IBRARYOFCOiNGRESS.I 
 
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 JJ/.c// 
 
 ■^%'\-ZP>^ 
 
 rXITFD STATES OP AMERICA 
 
THE 
 
 SOLDIER'S OFFERING. 
 
 By WILLIAM H. CLARK 
 
 9 
 
 <^ 
 
 ,j.-^ COPYRIGHT "m 
 1 1875 ^) 
 
 '.'.ffV'C'^'O v' 
 
 BOSTON: 
 1875. 
 

 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1875, 
 
 By WILLIAM H. CLARK, 
 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washingto 
 
 SOUTH framingham; 
 
 PRESS OF THE J. C. CLARK PRINTING COMPANY, 
 
To J. M. LEONARD, Esq., 
 
 OF SOMERSET, 
 
 IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF 
 
 MANY EXPRESSIONS OF KINDNESS IN PAST YEARS, 
 
 THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
NOTE. 
 
 The writer of these desultory sketches and poems, 
 realizing, in part at least, the trying ordeal through 
 which they must pass, if put forth as possessing literary 
 merit and challenging criticism, would remind the 
 reader that they are the production of one who received 
 only the ordinary common-school education : and who, 
 as having served and suffered in the late struggle for 
 the preservation of our glorious Union, asks for a 
 considerate hearing, and deprecates a too severe judg- 
 ment upon his writings as literary work. 
 
PART I. 
 /_ 
 
 REMINISCENCES 
 
 THIRTY-F( 
 
 FOURTH REGIMENT 
 
 MASS. VOL. INF. 
 
 I 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 \ 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 The Farewell, ii 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Fun in Camp, 14 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Harper's Ferry, 18 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 The Skirmish, 25 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Battle of Newmarket, .... 29 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Incidents, 34 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 In Memoriam, 41 
 
 1* 
 
^N# 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE FAREWELL. 
 
 ^I^T is the afternoon of a summer day, 
 llli with but little breeze more than enou2:h 
 %^1 to gently sway the folds of a new and 
 handsome national flag, which is in 
 full view of the multitude who encompass it. 
 We have taken the reader, in thought, to the 
 spacious and beautiful common in Worces- 
 ter, on the 15th of August, 1862. 
 
 A few words concerning this great gather- 
 ing; the close attention of all being drawn 
 to the speaker's stand in its centre. Citizens 
 of all classes are here, gazing and listening, 
 
12 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 representing the population of the city and 
 suburbs. Its inner circles are clothed in the 
 uniform of their country's service, and stand 
 in military order. To them, as a regiment, 
 through their commander, who is conspicuous 
 on the stand by his uncovered head and noble 
 bearing, the flag is being presented : a touch- 
 ing farewell act of the ladies of Worcester. 
 
 It is delivered with fitting words, and now 
 not only the soldier, but the orator speaks. 
 Never, while memory lasts, will the picture 
 be erased from the mind of one, at least ; 
 the central figure, the devoted Wells : so 
 soon, comparatively, to be the lamented. 
 
 The throng breaks, and the regiment 
 gradually prepares to leave the city for fields 
 of duty, not to shrink from fields of danger. 
 Hark ! as they slowly recede from sight, and 
 the clangor of martial music is hushed, can 
 you not almost distinguish, stealing through 
 yonder casement where a lonely heart is 
 thinking of the absent ones, the plaintive 
 words ; 
 
REMINISCENCES. 1 3 
 
 " Thinking no less of them, 
 
 But loving our country the more ; 
 We've sent them forth to fight for the flag, 
 
 That our fathers before them bore. 
 
 Brave boys are they, 
 
 Gone at their country's call ; 
 And yet, and yet, we cannot forget 
 
 That many brave boys must fall." 
 
14 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 CHAPTER 11. 
 
 FUN IN CAMP. 
 
 Ip^SlEARY and monotonous indeed 
 
 .-^M!? 
 
 would be many of the days spent in 
 Y camp by the soldier, did not some- 
 thing crop out of an amusing nature, 
 either in the proper members of the camp or 
 in some of its motley group of followers. 
 
 In the Thirty-Fourth Regiment, one such 
 safety-valve was found in a stout, good- 
 natured darkey, who seemed to be the " right 
 hand man " of our regimental sutler. 
 
 On one occasion, the " even tenor of his 
 way " was rudely broken in upon, to the great 
 
REMINISCENCES. ' 1 5 
 
 amusement of the large number who hap- 
 pened to be in view of that part of the camp 
 at the time. It seems that a private soldier 
 of mischievous propensities had been, for 
 some time, teasing our colored friend by 
 thrusting a burning twig from the camp fire 
 into his face ; yet, during the ordeal, he had 
 kept his patience, and only tried to get rid of 
 his tormentor by entreaties. Suddenly he 
 turns upon him, forbearance having ceased 
 to be a virtue in the case, and the two fall 
 heavily to the ground ; Oscar having decid- 
 edly the advantage of his enemy, which he as 
 decidedly keeps. The roar of laughter which 
 followed this unexpected discomfiture was 
 probably more pleasant to the ears of Oscar 
 than to those of his antagonist. 
 
