Show M byerl af va da the soldier boy I 1 vve give my soldier boy a blade in fair damascus fashion d well who first the glittering fai falchion chlon sway away d who first beneath its fury fell I 1 know not but I 1 hope to know that for no mean or hirling trade to guard no teel el ng base or low I 1 give my soldier boy a blade cool calm and clear the lucid flood in which its tempering work was done As calm as clear as cool of mood be thou chene re it sees the sun for country a clam cla m at honor a call for outraged tr fr end insulted maid at mercy s voice to b d it fall I 1 give my so dier boy a blade the eye which mark d its peerless edge the hand that we gh d its balanced p poise 0 ise anvil and pinchers forge and wedge are gone with all their flame and no se aad st at it 11 the gleaming sword remains bo so when in dust I 1 low am laid remember by those heartfelt strains I 1 gave my so d er boy b 10 a blade ni wlliam aim maginn magin before ant etam atam As these vast american armies the one clad in blue and the other in gray stood contemplating each other from the adjacent hills flaunting their defiant banners they presented an array stray of martial splendor that was not equaled perhaps on any othe other field it waa was in marked contrast with other battlegrounds on the open plain where stood these hostile hosts in long lines listening in silence tor for the sig nal summoning them to battle there were no breastworks breast borks no no in ter woodlands nor abrupt bills hills nor hiding places nor impassable streams the pace over which the assaulting columns were to march and on which was soon to occur the tremendous struggle consisted ol 01 smooth and gentle undulations and a narrow valley covered with green grass and growing corn from the position as signed me near the center ol 01 lee s lines both armies and the entire field were in view the scene was not only magnificent to look upon but the rea liz atlon of what it meant was deeply impressive even in times of peace our sensibilities are stirred by the echt of a great army passing in re view how more thrilling in the dread moments before the bat tie tle to look upon two mighty armies upon the same plain beneath spread ensigns and bristling bayonets wait ing for the impending crash and sick ening carnage behind McClel lans army the coun try was open and traversed by broad macadamized roads leading to wash ington and baltimore the defeat therefore or even the total rout of he union forces meant not feces the destruction of that army mt iut more probably its temporary d s organization and rapid through j country abounding in supplies and toward cities rich in men and means behind lee lees s confederates on the other hand was the potomac river too deep to be forded by his infantry ex capt at certain points defeat and total rout of his army meant there tore fore not only its temporary di izatique but its possible destruction and yet that bold leader did not hesi best tate to give battle gen john D gordon in scribners s maine s first artillery major charles J house clerk of the office of 0 the labor commission and capt horace H shaw of portland have about completed the history of the first maine heavy artillery which was mustered into service in bangor august 21 1862 the history of the first maine heavy artillery is of special interest from the tact fact that it lost more dpn than any other of the 4 regiments la in the civil war a total of as against the second heaviest loer the eighth new york heavy artillery with a record of the loss of this maine regiment at petersburg was the heaviest of any regiment in a single action the num aber killed and subsequent deaths from wounds being aganet aga ast in the eighth nw york at cold harbor the maine loss of at Spott Spottsyl sylvania vama vias as the third heaviest of any regiment in a single action there were 2 men originally enlisted in this maine regiment hailing from bangor the loss to the regiment during the 36 days from may 19 to june 18 1864 inclusive was killed wounded and 15 taken prisoners mak ing a total loss in thi short period of 1208 during the three days battle of pe kersburg burg the second army croos cro os Ds corn com posed of 84 regiments and four batter les tes lost 59 commissioned officers 14 of whom or almost 24 per cent were officers of the first maine heavy ar tillery in the tuo battles of Spotts bp otts jl vania and petersburg there were a total of members of the regiment wounded at the four engagements of cold harbor boydson road siege of petersburg and deatonville Deat onville there was ia total of wounded the greatest number taken prison era at one time was at jerusalem plant road june 22 1864 when 22 went off with the enemy there are survivors scattered over various sections of maine and massachusetts a few having drifted to the west and south the only field off officers leers now liv ing above the rank of captain are major C V crossman of bangor and brevet brigadier general charles hamlin reporter of decisions port land me argus gen gordon gordons s contraband bouquet As we moved along the street a lit tie tle girl probably twelve years ears of age ran up to my horse and handed me a large bouquet of flowers in the cen ter of which was a note in delicate handwriting purporting to give the numbers