The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1894-05-31
ODE ITO THECONFEDERATEDE DEAD
BY OSCAR W. BLACKNALL.

/ see them throng to die
| On fields their valOr made
| Names that can not fade
From hiSt0ry's greatest page,
| Our precious heritage
Not Glory holds the bay
| But duty points the way
| When at CarOlina'S call,
! Their Spartan mOther's call
| From cabin hearth ard hall
! From station great and small
! They gather tOthe fight,
! They have reSistle5s might.
| Carolina, from thy breast,
| Thy sturdy, rOck-ribbed breast,
| A fit memorial WreSt
! For these, thy SturdieSt sons,
| Thy dutious, gallant sons,
Who faced the hostile guns:
| Who, at thy stern beheSt,
| Forward to battle pressed,
| Nor counted gain or loss
Beneath the starry cross,
Who fought and starved and bled
With all but honor dead
| When Hope itself had fled
| Who more than won success,
| Who won the daathlesS fame
That belongs to the spOtless name.
Theirs the happy lot
From our name to wash the blot,
| By envy cast OF Old.
Dispraise was put to shame,
! DetractiOn hid its head
| Before men of such mold,
! Whom Lee with pride hath led,
| Who under Jackson sped
! From field to field of fame
And on the bloodiest field
| Won their country 5 sword and shield.
All not till they were low
| Came victory to the foe
| From where against our ranks
The Northern hOrdeS were hurled
| Till on AppomattOX'S banks
| The starry cross was furled.
! Twas only DER our dead,
Our own Confederate Dead.
That hostile foot could tread,
/ Could tread without recOil
The sacred Southern soil
! Twas only over the graves,
The earth tncumb ring graves,
OF our uncOttined braves
| That the invader came,
That we were put to shame.
Else, granite shaft, and stand
| y beacon i'll our way
! Rise granite shaft and hand
| The example of that band,
That more than Spartan band,
! Down to remOst days.
| Let not their fall be vain
| From even this loss give gain;
| Far more than victory,
| Than laurelS ever won,
Is the example of duty done,
! OF men who would not Shun
! Even death when liberty
! Called from her inmOSt shrine,
! Called forth with voice divine,
! Bade them her ransom give,
| Babe them their hearts blood give,
/ Babe die that she might live,
/ And 10 the example high
| tAh never let it die }
or the intrepid NEE in Grey
! We owe that to this day
| She still with Us abideS,
Still in our midst resides.
| Twas that that made us bold
! Her garments hem to hold
| Through tbs dark ana hopeless ways
| OF reconstruction days.
| IpOn thy face, proud stone,
| Nor name nor deed be shown
| Simply be it said
| TO OUR CONFEDERATE DEAD.
| Not all the shafts that rest
| Unquarried in thy breast,
| o. Mother state, could hold
| In smallest characters told
| Every worthy deed,
! OF those who i'll thy need.
| Who in thy sOrest need,
| Stood IL living wall
| Between thee and the foe,
! Whigh thpy might 0yerthrGW,
| Which might perish, fall,
| But which could not retreat,
! Could not survive defeat.
| Honor all as one
| Honor one as all
| Know neither great nor small,
Greater than patriot none,
| Yea, patriot to the core
The humblest man who bore
| 4 muSket in the strife
And for conviction gave his life,
The highest could be no more,
Whether with breasts unsearrea,
| With hope as yet unmarried,
Beneath the banner barred
They fell most glOriUuSly
When a battle meant victory
Or purged of every dross
| Beneath the star StreWn cross,
In deadly trenches pent
Their shattered frames were spent
Till wounds OF fell disease
Gave their gallant souls release,
1t reckS not how or where
That highest pledge was given,
| Enough to know that there
| 4 herO's life was riven.
And those other Southern Dead.
! For whom no tear was shed,
No other stone has risen
| The Southern women true,
Give them their tardy due,
At heart, At heart they b1ed;
| st home as in prison
They could only hear afar
The narrowing sounds Of war,
In strife could take no part,
While every ball that sped,
Every ounce of Federal lead
Smote them full within the heart,
The man could die but once,
The woman a thousand times;
The body dies but once,
The heart thousand times.
Those issues now are past
Lave sunk within the vast
And should no longer cast
Their shadow over our lives.
Let prejudice abate,
Away with sectional hate;
Honor the brave and true.
Whether in Grey or Blue,
But one point never yield,
One truth forever ShielI:
As sure as rolls the sun,
Or on the centuries run-
That these men, that they
Who with honor wore the Grey,
Were patriots eEey one.
That motives purer, higher,
More patriotic fire
/ Did never breasts inspire,
Nor men more true and bold
, a uSter cause uphold.
\ man with broken leg is lab
t. do a good deal Of darning while Il