Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-08-27
THE WISCONSIN WAR EAGLE
Henry Howard HrOwncIi's Spirited
Poem nbout "OId Abe"

Henry Howard BrOwncIrs Spirited
Poem nbout "Oid Abe"
Did you hear of the nrht at Corlnth
How We whipped out Price and Van
Dom?
All. that day We earned our rations-
(Our cause was Gods and the nations,
Or we'd have come ont fororn)
a long and terrible day.
And, at last. when night grew gray.
BY tho hundred, there they lay
Nfcavy sleepcrs. you'd say
That wouldn't wake on the morn
Our stan was bare of a flag,
! We didn't carry a rag
In those brave marching days
All. no-but n finer thing
With never cord or string,
An eagle. of rufrlcd wing,
And an eye of awful gaze!
The grape II ratified like hail
| The minies were dropping like rain.
| The first Of a thunder shower
| The wads were blowing like chaff.
CThere was pounding. like floor and tali
All the front of our line0
So We stood It. hour after hour
But our eagle. he felt hne
'Twould have made you cheer and laugh,
To see through that iron gale,
How the Old Felow'd swoop and sail
Above the racket and roar
To right and left he'd soar,
But ever came back, without fail
And perched on his standard-staff.
All that day, tell you true,
No..
TIL we fought in street and square
(The affair, you might think, looked,
blue.)
But we knew we had them there.
Our works and batteries were few,
Every gun, they'd have sworn, they
knew
| But. YOU see, there was one or two
| We had fixed for them unaware.
They reckon they've got us now.
| For the next half-hour twill be warm.
Aye. aye. look yondcr!-I vow,
II they weren't Secesh. how I'd love
them.
only see how grandly they form,
tour eagle whirling above thcm)
To take Robinctt by storm.
They're t!ming-lt can't be long
Now for the nub of the fight
(fou may guess that we held our BREATH
BY the Lord. It's n splondid sight.
column two thousand strong
Marching square to the death.
On they came In solid column.
For once. no whooping or veil
(Ah, | dare say they felt solemn
Front and nank-grape and shell
Our batteries pounded away.
And the mines hummed to remind 'cm
They had started on no ch!ld's play.
Steady they kept a-going
But grim wake settled behind 'em
From the edge OF the abattis
CWhere our dead and dying lay
Under fence and fallen tree)
Up to Robinctt. all the way
The dreadful swath kept going
Twas butternut, hccked with gray
Now for It. at Roblnett!
Mu2zle to muzzle We met
(Not breath OF buster or brag.
Not lisp for quarter or favor
Three times. there. by Robinett.
With rush. their feet they set
On the logs OF our parapet.
And waved their bit OF flag
What could be finer or Drawer.
But our cross-hre stunned them In flank
They melted. rank after rank
(O'er them with terrible poise.
Our bird did circle and whcelD
Their whole line began to waver-
Now for the bayonet. boys!
on them with the cold steel,
All. wcll-you know how It ended
We did for them there and then.
But their pluck, throughout, was SPLEEN
did
CAS- said before, l could love themD
They stood to the last like men
Only n handful of them
Found the way back again.
Red as blood, DER tho town.
The angry sun went down.
Firing Flagstaff and vane--
And our Ea8le-as for him,
There. all ruffied and grim.
He sat, o'erlooking the slain!
Next morning. you'd have wondered
How We had to drive the spade.
There. In great trenches and holes,
(Ah. God rest their poor soulsO
We piled some fifteen hundred
Where that last charge was made!
Sad enough must say.
No mother to mourn and search.
No priest to bless or to pray
We buried them where they lay,
Without a rite OF tho church.
But our Eagle, all that day,
Stood colemn and stu on his perch.
| IT'S many a stormy day
Since. out of the cold, bleak North.
Our great War-Eag gle sailed forth
To swoop DER battle and fray.
Many and many day
Ger charge and storm hath we wheeled,
Foray and foughten field.
Tramp and volley. and rattle!-
Over crimson trench and turf.
| Over climbing clouds of surf.
| Through tempest and cannon-rack,
| Have his terrible pinons whlrlcd-
| GA thousand fields of battle
| A million leagues of foamD
| But our bird shall vet come back,
| lie shall soar to his eyric home
| And his Humorous wings be furled,
| In the gaze of n gladdened world,
Or the Nations lofticst dome,