The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-12-26
a MARTYR TO TIE LOST
CAUSE
IL Lsa4oriam-D. y. l.
BY REV. (. j.. RY y

Thou art sleeping, Brother, sleeping,
In thy lonely battle grave;
Shadows Ger the past are creeping,
Death, the reaper still - reaping.
Years have swept, and years are s. 3ep-
lpg,
MANY a memory from my keeping.
Blu Tn waiting sill and weeping,
From my Beautiful and Brave.
When the battle songs were chanted,
And wars stirring tocsin pealed,
By those songs thy heart was haunted,
And thy spirit proud, u~ndaunted,
Clamored wlldly-wildly painted,
Mother let my wish be granted,
| will ne'er be Knocked and tainted,
That feared meet our Wanted
Foemen on the bloody field.
They are thronging, mother, throng-
ing.
To a thousand field OF fame
Let me go-'tis wrong and wronglng
God and THEE 10 crush this longing
On the roster roll of glory.
In my country's future story,
On the field of battle CORY.
must coEsecrate my name.
"Mother. grid my sword around me,
KISS thy soldier-boy good by"
In her arms she wildly wound thee
To thy birthland's cause she bound
thee
With fond prayers and blessings crown
ed thee;
And she sobbed, when foes surround
thee,
If you fall III know they found thee
Where the brayeat love 10 die"
At the altar OF their nation
Stood that mother and her son.:
He, the victim of oblation;
Painting tor his lmmolatlon;
She, in priestess' holy station,
Weeping words OF conservation;
While God smiled His appreciation;
Blessed the boys self<aonegation.
Cheered the mothers desciation,
When the sacrifice was done.
Forth like many a nobe cher,
Went he, whispering Soft and low,
"Good-by-pray Tor me. my mother;
Sister kiss me-far6vell, brother. -
And he strove his grief to smother,
Forth with footsteps firm and fearless,
And his parting gaze Was fearless,
Though his heart was lone and cheer
less,
Thus from al he loved to go
L.. yon flag of freedom flashing
In the sunny Southern sky,
Onto death and glory dashlng:
On-where swords are Changing, clash
ing
On-where balls are crushing, crashing;
On-'mid periIs dread appalling;
On-they'r re falling, falling, falling;
On-they're growing fewer, feWel;
On-thelr hearts beat all the truer.
On-on-on-no fear, 10 ~falter;
On-though, round the battle altar
There were wounded victims moaning,
There were dying victims groaAi b;
Outright on-death danger bravlng;
Warning where their flag was waving,
And baptismal blood was LAYING
With a tide of crimson water
Ali that field of death and slaughter;
On-still on-that bloody laver
Made them brave, and made them
Drawer;
On-with never a halt or Waver,
On they're battling, bleeding, bounding,
While the glorious shout is sounding:
1--WE will win the day or die
And they won it. Routed, riven,
Reeled the foeman's proud array;
They had struggled long and s%triven,
Blood in torrents they had given,
But their ranks, dispersed and driven,
Fled disgracefuIly away.
Many a heart was lonely lying
There that would not thrOD again
Some were dead, aud some were dying,
Some were silent, some were signing;
Thus to Observation-Disclosures
All uuwept and unbetrieDded-
GA that bloody battle PLAIN.
When the twilight sadly, slowly
Wrapped its mantle Ger them all I,
Ger those thousands lying lowly.-
flushed 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 aud fleeing,
And his brow grew white and whittier
Aud his eyes grew bright and brighter,
Then he lay, like infant dreaming,
With his sword beside him cleaning;
For the hand in life that graoped it;
True IN death still fondly clasped it;
There his comrades found him lying,
MID the heaps, Of dead and dying;
And the s~tearnest there bent weeping
Ger that lonely sleeper sleeping,
Twas the midnight; stars shone round