Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-01-10

| DuG the speaker WOuIQ rather nave MIN CHS
| under the soil of Kentucky, i'll a soldiers gray
than living III a down-trOdden land. The lin
cannoG be read without emotion by any capab
of appreciating the sensation so POLITICALLY e
pressed
IN MEMORIAM-D. j. R.
Thou art sleeping, brother. sleeping
In !he lonely battle grave;
Shadows DER the path are creeping
Death, the Reaper, still is reapinS-
Years are swept and years are sweeping
Many memory from my keeping,
But I'm waiting still and weeping
For my Beautiful and brave.
When the battle songs were chanted,
And wars stirring tocsin pealed
By whose songs their heart was haunted
And thy spirit, proved. undaunted,
Clamoured wildly wildly painted
{" Mother let my wish be granted
1 will never be Knocked and taunted
That | feared to meet our vaunted
Foemcn on the 5loody field"
% They are thronging, Mother, thronging
To a thousand fields of fame
Let me gO-'tis wrong and wronglng
God and thee to crush this longing
On the muster roll of glory,
In my country's future story,
On the field Of battle CORY,
must cOnsecrate my name"
Mother grid my sword around me;
Kiss thy soldier boy good bye"
To thy brthlands cause she bound thee,
With fond prayers and blessings crowned thee,
And she sobbed-" when foes surround thee,
If you fall, know they found thee,
Where the bravest love to die
at the altar Of their nation,
StOoG that mother and her son
He-tho victim of oblatiOn,
Painting for his immOation
She-in prestess' holy station
Weeping words of cOnsecratIon
While God smiled his appreciation,
Blessed the boys self-abnegatiOn
Cheered the mothers desolation,
When the sacrifice was done.
Forth like many noble other,
Wont he whispering soft and low,
" GOod-bye-pray for me- my mother;
Sister, kiss me-fareWell brother =
And he strOve his grief to smother;
Forth, with spirit proud and peerless
Forth, with footsteps firm and fearless
And his parting gaze was fearless,
Though his heart was lone and cheerless,
Thus from all he loved to go.
LO! yon flag Of freedom flashing
In the sunny Southern sky!
Ou-to death and glory dashing-
On-whero swords arc c!anging-clashing-
On-where balls are crushing-crashinG-
On-'mid periIs dread, appalling
On-they're g-falling-falhng-
On-they're growing fewer fewer
On-their hearts beat all the truer-
On-on-on-nO fear-nO falter-
On-thOUgh round the battle-altar
There were wounded victims grOanlng-
There were dying victims moaning
On-liHht On-death-danger Drawing
Warning where their flag was waving,
And bdDtiSmGl blood was laving,
With a tide of crimson water,
All that field of death and slaughter
On-still On-that bloody IdUer
Made them brave and made them Drawer,
On-On with never q halt or waver-
IN, 4I.yr' hoff fliYlCr
While the glorious shouts sounding
"We will win the day or die"
And they won -routed-riven,
Reeled the foemen's proud array,
They had struggled long and striven,
Blood in torrents they had given,
But ther ranks, dispersed and driven,
Fled disgracefuly away.
Many heart was lonely lying
There that would not throb again
Some were dead, and some were dying:
Some were silent, some were signing
Thus to die-lOne-unattended
Unbowept and unbefriended-
On that bloody battle plain.
When the twilight, sadly, slowly
Wrapped its mantle DER them all!
Der these thousands lying lOWly-
flushed in silence deep and holy
| There was OnG-his blood was flowing,
| And his last of life was going
| And his pulse fdlnt-fainter beating
| Told his hours were few and fleeting
And his brow grew white and winter,
And his eyes shone bright and brighter
| There he lay-ike infant dreaming,
| With his sword beside him cleaning
! For the hand in life that grasped it,
| True to death-still fondly clasped it,
| There his comrades found him lying,
| Mid the heaps Of dead and dying
! And the stCrnest there bent weeping,
| Der that lonely sleeper sleeping,
| Twas the midnight-stars shone round him
| In shrOud Of glory bound him
! And they told u how they found him
Where the 3ravest love to fall.
| Where the woods like banners bending,
Dropped III glory and III gloom
| There, when Ghat sad night was ending,
| And the faint, far dawn was blending
| With the stars now fast descending
| There-they mute and mOurnful bore him
| With the stars and shadows DER him
| There-they laid him down, SO tender,
And the next days sun and splendor
Flashed upon my brothers tomb.