 Another little incident in which this sable 
 philosopher was concerned related to the 
 legitimate business of the sutler's tent, and 
 the story was often rehearsed in company E, 
 and to the amusement of many, by Otis 
 Hunter, who afterwards, while in the per- 
 
1 6 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 formance of duty as picket'guard at the Shen- 
 andoah, near Harper's Ferry, fell through an 
 opening in the bridge in an unguarded 
 moment, as was conjectured, and perished by 
 drowning. It would seem that at a time when 
 an unusually large company was gathered in 
 front of the sutler's tent, one of the " boys," 
 whose appetite was more capacious than his 
 purse, and stronger than his sense of honesty, 
 had taken advantage of the crowd to secure a 
 free lunch. Oscar's version of the affair, as 
 related by poor Hunter, was something like 
 this : " Well, yer see de feller he comes up 
 mongst de crowd, an' says he, I wants a 
 fried pie. Sol takes de fried pie an' hands 
 it to him, an' looks for de money ; but some- 
 how de feller gits shook up in de crowd, an* 
 I hav'nt seen him, nor de money, nor de 
 fried pie since." This was given with cap- 
 ital powers of imitation, and never failed to 
 " bring down the house." 
 
 There is something which irresistibly ap- 
 peals, in many phases of the African character, 
 
REMINISCENCES. 1 7 
 
 to our American sense of humor. At the 
 same time, we discover running through it a 
 vein of sentiment which, blending with the 
 other, dignifies the effect. 
 
 " 'Way down upon de Swanee Riber, 
 
 Far, far away j 
 Dere's where my heart am turning eber, 
 
 Dere's where de old folks stay. 
 
 When I was in de fields a hoeing, 
 
 Near set ob sun ; 
 So glad to hear de horn a blowing. 
 
 Telling dat de work was done. 
 
 O, den de darkies frolic sweetly. 
 
 Banjo in tune j 
 Dinah and Phillis dressed so neatly. 
 
 Dance by de big round moon." 
 
REMINISCENCES. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ^^[^iOR some weeks, the Thirty-Fourth had 
 
 wSSlili remained in Washington, D. C, fur- 
 
 ^(iXf nishing daily heavy details of neatly 
 equipped men for guard duty ;• princi- 
 pally to be employed in guarding the Carroll 
 and Old Capitol prisons. During this time, 
 the general soldierly deportment of the rank 
 and file, together with the fine appearance of 
 the regiment on dress parade, attracted 
 much attention and called forth many com- 
 plimentary expressions from the residents of 
 Washington. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 1 9 
 
 But " marching orders " do not stop to take 
 counsel of their subjects, and on a well- 
 remembered evening in July, 1863, they 
 turned our quiet barracks into a scene of 
 bustle and confusion. A ride of a few hours, 
 over the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, 
 brought us into the immediate vicinity of 
 Harper's Ferry. 
 
 The activity which prevailed throughout 
 our force, on the morning of July 14th, made 
 it evident to all that a movement across the 
 Potomac was intended. All needful prepa- 
 rations having been made, a lively cannonade 
 was opened from the heights above, under 
 cover of which our force embarked in pontoon 
 boats that were near at hand, and crossing, 
 passed through the deserted streets up to the 
 higher ground beyond ; dislodging a small 
 body of the enemy which had been holding 
 possession. As the afternoon advanced, a 
 considerable force of cavalry passed through 
 the place, file following file, in a seemingly 
 endless succession, till the eye was wearied 
 
20 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 with attempting to take in the Hving current. 
 Our occupation of Harper's Ferry, begun 
 under these circumstances, was destined to 
 continue for many months, with the exception 
 of an occasional brief visit to Martinsburg 
 towards the close of winter. 
 
 Perhaps the most notable incident of our 
 service during these months was a trip to 
 Harrisonburg, about one hundred miles into 
 Virginian territory, over that noble produc- 
 tion of the road-maker's art, the " Shenandoah 
 Valley turnpike." This splendid avenue of 
 travel deserves more than a passing notice. 
 Its exceedingly hard and smooth surface, 
 composed of finely broken stone, the graded 
 and uniform elevation from either side to the 
 centre, and the long stretch of view in a per- 
 fectly straight line, such as may sometimes 
 be obtained on our best surveyed railroad 
 lines ; all these combined to call out the 
 admiring comments of those who travelled 
 upon it. 
 
 This demonstration, which was success- 
 
REMINISCENCES. 21 
 
 fully and safely accomplished, was doubtless 
 intended as a diversion in favor of the raid 
 at that time being executed by Gen. Averill, 
 with his much larger force. 
 
 The night scene at Harrisonburg, on the 
 occasion of commencing our retreat from the 
 hazardous position in which this compara- 
 tively small force was placed, having the 
 advantage of novelty in our experience, was 
 one lono: to be remembered. As soon as 
 the darkness of night made it practicable, 
 preparations for a quiet departure were com- 
 menced — large fires being lighted and well 
 supplied with fuel, as though our men were 
 to pass the night comfortably and without 
 any demonstration. At the word of com- 
 mand, silently and swiftly the entire force 
 withdrew from camp and moved in the direc- 
 tion of Harper's Ferry. Steadily we pressed 
 on during the entire night, only pausing for 
 a short halt and rest upon the snow-covered 
 ground, in the later hours of the night, and 
 when morning dawned were well on our way 
 
22 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 towards the Potomac. Although we were 
 closely followed by a brigade of the enemy, 
 in our rapid and forced march homewards, 
 yet, by the intervention of favorable events, 
 the friendly shadow of the Maryland heights 
 was reached with no loss from our hazardous 
 attempt at " bearding the lion in his den," as 
 our adventure was described by the Rich- 
 mond Examiner. 
 
