New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-07-23

The brave who in battle die
Fight on in shadowy phalanx,
In the field OF the upper sky.
And as we read the sounding rhyme,
The reverent fancy hears the ghostly cheers,
With the ring of the viewess swords
And the clash of the spectral spears
We think with imperiOus questioning,
Ofthe brothers that we have lost
And we strive to track in deaths mystery
The flight of each valiant ghost
The Northern myth comes back TO us,
And we feel through our sorrows flight
That these young souls are striving still,
Somewhere, for truth and light.
1t was not their time for rest and sleep
Their hearts beat high and strong
In their fresh veins the blood of truth
Was singing its hot sweet song
The omen heaven bent over them
Mid flowers their 1.-the feet trOd,
Their lives lay vivid in light and blest
BY the smiles of women and God.
Again they come, again hear.
The tread of that goodly banH;
l know The flash of Ellsworths eve
And the grasp of his hard. warm hand.
And Pullman and Shas of the lion heart,
And eye like Boston girls
And see the light of heaven
Which shone on Uric Dahlgren's curls.
There is no power in the gloom of hell
To quench those spirits fire;
There is no charm i'll the bliss of heaven
To bid them not aspire.
But somewhere in the eternal plan,
That strength, that lite survive,
And like the files on LOOkout's crest
Above deaths clouds th5y strive.
A chosen corps. they are marching on
In wider field than ours;
Those bright battaliOns still fulfill
The scheme of the heavenly powers.
And high brave thoughts float down to us,
The echoes of that far fight,
Like the fash of distant picket's gun
Through shades OF a seVering night.
No fear for them! In our lower field
Let us toll with arms unstained,
That at last we be worthy to stand with them
On the shining heights they've gained.
We shall meet and greet in closing ranks,
In times declining sun,
When the bugles of God shall sound recall
And the battle of life be won.
The society elected the following officers:
President, Brevet Major General Joseph K.
Hawley, of Connecticut; vice presidents,
Brevet Major General Charles X. Graham,
Of New York; Brevet Major General Adel-
bert Ames, of Mississippi; Brevet Brigadier
General o. l.. Mann, of Illinois; Brevet
Major General William E. kesselberg; re-
,ording secretary, Major John HI. Howell;
treasurer, Brevet Brigadier General Charles
A. Carleton. of New York; chaplain, Rev
William II. Taylor; orator for next meeting,
Brevet Major General Thomas 0. Osborne
If Illinois.
The banquet of the Society of the Army
If the James was held at the ST. James
Hotel this evening. About two hundred
members attended. General Charles H.
iraham presided. Among the prominent
gentlemen at the head of the table were
Rev. William H. Taylor, General Charles
)evens, Jr., Q. A Gilmore, Samuel A. Dun
AN, General A. Custer, General A. Sharpe,
Henry E. Davies, Z. w. Hencks and Colonel
John Hay.
Letters of apology for absence were read
rom Generals Mcdowell, Hawley and But
er.
Toasts were responded to by General
sharp for the President, General Wedges
or the regular army, James Shaw for the
olored troops. Major John H. Howell for
he press. and General Devens for the
itizen soldiers. Governor Hoffman was to
eply to the toast, The State of New York"
nut was unable to be present, and sent
etter of apology: as did also Mayor Hall.
During the evening the song, Army of
he James" composed for the occasion by
1Ortimer Thompson, was sung with much
enthusiasm. The festivities, which were of
be most cordial and lively character, were
oncluded at late hour.