dire malaria,
Scores to fever fell a prey:
There was oae fond brother stricken, -
uho was hale and stout and brave,
Carried almost in his descent,
To the portals Of the grave.
Carried mound by some good fortune,
just as clouds bear round the rain
Enough why, nor he, nor could tell you.
Reached his childhood's home again;
tte was gannt and weak and weary,
But he got our svftest bed
Vim we tended Hike en- infant
Him We like an infant fed 5