and describe the position of the union forces of vv Wrights wrightsville ville to ward which I 1 was advancing I 1 carefully read and reread this strange note it tt bore no signature and con talked no assurance of sympathy for the southern cause but it was so terse and explicit in its terms as to compel my confidence the second day we were in front of wrightsville Wrights ville and from the high ridge on which thia this note suggested that I 1 halt and ex amme smine the position of the union troop troops I 1 eagerly scanned the prospect with my field glasses in order to verify the truth of the mysterious coni communication Tunica or detect its misrepresentations there in full view before us was the town just as described nestling on the banks of the susa behanna there was the blue line of soldiers guarding the approach drawn up as indicated along an a intervening ridge and across the pike there was the long bridge spanning the susquehanna and con necking the town with columbia on the other bank most important of all there was the deep gorge or ravine running off to the right and extending around the left flani of the federal line and to the river below the bridge not an inaccurate detail in that note could be discovered I 1 did not heal best tate therefore to adopt its suggestion of moving down the gorge in order to throw my command on the flank or possibly in the rear of the union troops and force them to a rapid retreat or surrender the result of thia this movement vindicated the strategic wis dom of my unknown and judging by the handwriting female correspond ent whose note was none the less mar bial because embedded in roses and whose evident genius for war had oc casion offered might have made her a captain equal to catherine gen john B gordon in the july scribners ner a kentucky soldiers I 1 remember how shocked some ol 01 the boys from ohio were an on one of oui our first scouting expeditions says a veteran we were prowling along g ravine when the scouts or skirmish ers reported armed men on the othel other side of the stream there was some confusion but before instruction instructions could be given ont of our men fired at a man who bad had shown himself well up the hill and whose body a minute later came tumbling down toward us our scout had recognized a man who as the leader of a gu guerrilla rrolla band had burned the house of his father and driven the family from the neighbor hood and had ahot him through the head thereupon the guerrillas scat and our own men discussed the shooting with many expressions ol 01 disapproval that i several Kentuck lans dis appeared from camp and we learned later that they had joined some men of ano her regiment pursued the rebel guerrillas and had killed three more of them one day our company came suddenly on a superior force of the enemy and the order was to retreat some of the men took to the woods however and rallying some of theli their old neigh neighbors borg serving in other corn com banies ambushed ambus hd the rebels and drove them back As they put it they were in the service to fight the rebels and it if they couldn coulden t do it one way bej would another many men of this character were in wolford s first kin tucky cavalry and were not notorious rious toi fol their disposition to scatter over the country on a march veterans will be welcomed referring to the coming encamp ment of the G GAR A R the san francis co chronicle Chronic 1 e says for the second time the grand army of the republic will hold its an nual encampment in this city doubt less also it will be the last time sev enteen jeams ears ago the encampment met me here and that body is not likely to revisit any city at shorter intervals seventeen years I 1 ence there will doubtless remain some straggling rem nants rants host who witt feeble steps will wend their way til to the appointed rendezvous once more to meet their old comrades in arms and renew their vows of fraternity charity and loyalty but they will not no be here the fatigue of cf so long a jour ney will be impossible at their great greal age whatever honor san francisco francisca ever intends to pay to the survivors 01 ol the great struggle for the union its people must prepare to pay now when the coming encampment which Is ta to meet here in august breaks up we w shall part with that body of veterans ve forever confederates aid un on veteran A strange and affecting scene re bently was enacted before a court li in augusta ga A man named georg moore was vas arraigned before the court charged with burglary he was I 1 union veteran and was with nai in the march to the sea it wat was claimed that he stole in order to sui sul ply himself with food for he was 7 fr needy and nearly 70 years old om hi H pleaded guilty and threw himself on the mercy of the court the presiding judge william gary was as a crate erate veteran and the jury was large ly made up of the same class of men the jury brought in a verdict of gulitz but recommended the prisoner to th mercy of the court thereupon th judge fined the prisoner 1 whick capt smythe a union veteran suil an the postmaster immediately tendered he was anticipated however by cap capt john W dark clark sheriff a erat erato veteran who paid the fine which tha th judge ordered the clerk to turn over ts t the prisoner |