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Show T ' - - - I TALiS iThe Soldier Doy. I give my soldier boy n blade. In fnlr Damascus fashlon'd woll: Wlio first tlie KlUterlnR falchion sway'd, . Who first beneath Its fury fell, I know not, but I hope to know That for no mean or hlrllnB trade, To cuard no fenllnK Inso or low, I give my soldier boy a blade, "Cool, cnlm nnd clear, tho lucid flood In which Us tempering work was done, As cnlm, as clear, ns cool of mood, i. IJo thou whcno'ro It sees the sun. For country's claim, nt honor's call, For outraged friend. Insulted maid, At mercy's voice to bid It fnll, I Rive my soldier boy a blado. The eyo which mark'd Hi peerless eden. ' The hand that welgh'd Its balanced poise , . , Anvil and pinchers, force nnd wedge. Are none with all their llamo and nolso , And still the gleaming sword remains; So, when In dust I low am laid. Remember, by thoo heartfelt strains, I B"-o my soldier boy a blade. -William llaglnn. Before Antletam. As tlioso vast American armies, the ono clad In blue anil tlio other In gray, stood contemplating each other from tho adjacont hills, flaunting their defiant de-fiant banners, thoy presented an array of martial splendor that was not equaled, perhaps, on any other field. It was In marked contrast with other battlegrounds. On tho open plain, where stood those hostllo hosts In long lines, listening In silence for the slg-oat slg-oat summoning them to hattlo, thoro wero no breastworks, no abatis, no Intervening In-tervening woodlands, nor nbrupt hills, nor hiding plncos, nor Impassahlo streams. Tho spaco over which the assaulting columns wero to march, and on which was soon to occur tho tremendous tre-mendous struggle, consisted of smooth and gentle undulations nnd a narrow Talloy covered with green grnss and growing corn. From tho position ns-ilgned ns-ilgned me, near tho conter of Leo's lines, both armies and tho entlro Hold wore In view. Tho scone was not only magnificent to look upon, but tho realization rea-lization of what It meant was deeply Impressive, nvon In times of pcaoo our sensibilities nro stirred by tho sght of a great army passing In re-vlow. re-vlow. How Infllntely moro thrilling In tho dr.oad moments beforo the battle bat-tle to look upon two mighty armies upon tho same plain, "beneath sprend , . onslgns and bristling bayonets," wait- ',' ;, Ing for the Impending crash and sick- ' ' k onlng carnagol l )' Behind McClellan's army tho coun- f' ,, try was open and traversed by broad T' macadamized roads leading to Wash- i p. Ington nnd Baltimore. Tho defeat, ! I therefore, or oven tho total rout of ho Union forces meant not necos-utrlly necos-utrlly tho destruction of that army, tut moro probably Its temporary dls-irganlzatlon dls-irganlzatlon nnd rapid retreat through J country nboundlng In supplies, and toward cities rich In men and means. Bohlnd Leo's Confederates, on tho other hand, was tho Potomac river, too deep to ho forded by his lnfnntry, ox-cept ox-cept at certain points. Defeat nnd total rout of his army meant, therefore, there-fore, not only Its temporary disorganization, disorgan-ization, but Us posstblo destruction, and yet that bold leader did not hesl-tato hesl-tato to glvo battle. Gen. John B. Gordon, In Scrlbnor's. Maine's First Artillery. Major Charles J. House, clerk of tho ofrtco of tho labor commission, nnd Capt. Horaco II. Shaw of Portland havo about completed tho history of tho First Malno heavy artillery, which was mustered Into servlco In Bangor, August 21. 18G2. Tho history of tho First Maine heavy nrtlllory Is of special Interest from tho fact that It lost moro men than any other of tho 4,000 regiments In tho civil war, n total of 441, as against tho second henvlcst loser, tho Eighth Now York' heavy artillery, with a rocord of 301. Tho loss of this Maine regiment nt Petersbuig was tho heaviest of any regiment In n slnglo action, tho num- bor killod and subsequent deaths from wounds being 242, against 207 In the Eighth New York nt Cold Harbor. Tho Malno loss of 155 nt Spottsylvanla was tho third heaviest of any regiment In a slnglo action. Thero were 2.200 men orlgmnlly enlisted In this Malno reglmbnt, 210 hailing fiom Bangor. Tho loss to tho regiment during tho 3G days from May 10 to Juno IS, 1SC4, Inclusive, wns 404 killed, TS9 wounded nnd 15 taken prisoners, making mak-ing a total loss In this short period of 1,208. During tho thrco das' bnttlo of Petersburg Pe-tersburg tho second army crops, composed com-posed of 84 regiments and four batter-los, batter-los, lost 59 commissioned officers, 14 of whom, or almost 24 per cent, wero officers of tho First Malno heavy ar-tlllory. ar-tlllory. In the two battles of Spottsylvanla Spottsyl-vanla nnd Petersburg there wore a total of 74G membors of tho regiment wounded. At tho four engagements of Cold Harbor, Boydton Itoad siege of Petersburg and Deatonvlllo thoro was a total of 113 wounded. Tho greatest number taken prisoners prison-ers at ono tlmo was at Jerusalem Plant road, Juno 22. ISO I. when 22 went off with tho enemy. Thero are 537 survivors scattered over various sections of Malno and Massachusetts, a fow having drifted to tho wost and south. Tho only field officers now living liv-ing above tho rank of captain aro Major C. V. Crossmnn of Bangor and Brevet Brigadier General Chnrles Hamlin, reporter of decisions. Portland, Port-land, Me., Argus. ; Gen. Gordon's Contraband Bouquet. As wo moved nlonR tho street a lit-tlo lit-tlo girl, probably twlvo years