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THE SOLDIERS 7 JOURNAL,
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GOING INTO BATTLE:
The Soldier's Musings and his Prayer
BY FRED. W. WEBBER,
7""ueles sound, the drums are beating,
Sharp the orders come, and fast!
Bayonets gleam, the sunshine greeting,
For the foe is near at last;
Soon there'll be a fleivA <i«mi mooting!
Wtio will Jive when all is past?
Hark! Upon the left the battle
Rages fiercely, and its tide
Hither rolls! The deaf'ning rattle
Nearer draws. Soon Death will ride
Fiercely through our ranks, and fatal
Unto whom will be his stride?
Who, when night's deep shade surrounding,
Causes all the strife to cease;
When dame Silence shall be founding
Her short mockery of peace,
Will upon the blood-wet ground,
In Death's long slumber lay at ease ?
Who will living be? Who dying?
Who will torn and mangled be
On the field in anguish lying—
Praying that their souls may flee—
Praying sadly—wildly crying,
" Lord, in mercy, help th6u me I"
Ere the sun now brightly shining,
Sinks at evening's Arm advance,
I upon the earth reclining,
With a fixed, an upward glance—
With upon my brow Death's sign
In marble, may be found, perchance.
But away with such sad feelings!
Welcome bo the bloody strife!
May the lion's courage stealing
O'er me when the slaughter's rife,
Nerve me as I may be dealing
Blow for blow to sell my life.
Charge! Huzza ! The foe's before us :
On, my men, to victory!
(Lord, who loosest calmly o'er us,
If I should forgetful be,
Of my Maker, ope the store-house
Of Thy love—forget not me!)
Charlestown, Mass., March 1.5,1864.
THE GOVERNOR'S ESCAPE.
When the British andtories attacked Now Lon
don, Connecticut, in 1777, and set a price on the
head of Governor Griswold, the latter fled to the
town of Li , where his cousin, Mrs. Marvin,
Jived, hid for some days in a farm house. But at
lengtn tne subtle foe discovered his retreat; and
one sunny afternoon In May ho was routed from
his hiding place by the tidings that a band of
horsemen were approaching to capture him.
His only chance to escape was to reach the
mouth of a little creek which emptied itself into
the Connecticut river, just above the entrance of
the latter into Long Island Sound. There he had
a boat stationed, with two faithful attendants
hidden beneath the high banks of the creek. The
distance from the farmhouse to the boat was two
miles by tho usually travelled road. But a little
sheep path across the farmer's orchards would
bring him to the road, only a mile from the boat
and save a quarter's length of his fearful run for
life.
Just where the narrow path from the orchard
opened into the road Hetty Marvin sat with her
dog Towser, tending the bleaching of tho house
hold linen. The long web of forty yards or more
which was dilligently spun and woven, during
the long winter months, was whitened in May,
and thus made ready for use. The business of
bleaching was well economized, being usually
done by tho younger du.ugh.tera of tho family,
who were not old enough tor the heavier work oi
the kitchen and dairy.
The roll of linen was taken by tho farmer or
his stout "help" to a grassy plot, bosido a spring
or meadow brook. There it was thoroughly wet
ted and spread upon the green turf, to take the
heat of the sun by day and dew by night. The
little maid who tended it would sit near it during
the day, with her knitting or her book, and as
fast as the sun dried its folds she would sprinkle
the water over it with her gourd-shell dipper, and
make it wet again.
Thus sat Hetty Marvin, the young daughter of
Governor Griswold's cousin, when her hunted
friend sprang past her into the road, to escape
from his pursuers. Hetty was a timid child of
about twelve years, yet thoughtful and wise be
yond many of her elders. She was frightened
by the headlong haste with which the Governor
rushed across the meadow. But she quickly
comprehended the scene, and instantly quieted
her faithful Towser, who, though a friend of the
family guest, thought it becoming to bark loudly
at his hurried steps.
Her wise forethought arrested tho Governor's
notice, and suggested a scheme to delude his pur
suers, " Hetty," he said, earnestly, " I am flying
for my life; and unless I can roach my boat be
fore lam overtaken, lam a lost man. You see
the road forks here. Now I want to run down
this way to the river. But you must toll the ras
cals who are chasing me, that I have gone up tho
road to catch the mail wagon, which will soon bo
along, you know. Then they will turn off the
other way."
" Oh, cousin !" said the little girl, in an agony
of distress, " I cannot tell a lie; indeed, I cannot.
Why did you tell me which way you were going?'
" Hetty, dear child, surely you would not be
ty, tell them I have gone up the road instead of
down, and heaven will bless you."
" Heaven never blesses those who speak falsely,
cousin. But I will not tell them which way you
go, even if they kill me; so run as quickly a*
Dossible "
"It's of no use ; unless I can deceive them, I'm
a dead man."
" Cousin, cousin, hide under my web of cloth;
they'd never think of looking here for you.—
Come, get down as swift as you can, and I'll cov
er you, and stand sprinkling my linen."
" It's my last chance, child ; I'll get down m
And suiting the action to the word, the Gov -
ernor was soon hidden under the ample folds of
Angry that their expected prey had escaped,
from the house where they had expected to se
cure him, the mounted tories, headed by a Brit
ish officer, dashed along the road in swift pur
suit. At the sight of the little girl in the mead
l ow, the leader of the party paused.
"Child!" ho said sternly, "have you seen a
man running hereabouts?"
" Yes sir," replied Hetty, trembling and flush -
" Which way did he go ?"
" I promised not to tell, sir."
" Butyou must, or take the consequences*"
" I would'nt tell if you kill me," sobbed lh«
frightened girl.
" I'll have itoutof her," exclaimed the furious
officer, with an oath.
" Let me speak to her," said his tory guide ; "J
know the child, I believe. " Isn't your name
Hetty Marvin?"
"Yes, sir."
" And this man who run by you a few minuU *
ago, was your mother's cousin, was'nt ho ?"
" Yes, sir, he was."
" Well, we are friends of his—what did he say
to you when lie came along?"
" He—he told me—that he was flying for tun
" Just so, Hetty ; that was very true. I hope
ho won't have to fly far. Where was he going to
try to hide ? You see I could help him if I knew
his plans."
Now Hetty was not a whit deceived by th.n
smooth speech. But she was willing to tell an
much truth as would consist with his safety, and
she wisely judged that her frankness would serve
her kinsman better than her silence.
" My Cousin said that he was going this way
Kho river, where he had a boat, and he
c to tell the men who wore chasing him
d gone the other way to meet the EMJI
lid'nt you do as he bid you, then, whin
here he had gone?" thundered the i
