The Portland daily press., 1889-08-20
AN ECHO OF ANTIETAM.
LFrom the July Century,

Goodbye, Phil. till we see you again."
said Miss Morton, kissing him tenderly.
"We'll take good care of her for you"
"Will you please go to her now?" he said
huskily ''She is in the summer-house. For
Gods sake try to comfort her."
eyes. poor boy, WILL" she answered. He
shook hands with Mr.. Morton and jumped
into the buggy.
"I'll get furlough and be back in few
months, may be. Be sure to tell her that"
he said.
The stable boy stood aside. the mettle-
some horse gave plunge and started off at
a three-minute gait. The boy drew out his
watch and observed: "He hain't got but
fifteen minutes to git to camp in, but he'll do
it. The mares stopper, and Phil King
knows how to handle the ribbonsR
The buggy vanished in cloud of dust
around the next turn in the road. The stable
boy strobe whistling down the street, the
minister went to his study, and Miss Morton
disappeared in the shrubbery in the direction
of the summer house.
Early next morning the country roads
leading into Waterville were covered with
carts and wagons and carriages loaded with
people coming into town to see the regiment
OHs lUt StIttbo WClC huh6 WIN ha6o duu
spanned with decorated arches bearing pat
riotic inscriptions. Red, white and blue
streamers hung in festoons from building to
building and floated from cornices. The
stores and places of business were all closed
and sidewalks were packed with peor,. In
their Sunday clothes, and the wind. .,ws md
balconies were lined with gaZers ,on, hefore
it was time for the regimc sat 10 apnear.
Eyerybody-men, women and childrenIwore
tne ha1,onai uo,Uts IA cockades or rosettes,
WINE many y4;unp girls were dressed through
OUT 10 Ieu, WIN "a and blue. The city seemed
c,lckeq 70 gu. ior some rare gala day, but the
crave ~ .ces of the expectant throng, and the
supuaed and earnest manner which extended
even TO the older children, stamped this as
no ordinary holiday.
After hours of patient waiting at last the
word passes from mouth to mouth, "They
are coming" Vehicles are quickly driven
out of the way, and in general hush all
eyes are turned towards the head of the
street. Presently there is burst of martial
music, and the regiment cDmes wheeling
round the corner into view and fills the wide
street from curb to curb with its broad front.
As the blue river sweeps along, the rows of
polished bayonets, rising and falling with
the swinging tread of the men, are like inter-
minable ranks of foam-crested waves rolling
IN upon the shore. The imposingmass, with
It's rhythmic movement, gives the impression
of single organism. One forgets to look
for the individuals in it, forgets that there
art Eftu LuOo6 WHO nave
brothers. sons, lovers there, for moment
almost forget them in the impression of a
mighty whole. The mind is slow to recog-
nize that this great dragon, so terrible in its
beauty, emitting light as it moves from a
thousand FURNISHED scales, with flaming
crestproudly waving in the van, is but on
aggregation of men singly so feeble.
The hearts of the lookers-on as they gaze
are swelling fast. An akf1atus of heroism
given forth by this host of self-devoted men
aNaraan mt 30 hA LII
tators. The booming of the drum fills the
brain, and the blood in the veins leaps to its
rhythm. The unearthly gayety of the fife,
like the sweet, shrill song of a bird soaring
above the battle, infects the nerves till the
idea Of death brings scornful smile to the
lips. Eyes glaze with rapturous tears as
they rest upon the flag There Isl thrill of
voluptu0us sweetness in the thought of dying
for i. Life seems of value only as it gives
the the poorest something to sacrifice. 1t is
dying that makes the glory of the world, and
all other employments seem but idle while
the regiment passes. The time for farewells
has gone by. The lucky men at the ends of
the ranks have indeed an opportunity with
out breaking step to exchange an occasional
handshake with friend on the sidewalk, or
to snatch a kiss from wife or sweetheart,
but those "a the middle Of the line can only
look .sneir farewells. Now and then a
Tiother intrusts her baby to a file leader to
be passed along from hand to hand till 1t
reaches t06 IaL06T, 10 DC StuI DdCh Will u
kiss or maybe perched aloft on his shoulder
TO ride to the depot, Growing at the music or
clutching at the cleaning bayonets. At
every such touch of nature the people cheer
wildly. From every. window and balcony
the ladies shower garlandS upon the troops.
