Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1873-05-31
LEE TO TIEE REAR.



Dawn of n pleasant morning IN May,
Broke through the Wilderness cool and gray
while peruhrd In tile nlest irees. the hi' ds
Wcrc carolrg "Mondolssohn' y Songs without
Words"
Far from the harnis of men remote
The hrnok hrnwlch On with liquid note;
Ard Nature, al tranquil nna lovely, wore
The smile Of Spiins, Ms In Eden, Of yorc.
Litilc ly little, os daylight Increased,
Aud dpepencd the roseate flush In the East
Little by little did morning reveal
Two long, glittering lines Of steel,
Whore two hundred Thousand hRyonc's elc,m
Tipped with the light OF the earliest bcnm,
Aud the fices are sullen and grim 20 'ee,
Ia the hostile atniies OF Grant and Loe.
All of a sudden, Gre rose the sun.
p,algd ON The silence the opening pnn;
ii'llc white pm OF smoke there came,
Anon The valley was wreaihod in flame.
rowl on tho LEI, OF the Rebel lines,
Whore brcastwoIk sinnla IN eopse Of plnos
Before the Rebels their ranks can FORM
The Yankees have carried the place by storm.
Stars and Stripes DER tho salient wave,
Where mnny.a nero has found a grave,
And the gallant tonirderates strive In vain
to regain.
Yet louder the thunder of battle roared,
Yet II deadler fire on the columns poured;
Slaughter Internal rode With despair,
Furies twain through the smoky air.
Not far off, in a saddle, there sat
A gray bearded man, in black souch Int;
Not much moved by the fire was he
Calm nnd rcsolutc Robert Lee.
Quick ind watch ful, he kept his eye
On two bold Rebel brigadrs close by
Reserves, that wore standing land DYING at
ease,
Where the tempest of wrath topplcd over the
trocs.
Tor still, with their loud. deep bulldog bay,
The Yankee batteries blazed away,
And with every murderons second that sped
A dozen brave fellows, alasl fell dead.
The grand old graybeard rode to the space
Whore death and his victims stood lace - fiice,
And silently waved his old slOnch hat
A.world OF meaning there was in that.
"Follow mo! steady Wen save the iayl"
This was what uE SEEMED 10 soy;
And to the light OF his glorious eye
ihe bold brigade thus made reply;
"woll 20 forward, but you must go baok''
And thoy moved not al inch on the per ious
track;
go back To the rear, and we'll send them TO
hill"
Then the sound of the battle was lost In their
yell.
Turning his bride, Robert Lee
Rode to the rear. Like the waves Of the sea,
Bursting the dykes In their overflow,
Madly his veterans rushed on the foe.
And backward in terror the foe wasl. iven,
Their bauuer rent and their columns iyen,
Wherever the tide Of battle rolled,
over tho WILDERNESS, wood and wOd
Sunset out Of crimson sky,
Streamrd DER field of IHddier dye,
And the brook ran on with purple stain,
From the blood ui ton IhttIsaui iUt .fien sgin.
Seasons have passed since that day and year;
Again DER Its pebbles the brook runs ulca.,
And the field III II richer green i5 dressed
WAege tho dead Of the terriblt cCuhiet rest.
flushed IL the roll Of the Rebel drum;
Tho sabres are shuathod and The cannon are
dumb;
And Fate with pitiless hand has fdi led
The nag that once challenged the gaze OF the
world.
Dut the fame of the Wilderness fight ahides,
Aud down into history grsndly rides,
Calm and unmoved, as'in battle he sat,
The gray bearded man III the ,lack nlouch hat