 Our long stay in this town gave many 
 opportunities for examining its objects of 
 interest, including the engine house, worthy 
 of note as the fortress occupied by John 
 Brown while he held possession, during the 
 brief campaign destined to end so disastrously 
 for those engaged in it. The ruins of 
 armory and other buildings made it very 
 evident that an immense amount of property 
 had been destroyed in the two years in which 
 the spirit of war had held carnival there. 
 
 The climate, through the winter months 
 we spent in this place, seemed to suggest 
 some New England locality rather than a 
 
REMINISCENCES. 23 
 
 part of the " sunny south." Snow storms, 
 and bleak, cold winds, find as congenial a 
 home around those rocky heights as Massa- 
 chusetts could offer them ; at least, such was 
 the impression made upon the mind of the 
 writer. The sublimity and grandeur of 
 Nature's works here well repay any effort 
 required to reach an eligible point of view ; 
 but it requires no effort to enable the mind 
 nurtured "beneath New England's sky" to 
 dwell again, in thought, among its native 
 hills. 
 
 " Once more, O Mountains of the North, unveil 
 Your brows, and lay your cloudy mantles by ! 
 
 And once more, ere the eyes that seek ye fail, 
 Uplift against the blue walls of the sky 
 
 Your mighty shapes, and let the sunshine weave 
 Its golden net-work in your belting woods, 
 Smile down in rainbows from your falling floods 
 
 And on your kingly brows at morn and eve 
 
 Set crowns of fire ! So shall my soul receive 
 Haply the secret of your calm and strength, 
 
 Your unforgotten beauty interfuse ' 
 
24 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 My common life, your glorious shapes and hues 
 And sun-dropped splendors at my bidding come, 
 
 Loom vast through dreams, and stretch in billowy 
 length 
 From the sea-level of my lowland home ! " 
 
 Whittier. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 25 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE SKIRMISH. 
 
 HE morning of Sunday, October 13, 
 ^ 1863, was a disastrous one for the 
 
 ^^^m Ninth Maryland regiment, who were 
 only a few miles distant from our 
 encampment at Harper's Ferry. As the 
 event proved, the enemy, in considerable 
 force, under Gen. Imboden, had made an 
 early and vigorous attack on that regiment 
 at Charlestown, and captured them bodily, 
 in number about three hundred. Every 
 available man of the Thirty-Fourth was 
 promptly called out, and preceded by a 
 
26 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 battery which was stationed near by, the 
 regiment started in hot pursuit. Often 
 had the wish been expressed that we might 
 see some actual fighting, and at last the wish 
 was to be gratified. 
 
 A running fight commenced soon after 
 reaching Charlestown, the battery, which 
 was still in advance, having engaged the 
 enemy just beyond that place. The regi- 
 ment press hurriedly on, and a few miles of 
 rapid marching bring them into close prox- 
 imity to the foe, as the shells falling within a 
 short distance from their ranks fully prove. 
 Each company has been assigned the best 
 position allowed by the character of the 
 ground, which is somewhat uneven and 
 obstructed by fences. A lively discharge of 
 musketry is kept up from both sides for a 
 time, but finally ceases. At about this period 
 in the fight, a small body of mounted infantry 
 from the enemy's force charge toward us till 
 but a short space intervenes, and then wheel- 
 ing easily, soon disappear in the distance. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 27 
 
 We afterwards learn that the Springfield 
 muskets of one of our wing companies told 
 with effect on their ranks. The firing has 
 now ceased, and the regiment is ordered to 
 cross the open ground which separates our 
 position from that of the enemy. This is 
 safely accomplished, and it is found that they 
 have again retreated. 
 
 Our commanding officer now considers 
 that the pursuit has been pushed far enough, 
 and the order is given to return to Harper's 
 Ferry. Marching and resting alternately, 
 the regiment reach their quarters at a late 
 hour, feeling well satisfied with this first 
 experience of actual fighting. Two of the 
 color corporals, Clark of company K and 
 Gage of company E, have laid down their 
 lives ; but they died gloriously, and what 
 matters the form in which death comes, if it 
 finds one in the path of duty, 
 
 " Come to the bridal chamber, Death ; 
 Come to the mother, when she feels 
 For the first time her first-born's breath : 
 
28 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 Come when the blessed seals 
 Which close the pestilence are broke, 
 And crowded cities wail its stroke ; 
 Come in Consumption's ghastly form ; 
 The earthquake shock, the ocean storm ; 
 Come when the heart beats high and warm, 
 
 With banquet song, and dance, and wine 
 And thou art terrible : the tear, 
 The groan, the knell, the pall, the bier, 
 And all we know, or dream, or fear 
 
 Of agony, are thine. 
 But to the warrior, when his sword 
 
 Has won the battle for the free, 
 Thy voice sounds like a prophet's word, 
 And in its hollow tones are heard 
 
 The thanks of millions yet to be." 
 
 Halleck. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 29 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 BATTLE OF NEWMARKET. 
 
 ^gj^FTER a march of some hours, our 
 Prift regiment had arrived in the vicinity 
 1^^^ of Newmarket, Va. ; not, however, 
 without an occasional shot being 
 exchanged between the Hght artillery, which 
 preceded us, and that of the enemy. As we 
 were marched to a position somewhat shel- 
 tered by a low ridge, this firing was kept up 
 with vigor. The peculiar tone and expres- 
 sion assumed by our commander, colonel 
 Wells, as he directed our movements, will 
 be remembered by many. " Don't you see 
 
30 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 how they are firing at me ? " was his demand, 
 evidently more for its effect on his men than 
 from any special concern as to his own 
 safety. 
 