of nge, ran up to my horsu and handed mo a largo bouquet of flowers. In tho con-i con-i ter of which was a nuto In delicate handwriting, purporting to give tho numbers and describe tho position of I 1 i.. 1 4 tho Union forces of Wrightsvllle, toward to-ward which I wns advancing. I carefully care-fully read and reread this strango noto. It bo ro no signature and contained con-tained no assurance of sympnthy for the Southern causo, but It was so torso and explicit In Its terms as to compel my confidence. Tho second day wo were In front of Wrlghtsvlllo, and from tho high rldgo, ou which this noto suggested thnt I halt and oxi amino tho position of tho Union troops I eagerly scanned tho prospect wltlj my Hold glasses In order to verify tho truth of tho mysterious com mil n Ira tlon or detect Its misrepresentations Thoro, In full view before us, wns tho town, Just ns described, nestling on tho banks of tho Susquehanna. Thoro was tho bluo lino of soldiers guarding tho approach, drawn up as Indicated, along nn Intervening rldpo and across tho plko. Thero wns tho long bridge spanning tho Susquchnnna and connecting con-necting tho town with Columbia on tho other bnnk. Most Important of nil thero was tho deep gorgo or ravlno running oft to tho right nnd extending around tho loft flank of tho Federal lino and to tho rlvor bolow tho bridge Not nn innccurato dotnll In that noto could ho discovered. I did not hesl-tato, hesl-tato, thcrcforo, to adopt Its suggostlon of moving down tho gorgo In order to throw my command on tho flank, or possibly In tho rear, of tho Union troops nnd forco thorn to a rapid retreat re-treat or surrender. Tho result of this movement vindicated the strategic wisdom wis-dom of my unknown and Judging by tho handwriting femnlo correspondent, correspond-ent, whoso noto wns nono tho loss martial mar-tial becauso embedded In rosos, and whoso evident genius for war, had occasion oc-casion offered, might havo nmdo bor a captain equal to Catherine. Oen. John B. Gordon, In tho July Scrlbnor's. Scrlb-nor's. Kentucky 8otdleri. "I remember how shocked some ol tho hoys from Ohio wero on one of oui first scouting oxpoJItlons," says a veteran. "Wo wero prowling along ravlno when tho scouts or skirmish-ors skirmish-ors roported armed men on tho othei sldo of tho stream. Thero was soma confusion, but beforo instruction! could ho given ont of our men flrod at n man who had shown hlmsolf woll up the hill, and whoso body a minute, later camo tumbling down toward us. our scout had recognized a man who, as tho leader of a guerrilla band, had burned tho house of his fnthor and driven tho family from tho neighbor hood, and had shot him through the head. Thereupon tho guerrillas scab tered and our own men discussed thf shooting with many expressions ol disapproval. "That l !ght sovoral Kontucklans disappeared dis-appeared from camp, nnd wo learned later that they had Joined some mon of nnothor regiment, pursued tho robel guerrillas and had killed thrco more of them. Ono day our company cam suddonly on a superior forco of tin enemy and tho order was to retroat Some of tho men took to tho woods, however, nnd rallying somo of tholi old neighbors serving lit other com panlos, ambushed the rebels and drov them back. As they put It, thoy wen in tho service to fight tho rebels, and If they couldn't do It one v. ay thoj would nnothor. Many men of thli character wore In Wolford's First Ken tucky cavalry, and woro notrlous foi their disposition to scatter over the country on a march." Veterans Will be Welcomed. Referring to tho coming encampment encamp-ment of tho G. A. It., tho San Francisco Francis-co Chronicle says: "For tho second time the Grand Army of tho Republic will hold Its an-nual an-nual encampment In this city. Doubt less also it will bo tho last tlmo. Seventeen Sev-enteen years ago tho enenmpmont mot here, nnd that body Is not likely tc revisit any city at shorter Intervals. Seventeen years honco thero will doubtless remain some straggling ronv nnnts of thnt mighty host, who, with fcoblo stops, will v,pnd their wny to tho appointed rendezvous onco more to meet their old comrades in nrmi and renew their vows of fraternity, charity and loyalty. But they will nol bo boro. The fatiguo cf so long n Jour noy will bo lmposslblo nt their grcal ago. Whatever honor San Francisco ever Intends to pay to tho survivors ol tho great strugglo for tho Union Iti peoplo must preparo to pay now. Whoa tho coming encampment, which Is to meet hero In August, breaks up wo shall part with that body of voterani forever." Confederates Aid Union Veteran. A strango and affecting sccno re. ccntly was enacted beforo a court Is Augusta, Ga. A man named Georgi Mooro wns arraigned beforo the court charged with burglary. Ho was i Union veteran and was with Sherraax in the "March to tho Soa." It wai claimed that ho stolo In ordor to suf ply himself with food, for ho was Tirj needy and nearly 70 yenrs olu, in plendcd 'guilty and throw himself oi tho morcy of tho court Tho presldlni Judge, William Gary was a Confed crate veteran, and tho Jury was large ly mndo up of tho samo class of mon Tho Jury brought In a vordlct of gulltj but recommended tho prisoner to tho mercy of tho court. Thereupon tin Judgo fined the prisoner 1 whlcl Cnpt. Smytho, a Union ve.ran an tho postmaster, Immediately indorod Ho was anticipated, however, by Capt John W. Clark, shorlff, a Confoderatl votoran, who paid tho fine, which thi Judgo ordered the clerk to turn over t the prlsonor. |