Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-06-10

heroism. that but little notice has ever
been taken Of this extraordinary bat
tle-Nashvllle, Tenn, Tribune.
WARTIME MEMORIES.
Note-The following lines were
written by Rev. Father Brannan and
read at meeting Of Confederate vet
Grams in November, 1902. The author,
now a resident Of Weatherford, Tex,
was one Of the youngest soldiers in the
Civil war:
In spirit we go back today,
When all Of US were young and
strong,
When We were proud to wear the gray.
Opposed to- what we thought was
| wrong,
When every man stood at his post,
To do, to dare, and to obey,
To prove he loved his country most,
Resigned to give his life away.
'Tis sad, yet sweet, now to recall,
The hardships that we underwent;
Far worse than Caesars when In Gaul,
For often we had not g. cent.
And haversacks were mighty slim,
And everything was, oh! so blue;
It almost made the eyes grow dim,
To find the rations that we drew.
But then it was some recompense,
To slip at night among the trees;
And take turkey of the fence,
Or rob fruitful hive Of bees.
And, maybe, we would get q shoat,
II not, chicken, or goose;
II nothing else, billy goat,
Or anything that lay round loose.
The weary march, who can forget,
So tired hungry, sleepy, too;
Trudging along in cold and wet
Trying to find those men In blue,
And washday, that was something
Wed wash in some stream flowing
Sit clothesless on the banks and wait
For shirt and other things to dry.
Our troubles were enough by day.
And often they were worse at night.
He could not sleep, he could not pray,
For every soldier got q bite.
And often he would have to rise,
! And hold his shirt above the blaze;
Their numbers try to minimize,
And shorten thus their length OF
day.
But after all we now delight,
To bring once more to memorys
The beating drum, the march, the
And comrades brave who've gone
before.
The cannon's boom, the screeching
shell,
The fierce contention on the field,
The bayonet and the rebel vel,
Before which everything would yield.
Oh how love to bring to mind
Dear old Virginia's many charms;
Her people knightly and refined,
Her lovely streams, her vernal farms,
Her purple mountains, skies 80 blue,
The old turnpike, the fence Of stone;
The clover fields all wet with dew,
And other beauties all her own.
Farewell dear Richmond on the James,
Farewell, sweet Valley Shenandoah;
Farewell, grand state, which still pro-
| claims
The valor which was shown Of yore,
In silent graves, where now do sleep,
The cold remains Of those who died;
Where Memory shall her vigils keep,
| While truth and honor shall abide.
The Southern soldier has no cause
To be ashamed of anything.
The world may now withhold applause,
But unborn poets yet shall sing
In glowing language Of his name,
Will tell the story Of his past,
Will write II on the scroll OF fame,
To live as long as time shall last.
But there's one name that's far above,
| And far away, beyond them all;
Whose mem'ry we shall always love,
Who kept his grandeur in his fall,
Whose fame shall ever amplify,
In centuries that are yet to be,
A name that will not, cannot die,
Our great and peerless Robert Lee.
How grand was his majestic soul!
In victory or in sad defeat,
How perfect was his self-control!
How kind his heart, how pure, how
sweet.
No monument, however high.
Although It's summit kissed the skies,
Would be too great to testify
The glory which his name implies.
And there's a name that meant sue
Whose fame's eternal as the hills;
The armys hope when IN distress,
A name that burns, a name that
| thrills.
How dazzling were his splendid deeds!
In strategy he led them all,
| Ana all the WOTlu lOudy COlCCuCo
That there Is only one "StoneWall."
No braver man was ever born,
| He flung the lightning In his path,
Snatched victory out Of hope forlorn,
Like to a whirlwind In its wrath.
Jackson and Lee! Fame synonyms!
Their tombs shall always be q shrine
Where valor sings her sweetest hymns,
Where history shall their names en-
twine.
My dear beloved soldier friends,
| We soon shall hear the last tattoo,
Which time shall beat as it descends,
To hide us all from mortal view.
But there's a land hope we'll see,
| Where there's no sorrow and no
| wars;
Where there's an endless reveille,
| Which angels sing beyond the stars.
Good-by, beloved friends, good-by,
Our lives are passing fast away,
Like clouds that fieck the lilac sky,
Or moths that round the candle play.
A few more years twill be at pest,
| When all Of US who wore the gray
| Will have passed, let's hope, to rest'
| Awaiting that last judgment day.
i Good-by, once more, last good-by,
i Together here no more we'll meet,
| Our friendship though, shall never Ole,
i A soldiers love knows no deceit,
| There Is a bond as strong as steel,
/ That binds US as the day to night;
| That is, that we shall always feel,
That what we did was for the right.