 So passed the afternoon of Saturday, May 
 14, 1864, and the night, a rainy and uncom- 
 fortable one, settled down upon us ; but war 
 is no respecter of the stillness of night, and 
 the fact of a foe being close at hand is a 
 great promoter of uneasiness. Suddenly a 
 shot is heard, then a volley, and we are 
 roused up without ceremony ; but the alarm 
 proves nothing serious, being caused by a 
 small reconnoitering party from the enemy. 
 We lie down again, all save the watchful 
 sentinels, and sheltering ourselves from the 
 rain so far as possible, get what sleep may be 
 had under the circumstances. A part of the 
 morning is occupied in putting our arms and 
 ourselves in good fighting condition, though 
 this is a difficult matter in some cases ; the 
 rain having reached our muskets to some 
 extent, in spite of the utmost vigilance. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 3 1 
 
 The quiet is broken by an order to a 
 different position, which order is repeated 
 occasionally during the forenoon, keeping us 
 in motion almost constantly from one point 
 to another. At last, a satisfactory position 
 having been reached, we lie down on our 
 arms for a short time, but soon are ordered 
 to rise and then to load and fire as rapidly as 
 possible. In the meantime, a battery has 
 been stationed on our right, and its guns 
 begin to play on the enemy. After firing 
 several volleys, a charge is ordered, and as we 
 advance, the opposing force comes plainly 
 into view. The yells and cheers accompany- 
 ing this movement make it almost impossible 
 to hear any order from our superior officers, 
 but we finally comprehend that a " right- 
 about " is ordered. This is executed and we 
 retrace our steps for a short distance, still 
 keeping on a line with the colors, while the 
 continuous cheering of the enemy shows that 
 they fully appreciate their advantage. We 
 now begin to feel seriously the effect of the 
 
32 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 heavy fire, both musketry and artillery, which 
 fills the air with deadly missiles. A promi- 
 nent field officer is disabled by a severe 
 wound, and as the enemy press close upon 
 us, necessarily falls into their hands ; while 
 others, who are less injured, are supported 
 from the field to receive surgical aid. 
 
 The regiment, having reached a good 
 position, is halted, faced about, and aids in 
 checking the enemy's advance, much to the 
 satisfaction of the wounded, who are making 
 their way to Mt. Jackson, some four miles 
 distant. Night falls, and the sounds of battle 
 are hushed; but this Sabbath day, so dis- 
 turbed by mortal strife, has proved the last 
 for many who had cherished hopes of " bright 
 days yet to be." 
 
 " And Ardennes waves above them her green leaves, 
 Dewy with Nature's tear drops, as they pass ; 
 
 Grieving, if aught inanimate e'er grieves, 
 Over the unreturning brave : alas ! 
 Ere evening to be trodden like the grass ; 
 
 Which now beneath them, but above shall grow 
 
REMINISCENCES. 33 
 
 In its next verdure, when this fiery mass 
 Of living valor, rolling on the foe, 
 
 And burning with high hope, shall moulder cold and. 
 low." 
 
 Byron. 
 
 » 2* 
 
34 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 INCIDENTS. 
 
 IT will be remembered by some, that at 
 Mill an early period of our regimental his- 
 i^ tory, a fever for enlistment into the 
 regular army prevailed to a certain 
 extent. The causes which produced this 
 state of things are unknown to the writer, 
 but it seems probable that highly colored 
 statements, made by interested parties, as to 
 the relative advantages of one branch of the 
 service over another had been employed. 
 
 Col. Wells, as the event proved, felt no 
 sympathy with this movement, and had no 
 
REMINISCENCES. 35 
 
 idea of quietly looking on while his regiment 
 was depleted in numbers to fill the voracious 
 maw of Uncle Sam. Accordingly, taking 
 his opportunity when the Regiment was out 
 with full ranks, he expressed his views on 
 " the situation " with his usual force and 
 eloquence, and in a manner that held the 
 attention of all to the close. That part of 
 his argument which covered the points of 
 promotion and travel, as nearly as can be 
 recalled, was something like this. " You 
 have been promised opportunities for promo- 
 tion and travel : as for travel, you would 
 have plenty of that, and would have to 
 travel -pretty close to the line. With regard 
 to promotion in the regular army, there is a 
 regular system of promotion, in which non- 
 commissioned oilficers only stand a chance of 
 sharing, and they after years of waiting." 
 The address, whether from its sarcasm or 
 its sense, was effectual in curing the uneasi- 
 ness that had prevailed. 
 
 At one time, the young and popular cap- 
 
36 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 tain of company E saw fit to celebrate his 
 birthday by furnishing his men with an unus- 
 ual treat. A liberal supply of " lager " was 
 obtained firom a neighboring fort, and placed 
 conveniently in one of the company tents, 
 with the understanding that all were welcome 
 to partake. As the evening advanced, a 
 spirit of jollity naturally prevailed, stimulated 
 a little, it may be, by the influence of the 
 Teutonic beverage, and some unusual and 
 unmilitary noises perhaps, were heard; till 
 the stentorian voice of orderly sergeant 
 (since captain) Belser rang out even more 
 loudly than usual, summoning the company 
 to fall in for evening roll-call, after which 
 quiet was restored, and night settled down 
 peacefully as usual over the camp. 
 
