The Florence daily tribune., 1898-09-26
PATHETIC WAR SONG.
DARLING" AND
ITS HISTORY.
Written by AN Army Nurse who Learned
the Life Story of Youth who Died
as = Result of the Night Attack of
Cedar Greek. v


late and some of the verses that were
popular when some of us were young
are being printed and sung again. Many
readers will be glad to once more peruse
the lines in Somebody's Darling" This
is one Of the most pathetic pieces that
grew out of the civil war. Here 1t is In
part:
Into ward of the whitewash'd halls.
Where the dead and the dying lay.
Wounded by bayonets, shells and balls.
Somebody's darling was borne one day
Somebody's darling. SO young and 80
brave.
Wearing yet on his pale, sweet face;
Soon to be hid by the dust OF the grave
The lingering light of his boyhood's
grace.
Matted and damp are the curls of gold.
| Kissing the snow of that fair young
brow.
| Pale are tho lips OF delicate moult
somebody's darling Is dying now.
Back from his beautiful bluc-veined brow
Brush all the wandering waves OF god.
Cross his hands on his bosom now.
| Somebody's darling is still and cold.
kiss him once for somebody's sake.
Aurmur q prayer soft and low,
One bright curl from its fair mates take.
They wsrs Somebody's pride. you know;
Somebody's hand had rested there;
Was H. . mothers. soft and whitef
And have the lips OF q sister fair
Bet T.. baptized in the waves of liEht7
God knows best; he has somebody's love.
| Somebody's heart enshrined him there;
Somebody waited his name above
| Night and morn on the wings of prayer.
| Somebody wept when he march'd away.
Looking SO handsome, brave and grand:
Somebody's kiss on his forehead lay.
| Somebody clunE to his parting hand.
Somebody's waiting and watching for
him.
| Yearning to hold him again to their
heart;
| And there he lies with his blue eyes dim,
| And the smiling. childlike lips apart.
| Tenderly bury the fair young dead.
| PausinE to drop on his grave tear;
Carve on the wooden slab at his head;
Somebody's darling slumbers here"
More pathetic still is the story that
the lines fail to unfold. The poem was
written by Sister Lacoste, a member OF
one OF the sisterhoods that did service
during the conflict between north and
south. Coming into the dead room"
Of the hospital she saw the corpse OF
young man who had been fatally
wounded at the battle of Cedar Creek.
He proved to be Patrick Feeney,
| young Michigander. who enlisted at
Detroit. In some way his mother
learned of his enlistment and she hast
ened to that city from the interior of
the state to save him. She was too
late, however for her son was already
| in suit of army blue and ready to
march, His mother saw the general in
command and asked him II she could
see her darling boy. He is my only
one and SO precious to US all. she cried.
Then she shrieked with grief and faint
ed away. While in this condition her
son was brought in. She stared at him
in vacant way for a few seconds and
| then look OF admiration came to her
eyes. The sight OF her brave boy in
his new suit of blue touched her pride.
She was the mother OF one willing to
sacrifice his life while fighting for his
| country. She embraced him and said:
Heaven has blessed me with such
son. I.came to take you away, but now
wouldn't II could. If you come back
alive I'll thank God, but II you are
killed 1t will be Joy to me to know
| that you died good soldier"
Tears came to the eyes OF those near
at hand as mother and son parted never
| to meet again, for few months later
a letter came from Sister Lacoste say
ing that Patrick Feeney had been
wounded unto death, but that he had
lived to receive the last sacraments of
/ the church and to send word to his
mother that he had been shot during a
night attack OF the enemy. Had /
been awake they could not have killed
me-"
1t was a month after his death that
the poem first appeared in print. be-
lieve that 1t was first printed in the
Southern Churchman of Savannah
Previous to the war Sister Lacoste had
been a school teacher.
We are told that Sister Lacoste after
wards married young lieutenant Of
the confederacy with whom she fell In
/ lovn whf1a nursing ot Savannah