The Port Gibson reveille., 1921-05-19
MY RECOLLECTIONS OF
CLAIBORNE COUNTY
By James +. MecaIeb.

Lond and clear across the mountain
Came the shril blast 81 a bugie,
Winding warbling through the valley
And the Tories paused and listened
Listened 10 that danger signal
For an instance there in silence.
%Mari0n's meni" they quickly shouted,
q tbs words 81 their commander
Every man spranE 70 his saddle,
Every coward Of them tran5led,
As hey Thought ofMarian's vengeance
Should his brave men dash upon them.
One. relenting drew has sabre,
AS he passed The swinging figure,
+ cat the rppethe childish body
sVsyed, and len before his mother.
Wra 1a dead Ihud of horror,
llke The lrst clnds on 3 coiIir
Itca 8 5lG black nurse rushed
il6iy
+ iTr hm closely e her bosom;
aa Blessed Cord! mes liyingl
CAN feel bis heart o beatin
a tremhie but ! feel IT,
Then she bore him to his chamber
While his mother followed after
Followed ike = dreaming wofnan
Walking in the land u slumber.
Far adown the verdant valley
Lying eastward 81 the mountain,
came the gallant men Of Marion
With their brave and daring leader
Bearing down upon the Tories.
Right and left they came upon them,
Taking not a single captive.
For their war-cry was mo quarterl"
And few indeed were living
When their vengeance had been stated;
One or two crawled through the bushes
Bleeding, weakly seeking shelter
On their hands and knees thew
grovelled.
Making slow and painful headway,
From the bloody field Of battle.
When the CORY struggle ended,
And the valley with its ghastly
Load Of death and blood was Uttered,
Then the gallant General Marion
Called his valiant men about him,
Gave them sad and gloomy orders
For the dead must an be buried
And the living must attend them.
Then he rode in silence onward,
To the homestead Of McCaleb
With his loved and loyal captain
Riding swiftly on beside him.
When they reached the grand Old
mansion
There were lights in all the windows.
Many forms were fitting past them
in the hurry Of excitement.
MeCaleo's foot scarce rested
0n the broad and open doorway
When his wife rushed out 70 meet him
Falling senseless on his bosom.
" hen the eyes Of little David
Opened up 10 life and reason,
dis father knelt beside him-
Weeping, s0boing on his pillow.
The childish fingers rested
sQfrly GA the soldiers temple.
An1 tie frat E0Frts shat ~ Uttered
z eFs,--L da3 uos ssll thers father.
I zia a. mosher tads ms.
/ #ad tavs 3iad 20 save you.
et they AZ sue-s there about him
aaa t1r t.ag heaven
~ Ge @ r&r the father
laEa41A tie E f his mother,
Aa54 1s on 1 amazed spirit.
Ses a mAlapetsfi vFOrd was spoken
1Fl1a seemed meaningless and idle
q aae iEIs sanity. baby hero
AeSe above them, grand and lovely;
DN4rI ting all their hoasted courage
q tn tbs greatness born within hm
Like the Christ child In the temple
There among them crowned with
glory
4 hundred years have blossomed
Borne their fruitage, and have fallen
and those war clouds long have
vanished
From the peaceful skies above US.
Little David, loved and honored.
Grew 70 bright and happy manhood.
Left his father and his mother,
And his home IN South Carolina:
Sought the rolling Mississippi
In the vale Of Bayou Pierre
Brought fair young wife beside him,
Sons and daughters grew about him
Strong and manly, sweet and pleasing;
Peace and plenty crowned his hearth
stone,
Filled his years with happy measure.
From the broad old-fashioned
windows
OF the mansion that he builded.
One can see the cleaning marble,
Of his tomb upon the hillside
Trees he planted bend above him
Like a silent guard Of honor.
Where six generations slumber
VI the grand race Of McCaleb.
.
Old Simon's voice grew fainter.
Fainter still, as darkness gathered;
And the children listened listened
Grept up to him, leaned upon him;
But the silence and the darkness
Wrapped him closely like a mantle
The old man had told his story
And had died there as he told it.
1878 Mary Hunt McCaleb.
Towards the close Of the nineteenth
century and the first ten years of the
twentieth century one Of the country
customs that brought all classes Of
our people together vas the ann,,ai