 The company, in which occurred the last 
 incident, numbered among its original mem- 
 bers two who were truly of a kindred spirit 
 and alike in name, though of different nation- 
 ality — Joseph Smith, whose pranks and 
 mimicry so often relieved the tiresomeness 
 
REMINISCENCES. 37 
 
 of the long march, and Owen Smith, the 
 sturdy son of Erin, equally ready for a fight 
 or a frolic. Once, for some infraction of 
 military discipline in which both were con- 
 cerned, they were compelled to wear " the 
 wooden shirt," (the name commonly applied 
 to a barrel with an opening cut in the end, 
 through which the culprit's head was passed, 
 the weight of the barrel resting on his 
 shoulders.) Thus equipped, they were obliged 
 to march back and forth before the captain's 
 quarters ; yet they were far from being dis- 
 heartened, but with great merriment per- 
 formed this unusual sentry duty, assisting 
 each other, in case of any accident, with an 
 almost brotherly regard. 
 
 The first mentioned of this pair of intimate 
 friends is believed to have died at Anderson- 
 ville, Ga. With regard to his comrade, 
 Owen, many years have passed since the 
 writer last beheld his strongly-marked 
 features, and whether the bold Irishman is 
 still in the land of the living is a matter of 
 
38 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 uncertainty. So drops the curtain over our 
 heroes. 
 
 We will close this somewhat disconnected 
 chapter by introducing from the " Atlantic 
 Monthly" for July, 1862, an excellent speci- 
 men of soldier-poetry, of which little is said, 
 except that it was " taken from a student- 
 song book, and was probably written in 
 1 8 14." Not one of the six verses it contains 
 can be spared in reproducing this gem, so 
 replete with a loyal and soldierly spirit. It 
 is unique and perfect in its peculiar line of 
 thought and sentiment : — 
 
 THE CANTEEN. 
 
 "Just help me, Lottie, as I spring; 
 
 My arm is feeble, see, — 
 I still must have it in a sling ; 
 
 Be softly now with me ! 
 But do not let the canteen slip, — 
 
 Here, take it first, I pray, — 
 For when that 's broken from my lip. 
 
 All joys will flow away. 
 
REMINISCENCES. 39 
 
 ' And why for that so anxious ? — pshaw ! 
 
 It is not worth a pin : 
 The common glass, the bit of straw, 
 
 And not a drop within ! ' 
 No matter, Lottie, take it out, — 
 
 'T is past your reckoning : 
 Yes, look it round and round about, — 
 
 There drank from it — my King ! 
 
 • By Leipsic near, if you must know, — 
 
 'T was just no children's play, — 
 A ball hit me a grievous blow. 
 
 And in the crowd I lay; 
 Nigh death, they bore me from the scene, 
 
 My garments off they fling. 
 Yet held I fast by my canteen, — 
 
 There drank from it — my King! 
 
 For once our ranks in passing through 
 
 He paused, — we saw his face ; 
 Around us keen the volleys flew, 
 
 He calmly kept his place. 
 He thirsted, — I could see.it plain, 
 
 And courage took to bring 
 My old canteen for him to drain, — 
 
 He drank from it — my King ! 
 
4P ^ REMINISCENCES. 
 
 He touched me on the shoulder here. 
 
 And said, ' I thank thee, friend, — 
 Thy liquor gives me timely cheer, — 
 
 Thou didst right well intend.' 
 O'erjoyed at this, I cried aloud, 
 
 'O comrades, who can bring 
 Canteen like this to make him proud ? — 
 
 There drank from it — my King ! ' 
 
 That old canteen shall no one have. 
 
 The best of treasures mine ; 
 Put it at last upon my grave. 
 
 And under it this line : 
 ' He fought at Leipsic, whom this green 
 
 Is softly covering; 
 Best household good was his canteen, — 
 
 There drank from it — his King ! ' " 
 
REMINISCENCES. 4I 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 FEW closing words as a tribute to 
 the honored dead. While referring 
 ^^^ especially to a few names in this con- 
 nection, no peculiar honor is claimed 
 for them above the large number of their 
 comrades in other companies whose record 
 is equally honorable ; but of those we know 
 best we can, doubtless, best speak. 
 
 Brave Christopher Pennell — with a noble 
 ambition leaving his many friends to serve 
 in another field, and falling at last before 
 Petersburg. 
 
42 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 Captain William B. Bacon — an able and 
 intrepid soldier, than whom few had brighter 
 prospects of advancement and honor, stricken 
 down at Newmarket, while inspiring his men 
 with his own fearlessness of spirit. 
 
 Sergeant Henry B. King — of a gentle 
 and obliging spirit, and beloved by all his 
 comrades ; dying on the field of battle, and 
 leaving only the knowledge of his devotion to 
 duty to cheer his youthful and bereaved com- 
 panion. 
 
 The brothers, Dwight and Henry Chick- 
 ering — noble and promising youths, making 
 the woods ring with the sound of their axes, 
 and their whole-souled laughter, as we pre- 
 pared to encamp after the day's weary march. 
 
 But one more will be particularly men- 
 tioned here,"^ in reference to whom brigade 
 surgeon Clarke used this language, in a 
 letter informing his friends of his death: 
 " he was a brave, conscientious and faithful 
 soldier." And what shall I say of thee, my 
 
 * Newton H. Clark, of company E, 
 
REMINISCENCES. 43 
 
 brother, my faithful friend? Whether in 
 the ordinary duties of the camp, in hours of 
 recreation and of loving communion with 
 friends in the far-distant home, through the 
 medium of the pen, or amid the more fatigu- 
 ing and exacting experiences of the march, 
 none ever found a truer or more constant 
 companion. Though the snows of many 
 winters have, in their season, robed thy grave 
 with a stainless winding-sheet, yet is thy 
 memory cherished fondly as at first: still 
 shall the flowers of each succeeding summer 
 strew that grave, and the lofty pines of our 
 native state shall furnish thy requiem. 
 
