The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-11-19

Auc khvoAs VI mn hoANoAtN MIL WHO
Flyl fly for tho morn bringeth fresh
dismay
From sheridan ninety miles away.
A thousand horsemen with weapons
bright
In the frore and frosted morning light,
Ride over the snowy-sbeeted ground,
With shuddering, smeldering, sullen
sound;
They have seen the tents in The nights
cold noon
And backward rode meath the veiled
moon,
Prepared to pounce, like bird ofprey,
On the fated village a mile away.
The Indian siro saw tho countless
throng,
Like the trees OF The forest, many and
strong:
lilo stood like hunted hind at bay,
Then sent this message without delay:
"Ne are many and we are few;
Ne can drink our blood as the sun the
dew,
For we have our women and children
small,
A hundred and thirteen souls in all
Ny handful Of warriors are strong and
brave;
They will fight my helpless people to
save;
There Is no fonr in the chieftain's eye !;
lie cannot fight, for he will not lie
lie came with this pledge only yester-
day
From the father ninety miles away
No answer camo. In another breath
They swept to their wretched work of
death,
With maddening shout and a doafen.
ing yell
Like the dire and dreadful fcnds of
hell;
And babes from their mothers breasts
were torn
And sircs were scalped in the light OF
morn;
The ground was crimson with their
blood,
And the river reddening with its food;
Mangled forms lay bleeding.and bare,
With ghDstly, ghastly, sickening
glare.
And one rode foremost among them
ALL
Urging them on with shout and call
On foaming charger that seemed Ia
say;
Ihave brought you Custar all the way
At the head of thousand armed mon
With orders, traced with bloody pen
These trembling mothers and babes tc
stay,
From Sheridan ninety miles away
V.
Alas alas! for the deeds that were done
That day at the rising of the sun
The tongue shall falter, pen shall fail
And lips grow white when they tell the
tale
How hiend and foe on the field did lie
All mangled and mingled, to faint and
die
The victors, painting their famc tc
spread,
Gave no heed to the dying, no thought
to the dead.
Great Col was there none their handl
to stay,
With Sheridan ninety miles away2
vi,
Their cruel and thirsty carnage DER,
backward the warriors ride once more
They pilfered the lightning from tn
skies,
Flooded the country with flaming lies
In these words, blazoned all over tn
land
I'VE have met hostile Indian band
Five hundred counting women and all
An hundred warriors armed did TALL
The frontiers safe, for we gained tn
day,
With Sheridan ninety miles away"
VII.
There was Joy in the camp Of Sherida
When his branded minions appeare
With their Usage allies, drunken wit
And the liquid hell-fre's maddenin
food,
Came leaping and shouting around tn
fire
With the CORY scalp of the Indian sir,
Like demons they danced till the daw
of day,
And Sheridan there, not word TO sa,
VIII.
The maiden moon took time TO unfol
Her silvery bow to disc Of gold
When Sheridan rode meath her shir
ing shield,
Seeking his dead on the bloody field
Their souls, like vapor, before his eye
Arose with shiyering sad surprise,
10 show where their forms were shrou'
cd in blood,
The prey Of the wolves and the WI
lures food;
Fifteen days did brave Elliott lay,
And Sheridan ninety miles away.
TX.
All honor to those who, with sword {
pen,
Rise up to defend the rights of men !;
Who succor the weak and battle th
strong,
Sustaining the right, denouncing IL
Who would ay the Indians life to sa,
From the lawless murderers conque
ing glave.