River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-03-21
How Soldiers lie at Sea.


eial Bulletin: Soldiers die bravely on the
battle field and resignedly in the military
hospital ON shore hut there is something
very sad in a soldiers death at sea. The
surroundings of the ship hospital are I'M
familiar to his eye: the roll OF the vessel
is painful to him, and the thought is ever
present to his mind that if he was on
shore, if he could see the green fields or
even tina snow-clad earth, his recovery
might be possible. Although nothing
could be more comfortable than the couch
on which he lies, and scarcely any thing
more soothing than the gentle roll OF the
vessel to one in his condition, he longs TO
stretch his limbs on the barrack hospital
bed and to feel that he IS on the firm
ground.
Then the thought of the lonely burial in
the wide waste of waters obtrudes itself
upon his mind. To be launched over the
vessels side into the lonely ocean, com
mitted to the deep, and left without a
stone or a wooden cross to mark the spot
where his mortal remains were consigned
to their everlasting rest. All this mex
pressibly saddening to the dying soldier.
On shore his comrades would have fol-
lowed his remains to their resting-place
in the church, yard and fred farewell
shot over his grave, and with reluctant
step have left him to sleep the sleep that
knows no waking till the trump of the
archangel summons the dead to judg-
ment.
How different at sea! Sewed up in
hammock, the corpse to which he belongs
summoned to the gangway slip,a few short
but solemn prayers said over the dead, and
then the awful words, " We commit this
body to the deep" A plunge and the
corpse sinds into the sea; the flag is low
cred; and the vessel sails on, and the
dead is left alone to the tossings of the
angry waves, or TO sink deep into the
coral caves OF the ocean. No comrade
may come in after days and drop a tear
over that grave; no loving hand may
come and plant flower there; it is lost;
swallowed up ia the immensity Of the
great graveyard Of the deep.
The writer has stood by the side of
dying comrade in the hospital of a troop
ship, and heard the dying give utterance
to such thoughts rs the above.
what does the surgeon say he asked.
" Tell me the truth. cOmrade. ! am lot
afraid of death
at is better that you should know the
truth. He has NO hope
II thought so. Well, Gods will be
done, but il is hard to die in the middle
Of the ocean. If had been on shore,
even III foreign country, it is hard TO be
buried at sea-
The sea will give up its dead.
AYE, that is right, comrade. ought
to think of that Seamen, they say like to
cherish the thought they will be buried at
sea; but | am Il soldier. / would die
happier if knew that would be buried
on shore aud be followed to the grave by
my comrades There is something beau
tiful in a soldiers funeral on shore. The
solemn music-that Dead March in Saul?
how uscd to love it My poor mother.
1t will grieve her to think that | was
buried at sea- Read me that, conrade,
about the sea giving up its dead.
The chaplain Mt this moment approach
ed, having been sent by the surgeon He
read the passage of Scripture asked for
and many other beautiful passages.
The dying soldier closed his eyes du
ring the reading. He lay silent for a
long time after the chaplain had ceased
Then he opened his eyes and muttered,
fecoly:
mo funeral parade; no music; no fare
well shot over my grave committed TO the
deep. The-sea-- will-give-up-its
dead Comrade- my mother Fare
welll'
And he ceased-to live.
Next day the vessel came tc stop for
few minutes. The ships be. was toll
ed, the flag fioated at ha 4 mast, and the
soldiers of the corps to which the de-
ceased belonged were paraded at the
gangway The prayers were said the
body launched over the side, and the
vessel resumed her course. Some of the
members of other corps on board We're
surprised on learning, late that evening,
that soldier had been buried during the
day.
Iris better that such things should be
so. Nothing can be gained by sadden
ing raen unnecessarily. Cheerfulness is
one of the most potent of sanitary agents.
Every care should be taken to maintain
IT among large bodies of men.