 " How sleep the brave, who sink to rest 
 By all their country's wishes blest ? 
 When Spring, with dewy fingers cold, 
 Returns to deck their hallowed mould, 
 She there shall dress a sweeter sod 
 Than Fancy's feet have ever trod. 
 
 By fairy hands their knell is rung ; 
 By forms unseen their dirge is sung ; 
 
44 REMINISCENCES. 
 
 Here Honor comes, a pilgrim gray 
 To bless the turf that wraps their clay ; 
 And Freedom shall awhile repair 
 To dwell, a weeping hermit, there." 
 
 Collins. 
 
I'AKT il. 
 
 ORIGINAL I'OHMS 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Memorial Ode, 
 
 51 
 
 At Sunrise, . . . 
 
 54 
 
 The "German," 
 
 • 56 
 
 Ye Spellyr, 
 
 . 58 
 
 Metrical Letter, 
 
 59 
 
 To Henrietta, on her birthday. 
 
 6t 
 
 The Thing of Even-toes, 
 
 . 63 
 
MEMORIAL ODE' 
 
 Their's was no common lot, 
 
 Whom we to-day revere ; 
 No sordid life, no useless work. 
 
 Do we remember here. 
 
 Their glorious fame we keep, — 
 What precious trust is ours ! 
 
 " They softly lie and sweetly sleep," 
 Their graves we deck with flowers. 
 
 * As originally written. The first five stanzas being the Ode recited during 
 the exercises at Town Hall, Holliston, on Decoration Day, May 29th, 1875. 
 
52 
 
 I'OKMS. 
 
 In bailie's sharpcsl strife, 
 
 In heavy, weariiij^ loil, 
 'Mid l)iirstin^ sliell and wiiislling l)all, 
 
 Or dclviii*; ill liie soil 
 
 Of fair Virginia's hills, — 
 Whelher the trench or field ; 
 
 No thoui^lit but duty nerved their arm, 
 Weaj)on or s|)a(le to wield. 
 
 Their narrow, silent beds. 
 
 Where, sunk in ])eacerul sleep, 
 
 These martyred heroes rest from toil. 
 As sacred charge we keep. 
 
 The sunny clime of T'rance 
 Has witnessed oft a scene 
 
 Which honors much a valiant name ; 
 Nor less licrsiif^ I ween. 
 
 When, as the day returns, 
 And, mustered at ]:)arade, 
 
 A noble corps in silence stands, 
 By practised eyes surveyed. 
 
POEMS. 53 
 
 The name is reverent called, 
 Of one who nobly died ; 
 
 And, falling on the attentive ear, 
 'J'hese words are still replied, — 
 
 "Died on the honored field ;"* 
 Fit meed to him who bled, — 
 
 And thus would we, in humble lay, 
 Immortalize our dead. 
 
 * The last four stanzas refer to a custom, long sustained, in honor of a young 
 French soldier, who had rendered distiiiRuishcd service, and lost his life in so 
 doing. It is said that whenever tlie re.^iiiiental roll was called, tlie name of this 
 deceased soldier would also he called, and one of his comrades designated for the 
 purpose would respond, ^^ Died on the yield of honor ." 
 
54 POEMS. 
 
 AT SUNRISl!, JUNI' 17, .875. 
 
 Ye joyous bells, in merry strain, 
 Your music yield, again, again, 
 
 Our patriot thoughts to fire ; 
 That, raised from l^usy life's routine, 
 Some higher aims may enter in, — 
 
 Our sluggish souls inspire. 
 
 A century has passed, — and now 
 
 The change is wondrous — from the brow 
 
 Of yon historic hill, 
 Whence burst the murderous battle flames, 
 Where glory rested on the names 
 
 That live in history still, 
 
POEMS. 55 
 
 Shines forth in words of living light 
 The glories of old Bunker's fight ; 
 
 The memories of that day 
 When PRKSCorr led the deadly strife, 
 When Warren's gift, a noble life, 
 
 On Freedom's altar lay. 
 
 Ye joyous bells, with loudest peal 
 Our glorious heritage reveal. 
 
 Its cost, its priceless worth ; 
 Lead us to praise, with loud acclaim, 
 Our country's God, whose reverend name 
 
 Transcends the names of earth. 
 
56 POEMS. 
 
 THE "GERMAN." 
 
 Hans Spiegler was a Teuton bold, 
 
 Of Faderland extraction ; 
 Phlegmatic, steady, calm and cold — 
 
 An iceberg, he, in action. 
 
 His livelihood he fairly earned 
 By humble, constant labors ; 
 
 To know the truth, if you're concerned, 
 He sawed wood for his neighbors. 
 
 'Twas seldom that he ventured in 
 The dusk of night to go forth, — 
 
 None said he sought the haunts of sin, 
 With fast young men, &c. 
 
POEMS. 57 
 
 But late one eve, he chanced to pass 
 Where music, dancing, drinking, — 
 
 Where graceful forms in mirrored glass, 
 Set sober Hans to thinking. 
 
