Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1896-02-22
THE POETRY or ARMS.
Thoughts That Have Stirred Soldiers in
tho Midst of Battle.

tho Midst of Battle.
1t is related in Lord Mahon's history
that ION the night of the 18th of Sep
tember, 1859, the night before the bat
tie on the plains of Abraham, q portion
of the British army passed down the
ST. Lawrence. Swiftly but silently"
down with the tide, nnobserved by the
cnemy's sentinels Mt their posts along
the shore. Not word was spoken
not n sound heard beyond the ripping
of the stream. Wolfe alone-thus ira
dition has told us-repeated in low
voice to the other officers in his boat
those beautiful stanzns with which
country churchyard inspired the muse
of Gray. At the close of the recitation
Wolfe added: Now, gentlemen, would
rather be the author of that poem than
take Quebec"
Elsewhere we are told that "Sir Wal
| ter Scott's intimate friend, Sir Adam
| Ferguson, led n company in one of the
| bloody Spanish battles in Bonaparte's
wars. His company, under the heavy
| fire of the enemy, were ordered to lie
| down behind breastwork. Every
vcstigc of n visible head was mark
| for French balls, and occasionally
bomb whistled through the air and eS-
| ploded in their neighborhood. They
were to hold that spot, they could not
tell how many minutes or hours. The
Lady of the Lake was Just out, and
Sir Adam, pulling it from his pocket,
read aloud, to the stirring accompani-
ment of shot and shell, the battle be-
tween Roderick Dhu's men and the
royal troops. Is not this the very poetry
of arms? Conceive the Scotch troops
for Scottish men they were-how their
hearts would vibrate to the names of
their familiar mountains and chief
| tains!
" I see the Moray's silver star
And mark the dagger crest of Mar.
Conceive the accompaniment of rat
Ting drum and booming cannon:
"'Twsre worth ten years of peaceful life
One glance at their array!
Where, where was Rodcrick then,
One blast upon his bugle horn
| Were worth thousand men!
"It is said that Sir Adam was so car
ried away that he sprang to his feet to
| recite, and that had not some of his
friends been more prudent than he, and
compelled him to take an humber posi-
ton, the poetry might have been paid
for with his life"
Our union war gave instances as
striking as the above. Conspicuous
among these was the case of Col. Daniel
McCook, n member of the famous fight
ing AlcCooll family of Ohio, who, in
command of u brigade, was in the as
saulting party in Sherman's charge
upon the enemy's work at Kenesaw
mountain, Ga, June 81, 1864. Just be-
fore his last charge, according to the
account given, McCooR rested under
shelter, on q brief pause, for his brigade.
While thus waiting, the fine, fiery SOL
dier repeated in voice full of enthusi-
asm these lines from Macaulays "Hora-
thus at the Bridge:"
Then out spoke brave Horatius,
| To captain of the gate;
| To every man upon this earth
| Death cometh soon or late.
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds.
| For the ashes of his fathers,
| And the temples of his gods?"
Then the charge was ordered and the
gallant McCook, true to the union blue,
went to his death.-Rev. J. C. Magee, in
National Tribune.