The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1888-11-03
THE LAST REGIMENT.
a Legend OF the Late War.

stssippi since destroyed, on a bayou
: back from the river, q great number ot
very old meu had been isft ky thei,
Sons and grandsous, in this place .pi
comfort and security, while they wen,
to The war. And these old men here,
many Of them veterans of former wars,
formed themselves into regiment,
made for themselves uniforms, picked
up old hlntlock guns, even mounted a
rusty old cannon aud SO prepared to go
to battle If ever the war came within
their reach. Toward the close oi the
war come gunboats came down the
river, shelling the shore. The old men
far back on the bayou heard the sound
OF cannon, and, gathering together,
they set out with their old musket
and rusty old cannon to try aAd reach
the river over the old and abandoned
corduroy road through the cypress
swamp.
The black men say they marched
out right naerrily that hot day, shouts
Ing and bantering to encourage each
other, the dim fires Of their old eyes
burning with desire Of battle, although
not one Of them was young enough or
| strong enough tn stard erect. And
they never came back again. Now,
understand distinctly: l do not know
whether there is Il word Of truth in
this story or not. l give II just as l
got 1t Of the negroes. tried to verify
the story. / had them row me to the
spot where the drowned-out village
once stood. They even pointed out the
dim outline of the road through the
cypress woods. But they refused to
land aud lead me over II. l hand
these old veterans down to history as
THE LAST REGIMENT. 4u.
Tho dying land cried; they heard her
death call;
Gray, toothlcss old mon stopped, listened
intent, g,-
Tho '%s,y ~s', old !: ""ske'S came dow" fro" the
Old squirrel guns cleaned III that rcgi-
Gray grandsires marched, old n,uskc.s in
hand,
The last men left in that whole sea land.
These gray grandsires; they we're secn' to
Their rusty, old muske,s wearisome
load;
They marched. scarce tall as the cannon's
Marched merrily up the corduroy road
The gray old boys nlt broken and bent,
Marched out, tho gallant last regiment.
But o, that march. and tho memories,
When %est and excitement had died
away! N,
That ileloiate march through tho cypress
Arrayed in their desolate robes of gray;
The gray grandsires, so broken and bent
The gray moss mnntling that regiment.
The gray. bent men and Tho MOSES gray
The dull, dead gray OF the uniform!
The duh. dead skies like to lead that day,
Dull, dead, heavy and so deathly warm!
Oh! what meant moro than the cypress
meant,
With its reaching Moss to tha, regiment,
That deadly march through the marshes
deep!
That sultry day and tho deeds III vain!
The lying down by the way to sleep,
Tho rust on the gunsi The rust aud Tho
rent! d.
That dying, desolatc regiment!
THO muskets left leaning against the trees
o'erhead? ..... ....
The cypress trees knceling on obstinate
knees! .
AS knee,ed gray men by the gray mo"
A lone bird rising. long logged and gray,
Slow rising, and rising and drifting away!
The danl<, dead levels gave back no sound, |
The drums lay silent as tho arum,ners
there;
The sultry stiffness il was so profound
You might haye heard an unut,"rcd
Aud ever and ever far away
Kept drifting that hesolate bird In gray.
The long gray veIis orthat cypress wood,
Like wells that swept whore the gray nuns
weep
That cypress moss DER tho darkness drop |
Why, the CYPRESS rootsthcy were running |
blood
And to right and to left lay Il soldier dead
a mourning cypress set foot and head.
Twas man hunting man in tho wilderness
Twas msn hunting man and hunting to
But nothing was found there but honth
that day.
And possibly God, in that poisonous air;
And possibly God-and that bird in gray
Slow rising and rising and drifting away.
And never sword was unsheathcd that
Nay, never sword was unsheath he'd NJ ait.
But silent and patient mon passed away
All luncomplainingly as tho leaflets fall :;
And never shot or shell was spent
BY the last, last gallant old regiment.
Now down ia The swamp where tho gray
fell
The iireiiies volley and volley at night,
And black men befaded are heard to tell
OF the ghosts in gray in u mimic fight
or the ghosts of the gallant old men in gray
Who silently diei in the swamp that DAY. /
--Jouqt,im 1ii'cr,
A Party to the Republican Campaign.
i'rababiy there Is no new element |
that cofth ha infected iutp tho ,,rcai- |