The High Tide At Gettysburg

A cloud possessed the hollow field, The gatherin? battle's smoky shield. Athwart the gloom the li.'htninjí fláshed, And through. the cloud some horsemen dashed, And from the heislits the thunder pealed. Then at the brief command of Lee Moved out that matchless infantry, With Pickett leading grandly down To rush a,'ainst 1 ie roaring crowu Oí those droad 1 ;ights of destiay Far heard above the anry guns A cry aoross the tumult runs, The voice that ran' throujh Shiloh's wooda And Chickamau?a's solitudes, The fleree South cheering on her sons. Ah, how the witherint; tempest blew Against the front of Pettigrew! A kamsin wind that scorched and singed Like that infernal fíame that fringed The British squares at Waterloo! A thousand feil where Kemper led: Athousand died wliere Ganiett bied: In blinding flame and stranglin,' smoke The remnant through the batteries broke And crossod the works with Armistead. "Once morein glory's van with me!" .Virginia cried to Tennessee, "We two to ?ether, come what inay Shall stand upon these works to-day, The reddest day in hUtoryl" Brave Tennessee! Reckless the way Virginia heard her comrades say : "Close round this rent and riddled raj 1" That time she set her battle fias Amid ths KUns of Doubleday. But who shall break the guards tñat wait Before the awful fice oí Fate? The tattered standards of the South Were shriveled at the cannon's mouth, And all her hopos were desolat In vain the Tennesean set His bravest 'gainst thebayonotl In vain Virginia char ed and rased. A tiross in her wrath uncaged. And all the hill was red and wet! Above the bayoneta mixed and crossed, Men saw a gr.iy, üigantic ghost Recedinï throuh the battle cloud. And heard across the tempest loud The death cry of a nation lostl The brave went down! Without disgraoa They leaped to ruin's red embrace, They only heard Pame's thunders wake Andsaw the dazzling sunburst break In smiies on Glory's bloody facel They feil. who lifted up a hand And balo the sun in heaven to standl They smote and feil, who set the bars Against the progresa of the stars And stayed the march of motherland! They stool who saw the future coma On through the fuhfs deliriuml They smote and stood who held the hope, Ofnationi on thatslippery slope Amid the cheers of Chri-,tendoml God Uves ! He forïed the iron vrill That clutchea and held that tremblim hill, God lives andreiscns! He built and lent The heu-hts for Freedom's battlement Where floats her flaj in triumph stilt Fold up the bannersl Smelt the gunst Love rules. Her gentier purpose runsThe mishty Mother turns in teara The pages of her battle years, Lamenting all her fallen sons!