Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-01-21

he told hlm to go and defend the cause of his
eople. He died under the Confederate flag but
nc speaker would rather have him there under
le soil of Kentucky, in soldiers grave, than
wing In down-trodden land. The lines cannot
e read without emotion by any capable of ap-
reciating the sentiments so POLITICALLY expressed {:
IN MEMoRIAM-D. j. R.
Thou art sleeping, brother, sleeping
In thy lonely battle grave;
Shadows o'er the path are creeping
Death, the Reaper, still is reaping-
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 spirits proved, undaunted,
Clamored wldly-wildly painted
Mother let my wish be granted
will ne er be mocked and taunted
That l feared to meet our vaunted
Foemen on the bloody field"
'They are thronging, Mother, thronging
To a thousand fields of fame;
Let me go-'tis wrong and wronging
God and thee to crush this longing;
On the muster-roll of glory,
On the field of battle CORY,
l must consecrate my name"
Mother, grid my sword around me;
Kiss thy soldier-boy good bye"
In her arms she widely wound thee,
To thy birthland's cause she bound thee,
With fond prayers and blessings crowned
And she sobbed-"When foes surround thee,
If you fall L II know they foundgthee,
Where the bravest love to die"
At the altar of their nation, =.
Stood that mother and her son;
He-the victim of Oblation,
Painting for his. immoation
She-in priestess' holy station
Weeping words of consecraton
While God smiled his appreciation,
Blessed the boys self-abnegation,
Cheered the mothers desolation,
When the sacrifice was done.
Forth like many noble other
Went 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 cherries,
Thus from all he loved to go.
Lo! yon flag Of freedom flashing
In the sunny Southern sky
Onto death and glory dashing-
Op-where swords are changing -clashing-
On-where balls are notwithstanding
On-'mid perils, dread. appalling
On-they,re falling-falling-falling-
On-they re growing fewer-fewer-
On-their hearts beat all the truer-
On-on-on-po fear-no fater-
On-though round the battle-atar
There were wounded victims groaning-
There were dying victims moaning
On-right n-death-danger Drawing
Warning where their flag was waving,
And baptismaJ blood was laving,
With tide of crimson water
All that field of death and slaughter
On-still on-that bloody lare1
Made them brave and made them braver
On-with never halt or waver-
On-they re battling bleeding-bounding,
While the glorious shout is sounding,
I'VE will win the day or die"
And they won it-routed-riven,
Reeled The foemen's proud array
They had struggled long and striven,
Blood in torrents they had given,
But their ranks, dispersed and driven,
Fled disgracefully 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-
Unbewept and unbefriended-
On that bloody battle pain.
When the twilight, sadly, slowly
Der those thousands lying lowly-
Hushed in silence deep and holy
There was one-his blood was flowing,
And his last of life was going
And his pulse faint-fainter beating
Told his hours were few and feeting;
And his brow grew white and whittier,
And his eyes shone bright and brighter
There he lay-like 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 .sternest there bent weeping,
Yer that lonely sleeper sleeping.
Twas the midnight shone round him
In a shroud of glory bound him;
Where the bravest love to fall.
Where the woods like banners bending,
Dropped in glory and in gloom
There, when that 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 O er him
There-they laid him down so tender,
And the next days sun and splendor
Flashed upon my brothers tomb