 His thoughts soon found a vent in speech : 
 '•'■ Podshauseiid ! Was ist das? so — " 
 
 His voice the nether regions reached. 
 Like notes of deepest basso. 
 
 A servant from the basement cried, 
 
 " The Germaji, go to thunder," — 
 But '■^ Nix fur stay'' he still replied, 
 
 With face of puzzled wonder. * 
 
 And, if you will believe the tale. 
 
 To-day Hans Spiegler gazes, 
 Unable still to break the spell 
 
 Cast by the " German's " mazes. 
 
$8 POKMS. 
 
 Yl< SPI'LLYR. 
 
 Full ofte yc spellyr takes hys scate, 
 
 Wythe confidence elate; 
 Not dreameing to incurre defeate, 
 
 And readye for hys fate : — 
 
 But whenne hee takes a lower playse, 
 And eates ye humble pye ; 
 
 A "proper studie " is hys fayse, 
 For "mankinde," youe and f. 
 
POEMS. 59 
 
 Mi'TRicAL iv:nm. 
 
 Dear Sister : 
 Though the earth should cease its motion, 
 
 Hornby secede^ and Union lose its power, 
 Think not to see a wane in my devotion, 
 
 Or be forgotten for a single hour. 
 
 The threat, half-uttered, sent in my direction. 
 Of causing me to fill a sheet by force — 
 
 Made conscience bring to view my late defection, 
 And urge my writing as the safest course. 
 
 I'm pleased to know that such a patriot fire 
 Should be enkindled in our brother's heart ; 
 
 But while these thoughts do all his soul inspire, 
 Let him remember. Nature yields to Art. 
 
6o POEMS. 
 
 I don't pretend to call this a quotation, 
 For in a printed page 'twas never seen ; 
 
 But for the time I'll take the prompter's station, 
 And bring to view some stubborn facts, I ween. 
 
 The drill, the double-quick, the tedious marches. 
 The cold, wet earth his bed, the sky his roof, 
 
 Would spoil the beauty of triumphal arches ; 
 He'd wish from battle he had kept aloof. 
 
 But, lest you tire of this, my simple measure, 
 
 r haste, and quickly draw it to a close ; 
 Wishing our friends much comfort, health and pleasure, 
 
 And to you, sister, a sweet night's repose. 
 
POEMS. 6 1 
 
 TO HENRIETTA. 
 
 ON HER BIRTHDAY. 
 
 'Tis said the poor few presents make, 
 The rich, of course, do better ; — 
 
 Suppose I neither station take. 
 What say you, Henrietta ? 
 
 If I this Httle token give, 
 ■ I still am much your debtor ; 
 But if we both some years should live. 
 We'll settle, Henrietta. 
 
62 POEMS. 
 
 My heartiest wishes for your good 
 Accept, with this short letter, 
 
 And may no sorrow ever cloud 
 The path of Henrietta. 
 
 And when some youth your heart shall hold 
 
 In matrimonial fetter, 
 I trust you ne'er will say — I'm sold — 
 
 So be it, Henrietta. 
 
POEMS. 63 
 
 THE THING OF EVEN-TOES.^ 
 
 There was a thing of Even-toes ; 
 His name was Reynard — sharp his nose — 
 His eyes were keen — his hunger fierce — 
 His teeth the toughest fowl could pierce : 
 And for this cause, 
 By Nature's laws, 
 The entire feathered race in his immediate vicinity took 
 special pains to avoid his paws. 
 
 The custom was, with Even-toes, 
 
 By craft to conquer — not by blows — 
 
 * Title suggested by Beranger's " King of Yvetot." 
 
64 POEMS. 
 
 A sly old fox was our hero red ; 
 On the choicest fowls he lived, 'twas said : 
 And the rascal laughed, 
 As their blood he quaffed, — 
 While all the old chanticleers and dame partlets, 
 whether shanghais or bantams, were nearly or quite 
 driven "daft." 
 
 This fellow's laugh — 'twas a thing to see — 
 For a fox caii laugh, you will all agree — 
 He would first put on a sardonic grin, 
 Like an evil sprite, as he mocks at sin ; 
 Then he wagged his jaw. 
 And the watchers saw 
 A volley of vulpine cachinnation thence escaping — He ! 
 He ! He ! Ha / Ha I Ha I Haw ! Haw ! Haw ! 
 
 "I've a handsome brush," said Even-toes; 
 " On my ruby fur the sunlight glows. 
 When I venture out in the daylight fair — 
 But at night-time boldly I quit my lair, 
 For the silver moon. 
 And the night-hawk's croon. 
 Just stir my blood ; and entirely regardless of the price 
 of poultry, I walk out with my cousin raccoon." 
 
POEMS. 65 
 
 But the robber's career oft ends in grief ; 
 
 And one autumn day, to the great relief 
 
 Of the feathered and fatted family fowls ; 
 
 And the vengeful joy of his neighbor owls, 
 Whom he oft had robbed. 
 As they nightly sobbed ; 
 (At least, Gray implies that they did,* though it's of no 
 particular consequence in this connection anyway), but 
 as we were about to say, old Reyiiard by hunters was 
 mobbed. 
 
 * The moping owl doth to the moon complain. — [Gray's " Elegy." 
 
PART 
 
 PENCILLINGS. 
 
A HALF-HOUR WITH TAYLOR. 
 
