The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-07-11
In the Army.

Some of the boys will remember the
day we buried Billy Taylor, private, c
Company, Forty-seventh illinois In
fantry. | remember it, because 1T was
the first time ever marched in mill
tary funeral, and was only a boy; l
hadn't seen nv nineteenth year then,
! and 1 wasn't much taller than the mus
ket carried Billy wasn't killed in
battle. He had passed through dozen
| fights: every tine the forty-seventh
went in he was close by the co'Ors, and
shot or bullet never touched him, but
the god of war demanded more lives
than the rifle and cannon could pile up
on his reeking affairs, and so death,
wearying may be, of the red carnage of
| the field, often came to our tents to Sc
lect victim for the sacrifice. So Billy
WIS excused from duty one day, and
sat about in the tent, and fried to shake
of the sickness that came creeping
over him, and had time to write part of
a letter and then he planned what he
would do tomorrow. And the next day
he was excused again, and stayed in his
bunk. but it was hard. and he could
feel the knots in the board under the
blanket, and it made him restless. and
he thought if he didn't feel better to-
morrow-but he knew he would-be
would 90 to the regimental hospital.
And the next day he was better: so much
better that he was pronounced well, and
his name was stricken from the sick
list 1t was also stricken from the COM
pany roll, and he was marked off duty
forever. Six men we're detailed for pail
bearers, a corporal and eight men for
escort, and following marched the men
and officers of the company, in The in
verse ordeeo their rank.
Somehow, the sunshine seemed dim
and misty as the mufied drums spoke
mournfully, and our slow steps seemed
TO be marked off by heart breaking sobs
in a distant home away up in tie lar
away Northland. The wailing flies
breathed the pathetic stra ms of "The
and o. the cal" until the air seemed
filed with tears:
There's nae sorrow there. Jean;
There's neither caud nor care, Jean,
The day is ever fair
In the land o. the leal.
We could hear the sweet voices oil
women. tremulous, grief stricken, in
the mourning flies. " omen? Since he
kissed mother, sister and sweetheart
good-b in the Prairie State he had not
heard woman's voice SYLLABLE his
name His last dying Looks were bent
upon brOnzed bea ded faces; and the
kind hands that dressed him Tor the
funeral march were hard callOrsed
with toll and war and scented only with
the cartridges they had last handled.
The voice OF a woman would have
sounded to him like the blessing OF
God. To die. so far away from home;
, to die and know that at that moment.
, ignorant of his passing, the dearest of
, earth were Joyous, singing. laughing,
maybe; to die and know that the days
would creep on into the weeks, and tne
weeks drag on into months before they.
whose names were quivering on his low
inc, praving lips would know it.; to die
. and know they would be still writing
letters to him when his eyes would be
closed and the heart that longed and
, loved would be stilled forever. 1t is q
sad, sad thing to bury a soldier.
But sorrows sell wears past, Jean,
And Joys a-comin' fast Jean,
The joy that's aye to last lean,
In the land q the Teal.
And they-what would be the mna =
ure of their sorrow in the stri ken
home. HIS dying kiss. his last good
by. the loving look in the closing eyes.
the peace that death would print upon
his face they would never see it, they
would never hear it. they could ne er
know it. What wonder our solder
hearts were heas Y as the burden on the
, bier, and our tears were faster than our
measured steps! And the mournlul
drums. in their sad monotone. /patter.
ING Ike tears upon colin lid, sobbed
on like the murmHrOus rushing OF a
troubled stream. hushing the shrill grief
of the complaining flies, softenIng their
erie, into the plaintiye moaning OF a
sorrow that has wep5 its violence away
, and mourns with the whispers OF the
plaintive night wind. -'..
Halt" and how softly the CORPORAL
voiced his orders. Rest on-arms."
The Chaplain is reading something
from the only Book men read ut that
time:
Il am the Resurrection and the Life
he that believeth in Me, though he were
! dead. vet shall he live. And whoSoevel
beleveth in Me shall never die
it'll broken voice. he prays above
the dead. and our hearts echo his prayer
as thew seem to lie IN the rude coffin
with our comrade.
"Attention! Shoulder arms. Load
, at will iire..'' -
How the ringing yolleys over tie
grave, MAXIM a thousand discordant
echoes in the woods about Us break IL
abruptly and harshly on our grief.
"Bv platoon, right wheel-march
Column, forward, guide left, Gu elk =
marchr'
,heerily the flies sing out the dane
ing meas res of Garry Owen" mer.
{ riiy rattle the close strung, spirited and
. inspiring d ums, with pieces at a right
, shoulder gaily back to the camp we
marched.
: What. we have followel the dead
soldier ar. stood in tears by his lonely
= crave-we ha been away from camp
, nearly two hours and the world hash
j slipped coy; it hasn't missed single
, heart beat; it hasn't stood still sec
i ond The second relief had Just eont
on when we went oIt and there zoe:
, the third marchiu out now.
5 What are those drums for Fall in fol
dress parade Rot. j. BurdcIte. u
Lro kim Eayie.