The Republican journal., 1888-09-13
The Deacon Convinced.

Poem composed by j. W. Black of Searspor
and read by him ut the Reunion of the 26th Mar
Regiment Aug. Il, lsss.l
One pleasant evening lately
went over to Moses Trues,
To get my weekly paper,
And hear the village news.
When in came Deacon Norcross,
As mad as he could be
And directing his conversation
To Charley West and me,
Said: "rd like to ask question
And have ii answered plain.
why there's fifteen thousand pensions
Paid, to pensioners in Maine?'
Said l, "Deacon, if you'll listen,
III help you in your fix
BY telling You what happened
To the Bloody Twenty-siN."
1--WE enlisted in September,
Eighteen hundred and siNty-two.
About as good material
As ever wore the blue.
1--WE rendezyoused at Bangor,
Almost a thousand men,
In barracks up at Camp john Pope,
We were sound and healthy then.
"For mind, we were all examined
BY surgeons the Government chose,
Who looked us over carefully
From our head doWn TO our toes,
"And pronounced us nee from ali defects.
That is-thcy told us SO
And bid us haste TO southern SOL
To meet a southern foe.
$50 one bright October morning
We marched down TO the train
And went forward to do battle
For ncle sam anG Maine.
'Afcr few days of hard travel,
We went into canvas tents
ON Arlington Heights, Virginia
Where real soldering commenced.
after staying there till snow came,
Whereby many got cold and died.
And many more got homeSick
Until some of them actually cried,
1--WE marched to Alexandria,
And embarked for Newport News,
Where we landed in rainstorm,
IN water over our shoes.
"scon the dreaded fever and agile
Began to thin our ranks:
Then we Joined an expedition
And went further South with Banks
1--WE had smallpox on shipboarl,
Found malaria: on the land
PlatoOns died with measles,
And typhoid fever took hand
"This was fighting an enemy
Where courage didn't rate,
For most of those who met him
knew that death would be their fate.
"Deacon, you'l hardly credit me
When tell you that know
The Regiment were half of them dying or iear
Before they met the foe
after months of Louisiana sHamps
And marches in the rain,
We met the licbS, at Irish Bend,
Where fourteen men were slain.
">omc fifty odd were wouMdcd
And many of them died,
And now VITA former comrades
They're sleeping side by side.
At p around Port Hudson
We buried many more;
And along the Mississippi banks,
Left others on the >horr.
"Our dead We're scattered M and down
Most everywhere we tfampel,
And where they're found the thickcst
Marks where we longest ca,npcd.
Those who by health AMI ygor
Withstood the poisoned seeds,
sown at every breath we drew
Among those canes and reeds,
Found later 10 their sorrow
The enemy by stealth,
Had made the passage home with them,
And was roDhlne them Of health.
The Deacon broke in angry,
He didn't know how to a,t-
SAID he: "hn you pretend To say
That what YOU state 4 fact
said /, "Deacon. history's written
And that will prove To You
That these very things I'm telling
Are alas, too terribly true
said the Deacon. God forgive me
For Judging before l'd known,
But my only wonder NOW Is
That anyone got homc'
4 nickname given the Regiment lv members ,
Inc 32d regiment, who rendczvoUsjd ut Bangt
sitl. us.