St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-13

~ O1Ns AH1NOOkA1 VV
With any OF EN- argyin' you know
ana tnen, someway, he kind o. had the swing
VI them old prophets, when he come to sling
His English; an guess. take him all round,
lie was the biggest man on top O. ground.
= You see at first / bein' Democrat
was thinkin' that the savage little spat
6etWi4t the North and South was all a-owin'
10 what them Abolitionists was DOM;
but pretty quick 1 got to howlin round
BOUT John Browns body moldering in the
ground.
And when Steve Douglas said, right fair and
square,
That this was treason lurking in the air,
run my flag up, an says, says l.
gosh! Ike old man Adams, Live or die,
survive or perish you can count on me
As for the Union am for liberty.
I" AN so is BilIlyi' SAYS my wife-our Bill.
Jest barely turned fifteen, but who could fill
Inc place of any Teller of his size
That ever walked beneath the Union skies?
OF course Izsayss but Billy he must stay
AN run the farm an make the corn an hay.
I'm still the hghtin' member O. this firm,
Ihough some 'ay lately 1 amt worth dern.
But anyhow, there amt no use of prayin-
l go an you an Billy do the stayin'.'
An then although somehow the tears would
start
| marched away to try an do my part
w liz iiItie Oily Cry1n' a1ter me,
l want to strike a lick for liberty
"Jest then I never thought the time would
come
When Billy couldn't fairly stay at home;
But thinning ranks required new bone and
muscle, ,,le
An, SO recruiting officers must hustle;
An wnen two years had passed 1 heard one
That Billy had enlisted for the fight.
God! - how watched that boy! Sometimes
Then fearful as he kept step by my side
Into the battle-up the mountain height,
frying to keep his boyish form in sight
Fraylng an sometimes swearing, too, maybe,
When he exposed himself too carelessly.
For boys, somehow, with twice the cause to
live,
Seem twice as reckless when life's to give.
"At vicksburg. in the charge, the rascal
gained
The parapet, but fell back, crushed an
Before the awful fire Of that red hell
Jest by the spot where gallant Nevis fell.
Down under shelter, where the fire was
slack,
Then called a surgeon, while cried an
swore,
And dashed myself against the fort once
more.
Iie from tndt wound an ne an i
Walked side by side on that fourth day o.
July
When Pemberton begged Grant the siege to
lift
An we marched in with arms right shoulder
shift
SO time went on, an we had stood together
In lots O. battles an in widest weather;
but, some way, he had never seemed so
sound
After the day he got that ugly wound.
"One night-twas in the midst of that cam
paign, f.-
When skirmishes wer daily, an the aim
VI Sherman an Of Hood was, day an night
10 get chance to start winning fight
Billy was placed on picket duty, where
The danger seemed to hover in the air.
he mad relieved me, strange enough to say,
An L had charged him. as I came away
To keep his wits about him an his eyes
Wide. open, or he'd meet with surprise.
An kind o grasped his musket carelessly,
Walking away upon his dangerous beat
With dreamy look an kind o. draggin feet.
'I rolled up in my blanket, but someway
couldn't sleep; before me, plain as day.
was that boy marching UP and down-his
face ti2 -trN sfytli,9<i :,
With that queer look Of gazing into space,
An not the first idea of danger near;
Or shadow of anxiety or fear.
But Jest as If his thoughts wer far away
10 Where his mother bowed her head to pray.
81 couldn't stand it, so took my gun,
An steppin' over comrades, one by one,
L hurried to theaoutposts silently
Anxious to find him once again an see
II all went well; an If 1t did. why, then
Ia Jest turn in an try to sleep again.
1T reached spot close underneath the hill.
When at sound my very heart stood still
scuHe! then cry! an oath--an' then
saw the forms of half hundred men
an fha ftariTa1 Iir,rr
That Jest outlined their fgdres on the height
1T WANT no time to thinkAI raised my arm,
The good, old musket rang out the alarm!
dozen answering shots the rebels sent, .-7
Ihen turned an run, yelling as they went.
II scrambled up the hill, an awful dread
Choking my breath! the boy! he must be
dead?
An others came, an soon we found his form
Stretched out upon the ground, but moist an
warm;
A blow upon the head that stunned, that's all
An when I saw it-wall! 1 felt a smart
That hurt more'n If the wound was in his
heart.
"Asleep upon his post He turned to me
An put his arm around me lovingly;
I couldn't help it, dad he said, an then
He smiled that boyish smile of his again.
Jest saying as he turned once more, You
I've had my chance to strike for liberty,
Don't tell the folks at home, I beg an pray
An then between the guards he marched
away.
= .s~ttse
1T want no use! 7 begged plead; I swore
That Billy wasn't like himself no more
But there he was before us, we'll as eyeri
He'd never been so bright reckon, never
Maybe it was the shock; but, anyhow,
He stood before the court, his boyish brow
Half hid by curs, an less affected when
The sentence came than any of the men,
II didn't know jest what to say or do,
foh