News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1915-08-11
The Vermont Soldiers Home

| 1.-THE following poem was written by al
inmate of the Soldiers Home at Benning
ton July 2Sth, and was Unanimously
approved by the inmates of the Home.]
Tourists will sail for Europe, visit Lon
don, Paris, Rome,
But never think of visiting the Vernon
| Soldiers Home.
1t is located at Bennington and not fal
from the spot
Famed as the place where Gen. Stark fol-
| Red-Coats made it hot.
1t has commodious buildings, which are
| tidy, snug and neat,
Equipped with bath and smoking rooms,
and warmed by furnace heat.
| And surrounded by smooth, well-clipped
lawns, so wonderfully green
That passers-by will often stop to gaze
upon the scene.
At the west front, from tall staff, our
flag waves in the breeze,
And fountain sometimes sends its spray
above the tall elm trees.
And just beyond in a nice grove, some
times at close of day.
In stand. built for that purpose, band
will come and play.
In the background there's deer park,
enclosed in which five deer,
In nicely shaded quarters, are kept from
year to year
And just beyond the deer park, is "the
bivouac of the dead"
Where on their eternal camping ground"
their silent tents are spread.
And all around are level fields where
yearly seeds are sown,
And fodder for both man and beast in
good supply is grown.
The SnnariptanHpnt and his Wifa
well-ftted for their place;
And they fill it, everyone allows, with I'M
assuming grace.
The Nurses and Attendants are affable
and kind;
And no inmate does much kicking, or
has much fault to find.
And the cooking, for the most part, is all
done well enough,
Though sometimes the beef, to us old
vets, seems to be rather tough.
But food comes on the table in a bOunti-
full supply,
And whoever says it doesn't would easily
learn to lie.
The inmates at the Home now number
nearly seventy-five;
Some of them appear quite sprightly,
Others only half alive.
Some are lame and some are lazy; some
have futtering heart,
And soon for the silent camping-ground |
on the double quick may start.
Some complain OF swollen feet; some |
have graveyard cough,
And one old egriZzled veteran has lost |
three fingers off.
Some are short and rather stocky; others |
are tall and spare,
And some on their old cocoannts have |
scarcely any hair.
One inmate has one glass-eye, and some
have toothless gums;
And in years gone by some inmates were
Ieckoned worthless buns.
Some served in the Second Regiment,
some in the Sixth or Seventh;
Some in the Vermont Cavalry and some
in the Heavy Eleventh.
Some helped Ben Butler straighten out
the Rebs in New Orleans;
some in the Third, Fourth, Fifth and
Ninth found out just what war means.
some with Stannard fought at Gettys-
burg and helped Mead win the day,
And finally at Petersburg they ended up
the fray.
All fought beneath the Stars and Stripes,
and without doubt were brave;
10 why shouldn't they now find peace and
rest in the land they helped to save ?
Not one of them on this old earth will
many years sojourn;
Taps for many have been sounded, and
soon will come our turn.
But at the final roll-call, whether far
away or near,
DAY we all stand at Attention." and
promptly answer "Here!"