National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-01-29
THE NIGHT ATTACK.
BY ]. S. Slater.

~Hsu. Front, battalienl Rest at easel"
The sharp commands rang out,
And meath the overhanging trees
We waited for the scout.
He came at last. With hurried breath
He gave the news he brought,
And pointed out where hidden death
Lay waiting TO be sought
Attention. Right flank, forward march"
We heard the clear command,
And underneath the dark'ning arch
Orsky our little band
Pressed onward tow'rd the distant hill,
Where lay, in soft repose,
Unconscious, careless, grim, and still,
A thousand of our foes.
The fre-fiies round our pathway danced;
While now and then the light
Ofmoon upon our rifles glazed;
But ere We reached the height
Whereon the enemy, in sleep,
Beneath their white tents lay,
The sky Ger clouded. Thunder deep
Shook earth. The ightnings play
Made darkness visible; while rain
In heavy torrents fell,
And seemed to try, but all in vain.
To quench the fires of hell.
We reached the narrow belt pines
That fringed the fateful rise
We were to storm, and formed our lines
Unseen by hostile eyes.
Then through the chapparel we pressed,
PeDesth the darkeDed sky.
And up the steep, each manly breast
Resolved to win or die.
Der fallen trees, through thickets drear,
We slowly pushed ahead,
Expeetant, at each step, to hear
The foemen's mnskets dread.
But no sounds came to listning ears,
save peals of thunder loud,
And heavens thickly falling tears
From overhanging cloud.
Half way from base 10 summit; yet,
No sounds of life-or death
From those above. Gould they forget
To watch 90 in bated breath
We asked ourselves. A moment more,
Then on the startled air
Rang out the lannon's Suilen roar
And flashed its ruddy glare
Of flame that lit the heavy gloom
And showed our wary eyes
The foe, like spectres from the tomb,
Up from the ground arise.
The bloody conflict then began.
The earth seemed quick with fear,
FGg- ~ -
The waves of death : and cheer
And shrill command. and cry of pain,
And musket's dread appeal
To human wrath-great heaps of slain
The ring of steel on steel
As bayonets or sabres clashed-
The hiss and scream of she'll
The night, all riven, scanned and gashed
By fires from Heav'n and hell;
The leaden tempest hurtling fast
With ping. and puff, and thud-
The sky all darby overcast
The falling rain and blood.
All, who can picture that dread scene!
Nor artists brush, nor men
May hmm or tell what nights dark screen
Hid in that slaughter-peD.
We gained the crest, all cannon crowned
And with deaths harvest stored:
Then We, the victors, gathered round
While signal rockets scared
On fiery wings, high up o'erhead,
To beacon the event
0four success; and DER the dead
The coming moonlight sent
lis sily'ry beams. The rifted clouds
sank down the skies high-arched;
The lightning ceased, and smoky shrouds
developed souls that marched.
To deaths cold land, drifting away
To melt and disappear
When soon the rising god of day
Broughtmorning, bright and clear.
We looked upon the SOdden field
As soldiers who had fought
For liberty-whose hearts were steele
10 view what war had wrought.
But yet, We felt the fearful cost
At which we won the height.
Twohundred of our comrades lost.
Who fell that fel rfll uiqht