The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1911-02-23
The Marches 0f '6l TO '65.

(Read by Miss Blanch Ford at the
Joint meeting of the Candy Post G. A.
R. and the Candy Woman's Relief
Corps held on Saturday, afternoon,
February II, in celebration of the birth
of Abraham Lincoln. The poem was
written for the occasion by 7. ].
Cunning.)
Last May saw the G. A. R. with
halting step go by.
'Tis fifty years since first they marched
With buoyant tread and flashing eye.
With courage strong and purpose bold
To save the Union, held so dear:
And guard the flag that over head
Held reverent in their hearts, its
cheer.
These marches, silent. aged and worn
Think of the past in which they
strove-
Their banner blazed with battle field
Der all the south, where they did
Fort Sumpter's fall called out these
men
To battle with traitor crew.
They answered promptly to the call
And followed where the Dugle blew.
Alexandria taken without fight,
where gallant Ellsworth fell.
These marches, quick avenged his
death and stopped one rebel yell.
Undaunted by Bull Runs defeat.
they onward kept their way,
At Laurel Hill and Phillippi, swept out
the rebel gray.
Belmont, Kentucky and Mill Springs.
where Zollicoffer fell,
These names upon their banners, what
cheering tale they tell.
Pea Ridge and Lexington, Fort
Henry and Donaldson taken
Left an open road to Shiloh, where
Grant was, badly shaken.
But he held his own, while BuePs
men came marching all the night
And hurled the rebels back again, who
thought they'd won the fight.
Springfield, Fair Oaks, and at Ante
tam too
These marches saw hot times through
all the year of eighteen sixty two.
But Oh the thought appalls me, to
tell all the fields they won
thought 'twould be an easy thing, to
tell YOU what they done
Why to tell the tale of Gettysburg
would many volumes fill
And leave out all the cream these
marches could instill.
1t took some five and twenty years,
Shiloh's story to make true
But they saved the land most bravely,
Thosesmarching boys in blue.
They march no more to battle, nc
deadly arms they bear,
But carry sweet flowers of spring to
deck the graves of comrades dear.
While at the front cold Glory" waves
A blessing on this tottering host.
And a nation bows its reverent head,
From Maine to Pacific coast.
What did they do to merit this? They
did not free the slave, Oh no.
Commander-in-chief Old Abe $50 called
by friend and foe)
Freed the bondsman and cleaned the
flag, BY single stroke of pen.
But he knew he had to back him this
host of marching men.
Those men who fought in tierces'
war, that ever a nation rent -
Those men of a thousand battles, who {
scaled every battlement,
Those men of Chicamauga, Mission
Ridge, Kenesaw
Joined hands with me who stood a
Pickett's charge
And in the Wilderess, Cold Harbor
Petersburg
Had shown themselves Soldiers-large
Remembering the orders of Com
| mander-in-C Chief
To bind up the wounds caused by war
Came home, and decided the YER
best way
To do this was to form into Posts tn
G. A. r.
The old foes were remembered il
this wise arrangement
And banshed from hearts ali thought
of estrangement
In fraternity and charity they me
them sincere
They returned it with loyalty provel
and clear.
So that today I'll wager more than
frank
You can't tell who's most loyal, Johnn,
or Yank.