 ^.^HOSE whose tastes and preferences 
 IJ^ in reading agree with those of the 
 ! writer of this little tribute, will have 
 found a peculiar fascination in the 
 repeated perusal of a poem by Benjamin F. 
 Taylor, one of those names, evidently, which 
 the human heart and mind, appreciating the 
 pure gold of song, will not "willingly let 
 die." It was given in a late number of 
 the " Watchman and Reflector," accredited 
 to " Scribner's Magazine " for April. Its 
 title, "The Psalm Book in the Garret," is 
 
yO PENCILLINGS. 
 
 suggestive of the general drift of the poem. 
 Where all is excellent, there may be diffi- 
 culty in pointing out special beauties. How 
 rich in poetic fancy is this stanza : — 
 
 " Ah, richer far than noontide blaze 
 
 The soft gray silence of the air, 
 As if long years of ended days 
 
 Had garnered all their twilights there." 
 
 After the above, which seems to convey 
 the impression made upon the poet's mind 
 by the twilight dimness of the secluded 
 room, and other lines in a similar vein, 
 comes the discovery of a venerable volume ; 
 which proves to be the talisman to unlock 
 rich treasures indeed : 
 
 " Where rafters set their cobwebb'd feet 
 
 Upon the rugged oaken ledge, 
 I found a flock of singers sweet, 
 
 Like snow-bound sparrows in a hedge. 
 
 In silk of spider's spinning hid, 
 
 A long and narrow psalm-book lay " — 
 
PENCILLINGS. 7 1 
 
 And how vividly does the following bring 
 to view a page of the old psalm-book : — 
 
 " Ah, dotted tribe with ebon heads 
 That climb the slender fence along ! 
 
 As black as ink, as thick as weeds, 
 Ye little Africans of song ! " 
 
 Here is a touch of tender sentiment : 
 
 "Who wrote upon this page, ' Forget 
 Me Not ? ' These cruel leaves of old 
 
 Have crushed to death a violet — 
 See here its spectre's pallid gold. 
 
 A pencilled whisper during prayer 
 
 Is that poor dim and girlish word : " — 
 
 As the poet pursues his examination of 
 its pages, the old garret seems to be trans- 
 formed, to his imagination, as by a magician's 
 wand, into the " old village church," and the 
 dim twilight of the cramped and darkened 
 apartment is changed to the daylight glow 
 of an " olden tyme " sabbath. 
 
 " The village church is builded here ; 
 The twilight turns to afternoon." 
 
72 PENCILLINGS. 
 
 Well might the worthies of old afford to 
 worship on uncarpeted floors, so that the 
 reader of the present time may enjoy dwell- 
 ing once and again upon the beautiful 
 imagery contained in this other couplet : as 
 if the mechanical operation of the carpet- 
 loom were but a transcript or photograph 
 of nature's wondrous working, by which the 
 fairest flowers are produced. 
 
 " Thy naked aisle no roses grace 
 That blossomed at the shuttle's play ;" — 
 
 The following lines, descriptive of the 
 old-fashioned fugue are especially sweet and 
 graceful, and the quaint imagery introduced 
 in the last four almost unsurpassed : 
 
 " The parts strike in with measured grace, 
 And some thing sweet is everywhere ! 
 
 As if some warbling brood should build 
 
 Of bits of tunes a singing nest. 
 Each bringing that with which it thrilled 
 
 And weaving it with all the rest ! " 
 
PENCILLINGS. 73 
 
 Desiring to close fittingly, this partial and 
 imperfect view of some of the beauties exist- 
 ing in the poem under consideration, we 
 present one more extract ; by no means 
 exhausting the catalogue of gems contained 
 therein. 
 
 " The congregation rise and stand ; 
 
 ' Old Hundred's ' rolling thunder comes 
 In heavy surges, slow and grand, 
 
 As beats the surf its solemn drums." 
 
74 PENCILLINGS. 
 
 THE VIRGINIA PREACHER. 
 
 ^HE following brief sketch is an attempt 
 (Ug to reproduce from memory, as far as 
 
 an account given by a distinguished 
 American, many years since, concerning a 
 discourse heard by him in the backwoods 
 of Virginia. 
 
 The narrator of the anecdote referred to, 
 was travelling through a thinly settled portion 
 of the state, and came upon a group engaged 
 in listening to one, apparently a minister of 
 
PENCILLINGS. 75 
 
 the gospel, who was addressing them on 
 what was evidently a weighty and solemn 
 theme. The subject, powerfully handled by 
 the preacher, proved to be the passion, or 
 suffering and death of our Saviour. 
 
 As the discourse drew near its close, the 
 preacher entered thoroughly into the spirit 
 of his theme, having the entire congregation 
 completely in sympathy with himself and 
 his subject — the tears flowed freely from 
 many eyes, and sobs burst forth from many 
 hearts, as he portrayed that most deeply 
 affecting scene ; one which angels bent down 
 to view with immortal interest, and which 
 concerns so closely every member of our 
 race — the agony and death, upon the cross, 
 of our Lord. 
 
 At this point, the narrator, who evidently 
 understood human nature and the art of 
 sacred oratory, seems to have been appre- 
 hensive that the preacher would be unable, 
 safely and without shock, to descend from 
 his lofty height, and relieve the deeply 
 
76 PENCIIXINGS. 
 
 wrought feelings of his hearers. But not 
 so — for the almost painful silence which 
 for a few moments succeeded his thrilling 
 description and appeal, was followed by the 
 sublime sentence of Rosseau: ''Socrates 
 died like a philosopher, but yesus Christ 
 like a Godr