Where is Grace? for this is the Upton
company which is passing now. Yonder she
stands on a balcony, between Mr.. Morton
and his sister. She is vely pale and the tears
are streaming down her cheeks, but her face
80 lie op,i1iuO fbrou0n fQarS
as If there was no such thing on earth as fear
or sorrow. She has looked forward to this
ordeal with narrowing expectations, only to
find herself at the trying moment seized up
on and lifted above all sense OF personal al
Fiction by the passion of self-devotion with
which the air is electric. Her face as she
looks down upon her lover is that of a
priestess in the ectasy Of sacrifice. He is
saluting with his sword. Now he has passed.
With great sob she turns away. She does
not care for the rest of the pageant. Her
patriotism has suddenly gone. The ectasy
of sacrifice is over. She Is no longer a
priestess, but abroken-hearted girl, who only
asks to be led away to some place where she
can weep till her lover returns.
There was to be great battle next day
The two armies had been long man9uvrine
for position, and now they stood like wrest
lers who have selected their holds and will
body braced against body, knee against knee
wait for the signal to begin the struggle
There had been during the afternoon some
brisk lightning, but a common desire to post
pone the decisive contest till the morrow haC
prevented the main forces from becoming in
volved. Philips regiment had thus lar only
been engaged In a few trifiing skirmishes
barely enough to stir the blood. This wa
to be its first battle, and the position t
which il had been allotted promised a blood,
baptism in the morning, The men were il
excellent heart, but as night settled down
Ia ~ M f,aar rirk aanf 10 a
about the camp-fres. Most were gathered
in groups discussing in low tones the chance
of the morrow. Some, knowing that ever.
fibre of muscle would be needed for the worl
before them, had wisely gone to sleep, Will,
going on about him, was lying on his bacl
staring up at the darkening sky, thinking
As the twilight deepened Philip strolled L
the top of a little knoll just out of the CAM
and sat down with vague notion OF castiDl
up accounts little in view of the fina
settlement which very possibly might COM
for him next day. But the inspiration OF tn
scene around him soon diverted his min
from personal ENDORSEMENTS. Some dlstanc
down the lines he could see the occasions
flash of gun where a. battery was lazil
Smelling piece of woods which it was de
srable to keep the. enemy from occupying
during the night A burning barn IN tina
direction made flare on the sky. over pc
hind the wooded hills where the confederate
lay rockets. were going, up, indicating tn
exchange Of signals and the perfecting 0
plans which might mean defeat and ruin Z
him and his the next day. Behind him, with
in the Federal lines, clouds of dust diml.
outlined against the glimmering landscape
betrayed the location of the roads alon
which artillery, cavalry, infantry were hurry
ing eagerly forward to take their assignee
places for the morrow's work.
Who said that men fear death? Who con
cocted that for old wives? He should hav
stood that night with Philip in the midst o
host Of 125,000 men in the full flush an
Vigor OF life, calmly and deliberately maxim
ready at dawn to receive death in its mos
horrld forms at one another's hands. 1t |
In vain that religion invests the tomb wit
terror and philosophy, shuddering, avert
her face; the nations turn from these gloom
teachers TO storm its portals in exultan
hosts, battering them wide enough for thou:
ands TO charge through abreast. The heroi
instinct OF humanity with its high coptemr
of death is wiser and truer, never let i
doubt than superstitious terrors or philost
phic doubts. 1t testifies to a conviction
deeper than reason, that man is greater tina
his seeming self; to an underlying col
sciousness that his mortal life is but an a
cident of his real existence, the fashion of
day, to be lightly worn and gaily dotted
What pity it truly is that the tonic air
battlefields-the air that Philip breathed tn
night before Antietam-cann0t be gather
mn and preserved as precious elixir to
invigorate the atmosphere in times of pea
when men grow faint of heart and coward