Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-05-31

luXurlate az your tables or royal mag
nifeence and profusioD, do you eve
think Of the habitation, bed and boar,
Of private soldier in contrast witt
your own? Are you poor, and do yoI
toll day by day for a scant supply o
this worlds conf Irts and necesaarie
for wife and little ones; do you dwell
in novels of rudest structure who's
walls and chambers and floors know
not the glittering, splendors OF tn
rich and prosperous do you lie doWr
upon humble cOuches and fare a
humber tables? Have you eve
thought how much better Is evsI
your lot than that of a soldier on tn,
desOlate field? He has left his home
and with it his heart. With a mighty
sorrow whose pOignancy almost sew
cred his very heart strings, he haI
parted, il may be forever, with tn,
nearest and dearest object of his manly
affections, a tender and loving wife
He has torn from bis bosom those
bright eyed little ones whose tendrilt
of infant love and confidence were
wont 10 twine around his inneTmos
heart. And now we see him 81 hi:
post, sad, wesry and forlOrn, gel
earnest, obedient and brave, evel
ready and willing to do battle for hi:
country. His Government, il is true
does ali in its power to prov ide for his
necessities aud TO palliate his
sufferings, and sometimes, when
not in active campaign, he is
blessed with comfortable quar-
tiers. But when hostile armies
arouse TO conflict and shake off the
lethargy OF inactivity and repose, then
he must give up whatever meagre
comforts he may enjoy in his seasons
of rest, and nerve himself for the
hardships and peIils of the impend-
ing struggle. Marching, marching all
day long over hill and valley, noun
tain and plain; through rain and snow
through dust and mud, exposed
alike to scorching suns and winter
blasts sometimes on half rations,
sometimes on quarter-often on no
rations at all; sometimes surfeited and
sick, often weak and worn and faint
with thirst and hunger; fOot-sore and
bleeding, heart weary and distressed,
yet fesTiesa AID accomplishing. The
enemy isin his front-the shades of
night are gstbering-his scant and
unss-Tory supper is essten ia saiaess
and ths tired soldier lies SOwn apnn
the cold earth for his cheefless BED,
and the bending arch of heaveo Is bis
unprotecting canopy. He sleeps on
his arms, for tomorrow will be q day
of battle. All night long, in the deep
slum bers of tired nature, in dreams he
wandeTs back to the scenes of
happier days-tO that sweet home
where his hearts most precious trea-
sures abide. Oft again on the unfettered
wings of his fancy he flies back to the
embraces Of his first and only love.
But see! The gray dawn breaks in
the east. The darkness fees before the
coming glories of the morning. The
horizon Is draped in crimson goss
Of cloud, and lOI from his pavilion in
the far off ocean realms, yelled in
nists Of fiery red, the great sun mounts
The rudy sky. But, bark / hear a
sound the still air trembles to its
Iuivering jar-a sound as Of the war
Of mighty winds and floods. All, tits
the sound Of moving ARMIES. / hear
the rumbling Of artillery wheels, the
roll of drums, the shrilI notes of mar
tial music, the thunder of ten thou
sand hoofs, the heavy tramp, tramp,
tramp of manoeuvering battallions,
and corps. The bugle calls
slumber into battle line. The
fatigues of his painful march
are forgotten. The fires of his
patriotic ambition kiudle into flame,
and the fierce spirit of battle is upon
him. Lifting his eyes to catch q
glimpse of the emblem of all that 10
dear 10 PATRIOTS heart, he resolves to
follow il to victory or sink in death
beneath its fOlds. In long lines OF
coloTs and flashing steel the
hostile legioDs are advancing to the
fray. Already the sharp sound of
musketry comes pattering on the ear
from the skirmishers between. AL
ready is heard the booming of cannon
from the heights around, and sOlid
shot and shell now come screaming
and crashing in mid air. The Skin
mishers, back Tecoiling, merge in the
columns and on q sudden
the pent up fury of the contending
foes, like volcanic fires, bursts into the
loud tumult of battle. AS " hen storm
clouds gather OD mountain peaks and
from their black and vapory ranks the
angry lightnings in deep voiced thun-
iers leap and crash amid the SCARED
and craggy heights, so from those
seried files of flesh aud blood
frey tempest pOurs. The rsttliDg
vollies of the musketry and the
ieafeniDg roar Of artillery thundeTs
now shake The field as by a mighty
tread. The sulphurous
smoke of the conflict, as from the
crater Of seething hell, hangs in
clouds and wreaths and whirling col
umns above the bloody vortex, The
grim death-angel riots on the scene.
His flying shafts, in lesden showers
and iron hail, are Kissing like ten
thousand serpents athwart the Keeling
lines. The bugle signals for
a charge. The terrible onset is made.
All! what a shock Is then and there!
4 shock that makes the tremb-
ling air grow sick. How wave those
cOlors in the thickeniDg smokeI How
shout the valiant hosts! How clash
those treDchant blades of FURNISHED
steel! Long they struggle and firmly
stand against alternate shocks. Le-
gion with legion, in dire confusion,
in fierce encounter,
dealing death on every
hand. The crisis comes
Victory appears And now the van
quished foe has fled the sanguinary
field. The din OF the conflict is hush
ed. The clouds OF smoke are lifted on
q passing breeze. What q scene for
mortal eye!
Myriads of wounded, shrieking,
crying, grooming in the sgonies of
pain, and calling in pitious means for
succor-of dying, gasping in the last
throes of dissolution, and scattered,
like leaves in the hurricanes track, in
heaps and piles the fallen thousands
liz al male and phastly hIOOdsfainad