Pittsburgh Subsistence Committee. The Soldier's Return.

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THE SOLDIER'S RETURN.
PITTSBURGH SUBSISTENCE COMMITTEE.

[2]
PREFACE.
The 123d Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, was recruited at Pittsburgh, in August, 1862, by Col. J. B. CLARK, for nine months service, and arrived at Antietam on the evening of the engagement. The next morning the Regiment was formed in line of Battle, but the anticipated attack was not made.
The Regiment was subsequently in the battles of Fredericksburgh

[3]
and Chancellorsville, and was discharged on the 13th of May, 1863, the expiration of its term of enlistment.
The men were handsomely welcomed on their arrival at Pittsburgh, and marched to the City Hall to an entertainment prepared for them by the Subsistence Committee, after which they dispersed to their homes.
PITTSBURGH, DEC. 25, 1863.

[4]
The "Nine Months" Man.
WRITTEN FOR THE PITTSBURGH SUBSISTENCE COMMITTEE

1.
WHY John, I hardly knew
you,
With your fierce mous-
tache and beard;
Your cheeks as brown as leather,
And your hands all tanned
and seared;
You've taller grown and stouter,
With your Father's well
knit frame;

[5]
Bless God! whose sparing
mercy,

Brings you safely home
again.

2.
I leaned upon your sister,
As the regiment marched by,
And my heart swelled nigh to
bursting,
When I caught your loving
eye;
You did not stop to kiss me,
rain;

[6]
But now you're here, come tell
me dear,
You went not forth in vain.

3.
No mother-not in vain, thank
God,
I went nine months ago,
To do a patriot's duty,
And meet my country's foe;
For many a weary step I've
marched,
In storm, or burning sun;
And many a leaden messenger
Sped from my trusty gun.

[7]
4.
Full oft I've "gay and happy"
been,
Or hungry, sad, and tired,
And in the fight, a wild de-
light,
My soul with glory fired.
In camp, or march, or battle's
din,
On lonely picket guard,
Through all the time, in shade
or shine,
In duty, came reward.

[8]
5.
The soldier's life has many a
joy,
But never grim despair;
For Glory waits to crown the
fate,
Of men who do and dare.
Our Freedom 'neath the starry
Flag,
"Our country's Father" won;
And not in vain, to save the
boon,
Can fight our Country's
Sons.
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6.
At Antietam we met them,
first;
Drawn up in stern array,
We longed to hear the order
given,
To join the fierce affray,
For hours we stood, in confi-
dence,
No heart of soldier failed,
Alas!-my country's grief I
tell-
The General only, quailed.

[10]
7.
That night the rebels crossed
the stream,
And when the sun arose,
The battle field behind us lay,
In front there were no foes.
Unscathed, we suffered them
to go;
I thought my heart would
break,
And many a mourner yet will
rue
That fatal day's mistake.

[11]
8.
The coast once clear, again
we marched
In "hot pursuit" they said;
'Twas cold I know, and won-
drous slow,
Though fast the rebels fled;
One night the silent snow flakes
fell,
Strange sight at morn to
see
Our host shake off its winding
sheet,
At beat of reveille.

[12]
9.
Anon-brave Burnsides in
command- [stood,
At death's grim gate, we
Five hundred cannon quaintly
placed,
To strike from wall and wood;
We crossed the bridge, and
stormed the town,
Charged bravely o'er the
plain;
Five hundred cannon belched
their fires-
We lost a thousand men.

[13]
10.
Steady as spring tides to the
shore, [whiles
We charged the foe, the
The sheet flames ran from hill
to hill,
The bolts swept through our
files;
Dashing-as spring tides on the
rock,
Again we charged-again-
As breakers fall from unscaled
cliffs,
We fell back to the plain.

[14]
11.
Then night came on-oh, fear-
ful night!
Yet blessed night, for all-
God's sheltering roof, o'er liv-
ing men,
O'er dead, His funeral pall;
Some slept, as weary soldiers
sleep,
But gasping by my side,
Poor Harry lay, in chills of
death;
Ere morning broke-he
died.

[15]
12
"Now John, you're going
home," said he,
"And tell my mother this;
"Forget my faults, forgive me
all
"I've ever done amiss;
"My battle's o'er, I loved the
Flag
"Next to my God and her,
"And dying in my country's
cause,
"'Tis I, am conqueror!

[16]
13.
"And tell her, not to grieve
for me;
"We'll meet again in
Heaven,
"For Jesus' blood was shed I
know,
"That I might be forgiven."
And then he prayed-and soon
was still,
I knew that he was dead;
Yet laid me down beside the
corpse,
And slept as in a bed.

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14.
The morning came-but not
the Sun-
And in the chilling rain,
Undaunted still, we formed
our lines,
To charge the works again:
Our Colonel stood before the
ranks,
And then, on bended knee,
We praised the Lord for life
and strength,
And prayed for victory.

[18]
15.
The rebels shrank behind their
walls,
Between us lay the dead;
And all day long the shot and
shell
Went shrieking overhead;
And all day long, we held our
lines,
Nor knew we'd fought in
vain,
'Till sheltered by the stormy
night,
They marched us back again.

[19]
16.
With weary limbs, and heavy
hearts,
Our backs turned to the foe;
The horrors of that midnight
march,
None but the marchers
know:
A bloody fight, two sleepless
nights-
And days, in mire and rain,
Ten thousand brave men left
behind,
Sums up the dark campaign.

[20]
17.
But bring me father's Bible
now- [prayer-
I've learned to lead in
Some night I'll tell of Chan-
cellorsville,
And what befel us there.
"Yes John-but make one
promise, first-
"You've nobly done your
share,
"Say that you'll go no more,
but stay [here."
"With us who love you

[21]
18.
Mother! 'twas at my country's
call,
I joined the nine months
men,
Three hundred thousand pa-
triot sons,
She's calling for again.
Eternal must the Union live,
The Freeman's joy! the hope
of slave!
God, gave it birth at Bunker
Hill,
Man, ne'er shall dig its grave.

[22]
19.
Behind the town at Fredericks-
burg,
To wait eternity,
Sleeps comrade Harry, in the
trench,
With fifty brave as he;
I'd rather lie beside him
there,
Dead, in my Country's
cause,
Than live a shrinking laggard
here,
Protected by her laws.

[23]
20.
No mother! I'm a soldier
now,
Still shall my glory be
To strike undaunted in the
front,
For God and Liberty;
'Till trampled in the dust
shall lie,
The traitorous rebel rag,
And FREEDOM'S PLEDGE O'ER
ALL THE LAND,
SHALL FLOAT YON STARRY
FLAG.