Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1905-05-25

might never have arisen had the cir
cumstance giving rise to the writing
of the poem been generally known. In
deed, the editor of the Atlantic wrote
to Mr.. Finch before publishing the
poem and asked him if he could not
incorporate the Tribune dispatch into
the poem and make it form the first
stanza. Mr. Finch tried to do this
but the result vas unsatisfactory, and
the poem was published as originally
written. We are able to give the first
stanZa:
BY the flow of the inland river,
When the fleets of iron have fed,
Where the blades of the grave-grass
Asleep are the ranks of the dead;
Under the sod and the dew.
Waiting the judgment day;
Under the one, the Blue
Under the other. the Gray"
"Sherman's March to the Sea-"
A war song once heard much often
er than it has been heard In recent
years was "Sherman's March to the
Sea-" This stirring song was written
by S. H. M. Byers, native of Penn
sylvania, but now resident of Des
Moines, Ia. We have from his own
pen the following account of how he
happened to write this song:
at was the middle of November,
1864. Sherman's great army, after
months of fighting. had captured the
city of Atlanta in Georgia. One morn
ing the news was sent about the
North that Atlanta had been blown
up, and that Sherman, with $4,000 sol
diers and many cannon, had cut loose
from his base and was marching, no
body knew where. His soldiers had,
in fact, started on that wonderful
| campaign toward the ocean which had
| for it's object the cutting in two of the
| southern confederacy. President Lin
coin even did not know at what point
| by the sea his 'bluecoats' would come
out, but he had many ships of war
| sailing up and down the coast watch
i ing for them, ready to help them and
to give them supplies. These ships
fired cannon every day and sent up
rockets at night to let Sherman's sol
diers know they were waiting for
| them. In the North many thought
Sherman's army was lost in the for
ests and swamps of Georgia. Not one
word of news came from them for
weeks. But all this time they were
successfully fighting their way
through forests, across plantations
and rivers and marching toward the
ocean. Great CONSERVATION set in
| throughout the South, for no one
knew what town or city would be next
| to fall.
at 80 happened that the town of
Columbia, the capital Of South Caro-
lima, many prisoners of war from the
| North were fastened up inside high
walled prison pen. The prisoners were
| all officers and 800 in number. Vivid
ly l still recall how we prisoners
longed and prayed that Sherman's
army might pass our way, take the
city and release us. Alas, it passed
far to our right, forty miles away. We
prisoners were allowed no news from
Sherman's army. We could only guess
from the scowls of our guards or by
| overheard remarks that all was going
bad with the confederacy.
1.-TWO officers and myself slept in a
little cold wedge tent. 1t was mid
winter, and our rations were scarce.
| Once 1 persuaded an old negro, who
was permitted to come in and sell us
a little bread, to bring us some news
He complied by secreting a copy of
the morning paper inside loaf of
| bread. 1t did not tell much; but be-