The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-10-21

They've trapped us, boysr'
! Rose from our flank voice.
With a rush of steel and smoke
! On came the rebels straight.
| Eager as love and wild as hate;
And our line reeled and broke;
Broke and fed.
| No one staid-but the deadl
With curses, shrieks and cries,
Horses and wagons and men
| Tumbled back through the shuddering glen,
And above us she fading skies.
There's one hope. still
Those batteries parked on the hill
Battery, WHEEL" cmid the roar)
"PaSs pieces; fix prolonge to fire
Retiring" "Trotl'' In the panic dire
bugle rings, "Trotl"-and no more.
The horses plunged
The cannon lurched and lunged,
To join the hopeless rout;
But suddenly rode form
Calmly in front of the human storm.
With a stern, commanding shout;
"Align those gunsl"
I'VE knew il was Pleasonton'sJ
The cannoneers bent to obey,
And worked with will at his word,
And the black guns moved as Il they had heard;
But, ah, the dread delay!
ITO wait is crime;
o God. for ten minutes timer
The general looked around.
There Keenan, sat, like stone,
With his three hundred horse alone
Less shaken than the ground.
"Alajor. your men?"
Are soldiers, general" Then
Charge, majorl do your best.
Hold tho enemy back at all cost,
Till my guns are placed; else the army is lost.
IoI die TO save the rest!
By the shrouded CLEAN of the western skies,
Brave Keenan, looked in Pleasonton's eyes
For an instant clear, and cool. and still;
Then. with a smile, he said, Il will.
Cavalry. charge!' Not man of them shrank.
Their sharp, full cheer. from rank on rank.
Rose joyously, with a willing breath
Then forward they sprang, and spurred and
clashed;
Shouted the officers, c.tmson sashd;
Role well the men, each brave as his fellow.
IN their faded coats of the blue and yellow;
And above in the air. with instinct true,
Like bird of war their pennon few.
With clank Of scabbards and thunder of steeds
And blades that shine like sunlit reeds,
And strong brown faces bravely pale
For fear their proud attempt shall fail. ~
Three hundred Pennsylyanians close + 81
On twice ten thousand gallant foes. g
Line after line the troopers came
To the edge of the wood that was rtngd with
flame;
Rode in and sabered and shetland fell;
Nor one came back his wounds to tell.
And full in the midst rode Keenan,, tall
In the gloom, like martyr awaiting his fall,
While the circle stroke of his saber, swung
Round his head. like halo there luminous
hung
Line after line ay. whole platoons,
Struck dead in heir saddles, of brave dragoons,
BY the maddened horses were onward borne
And into the vortex flung, trampled and torn;
As Keenan, fought with his men side by side.
So they rode, till there were no more to ride.
But over them, lying there, shattered and mute,
What deep echn rolls? 'Tis death salute
From the cannon in place; for, heroes, you
braved ei- t-t
Your fate not ia vain; the army was savedl q,
Over them now. year following year f1t
Over their graves the pine cones fall, g-.
And the whip-p pOor-will chants his specter call;
But they stir not again; they raise no cheer;
They have ceased. But their glory shall never
cease.
Nor their light he Quenched in the light of peace.
The rush of tn, r charge is resounding still
That saved the army at Chancellorsville-
George Parsons Lathrop.