The Monitor-register., 1896-09-11

To the farther side of the Rapidan river;
And some of you boys can yet remember
Our Mine Run march in bleak December.
Or our winter camp of joy and hope
On Stoney Mountains western slope.
Whilst even yet we shrink and SILVER,
AS we think of that ba ii in the icy river.
Then silent Grant with his western fame
Brought hope and strength with his mighty
name,
Whom the rebel Lee tried hard to defeat,
But failed to even cause a retreat;
Whilst the Wilderness woods were a lesson
grand,
That Grant was a fighter and able to stand
In our eastern company, and never get out,
Except to the front. by the left,fiank route;
And at Spottsylvania took his place
At the head of his class, with easy gra ce;
So that one of our proudest red-letter days.
Was that mighty charge on the 18th of May,
Where the gallant Davis a up his life
In the awful crash of that bloody strife
And our ranks were thinned, and our colors
torn
By the flying balls and the leaden storm,
Whilst Grant spoke up as a hopeful sign,
"I'l fight it out right on this line
If it takes all summer"-and part of the
next
Before we got them fully perplexed,
And willing to run and holler enough,
And own that the Army of the Potomac was
tough.
North Anna next gave us the thrill
of that mighty charge adown the hill.
And Cold Harbor failed to bring any fun,
With its leaden hail and its burning sun,
Until glad we were to rest our frames
IN tho nraoSu hon 10 Of tho riuar Jonnao.
Or we hoped to rest and eat the fat OK
By the banks of the flowing Appomattox.
But Petersburg, not far away,
Required q more protracted stay,
And for ten long months we had our fun,
With march and fight aud shovel and gun
Built breastworks, redoubts. forts and SIGH,
Made abbatis, lunette*. and ditch;
Dodged shot and ball, nor thought 1t hard,
To picket. skirmish, or stand guard.
Ream's Station raid, and Hatcher's Run,
Deep Bottom, in the rain and sun,
The Boyden road and Dabney's Mills.
Fort Steadman, on the Hare House hills,
The mortar shells in sparkling flight,
Enlivened many a dreary night,
And the cattle-raid around our rear
Gave us a march and the Reds-a steer.
The pleasure fine of old Fort He'll,
W. oU wow oho iuAiC q oPSiB
In rear line works, near the ShindIe house,
Where we fought, and caught the festive
louise,
The Crow house, Bull Pen, and the Mine
Engaged our strength and leisure time;
But in the spring. what glorious fun,
To see old Lee and Davis run;
AS night and day. we made them hump,
Over hill and dale with run and jump,
Till Sheridan got in their van
And blocked their way with cavalrymen.
Then Lee concluded 1t was best
To ask of Grant a little rest;
But the silent man, as you remember,
Said: Unconditional surrender'-
And they dropped their flag and grounded
arms,
But they took their horses to tend their
farms,
Whilst the Rebel flag its meaning lost,
AS we fed our foes-a hungry host.
Some pleased and glad. some sour and glum.
But they cheered with us for Home. sweet
Home;'
And though to give up was hard and tough,
They seemed to know when they had
enough,
And we slept together without any fears,
The first sweet night in many years;
oo Siau undo JIG pioouy "oIk WIS uoneb
That we turned our minds to thoughts of
home.
And the war-like fever has passed away,
Except as we meet on this natal day,
When we think of our dead n how they
died,
How they fought and fell in that bloody
tide;
They were part of our family-gave us a
name
AS a fighting regiment, part of our fame,
And their deeds we cherish and names re-
we're
At our annual reunions, year by year,
When we meet and talk, and grasp the hand
of those who are left of that gallant band;
And think of the sorrows, hopes and joys
OF our youthful days, as soldier boys.