For fame do I fight? Lord of hosts, does not he And would'st take the life we are fighting for, Who battles for right ever battle for Thee !

For the sake of a poor dead bird ?" There are graves trodden level that love seeks in vain,

The eagle's circuits, in slow descent, Held in honor by angels. Alike in thy sight

Came nearer, day by day, The poorest who carves for the red stripes their Till one morn he sat on the ridge of the tent, stain,

Where a wounded soldier layAnd the leader who falls in the van of the fight.

No more, whose right arm clasped a maid,

No more, whose left a gun,
They are coming—they come! Shifting sunbeams And no more the eagle's shadow played
reveal

Between him and the sun.
Their way through the leaves by the glitter of steel;
They swarm to the light, through the tree-boles

He folded his heavy wings, and slept
they swarm

On the ridge of the sick boy's tent, Out from the forest aisles, lofty and large.

Or with flasbing eye his vigils kept Our Colonel turns pale, drops his beckoning arms,

On all that came and went. But hark, boys, the order: “Fix bayonets

Do you wonder that soon as the soldier stirred

Forth for the air and the sun, charge !"

On his shoulder perched the fierce, grim bird,

Ere its strength could bear his gun ? THE EAGLE OF THE EIGHTH WISCONSIN.

And when, once more, he proudly marched Poised in the azure depths of air,

To a soldier's pains and joys, In his home so near the sun,

The eagle sat on his shoulder perched, Like one, just brought in being there,

'Mid the Eighth Wisconsin boys; And whose flight had not begun

And now where the wave of battle flows, And he knew not whether his home to seek

And its deathly flashes gleam, In that dazzling world of light,

And on their ranks the foemen close, Or glide far down to some snowy peak

Till their blood and their banners stream of bleak Nevadian height

In mass confused and mingled flow, An eagle's slowly moving wing

And shell or shrapnel sings gered between the sun

Its terrible whistling song of woe, And a boy, whose right arm clasped a maid,

The eagle flaps his wings,* While his left one held his gun;

And the flash of his fierce, majestic eye And the proud bird's shadow nerved his heart,

Outshines the bayonet's gleam; Though he knew not whence the power;

And over the soldiers' battle-cry, But he felt there came the strength to part,

And the hiss of the shells that scream, And the courage for the hour.

And the roar of the fierce artillery, The roll of the stirring drum came clear,

Rises the eagle's cry, The bugle's blast came shrill,

As if the Genius of the Free The eagles shone on his dark blue coat,

Inspired his voice and eye. And the eagle shadowed him still;

The brave Wisconsins hear that cry And proudly his bayonet flashed that day

And answer with shout and cheer, On the scenes of his early joys,

“ 'Tis the voice of the Genius of Liberty," As he grasped his gun and marched away

And they fight on without fear. With the Eighth Wisconsin boys.

Thus from the banks of far Osage, And proudly the regiment trod the street,

To Chickamauga's shoreAs it swept from town to town,

'Mid Donelson's relentless rage, And still on its waving standard sheet

And Vicksburgh's thundering roarA shadow unnoticed came down;

On many a conquered battle-field, Now its ranks are filled, and it moves along

Unshadowed by defeatOn the swift and crowded train

As State by State the foemen yield, Now pauses amid the hurrying throng,

From field and fort retreatOr speeds o'er the sounding plain.

The Eighth Wisconsin marches on,
No longer the eagle in eyrie rests,

By danger undeterred,
But his straining flight doth keep,
As he follows the train o'er the sounding plain,

* A correspondent of the Iroqua (Wis.) Times gives the fol

sowing, among other particulars, relative to the eagle of the Or the keel through the foaming deep-

Eighth Wisconsin regiment, which the soldiers have named Till when, 'mid the wilds of the rude frontier, "Old Abe :"

“When the regiment is engaged in battle, Old Abe manifests The Eighth are guarding the line,

the fiercest delight. At such a time he will always be found in They observe his wheeling circuits near

his appropriate place, at the head of company D. To be seen The top of a distant pine.

in all his glory, he should be seen when the regiment is envel

oped in the smoke of battle. Then the eagle, with spread pin“Come, now for a shot at him. Who's afraid ions, jumps up and down on his perch, uttering such wild, fear

ful screams as an eagle alone can utter. The fiercer, wilder, To bring down the eagle ?” said one.

and louder the storm of battle, the fiercer, wilder, and louder But the boy on whose right had leaned the maid the scream of the eagle. Twice Old Abe has been hit by secesWhile his left arm held his gun,

sion bullets; one shot carried away a third part of his tail-feaCried : “Hold! would'st thou fight in a holy war, regiment through seven States. Thousands flock to see him,

And one of them bears on his right a gun,

Or with Kearny and Pope 'mid the steelly storm, On his left the noble bird.

As the night closed in, that coat he wore.
And his dream by night is a vision sweet,

The blue great-coat, etc.
Of a far Wisconsin glade,
Where he meets with his first and last retreat,

Or when right over, as Jackson dashed,
Outflanked, right and left, by a maid.

That collar or cape some bullet tore;
Or when far ahead Antietam flashed,
He flung to the ground the coat that he wore.

The blue great-coat, etc.
THE BLUE COAT.

Or stood at Gettysburgh, where the graves
The following ballad is from the pen of Bishop Burgess, of

Rang deep to Howard's cannon roar;
Maine, and was contributed by him to the book published and
sold at the Sanitary Fair in Baltimore, under the sanction of the Or saw with Grant the unchained waves
State Fair Association of the women of Maryland:

Wbere conquering hosts the blue coat wore.

The blue great-coat, etc.
THE BLUE COAT OF THE SOLDIER.

That garb of honor tells enough,
You asked me, little one, why I bowed,

Though I its story guess no more; Though never I passed the man before !

The heart it covers is made of such stuff, Because my heart was full and proud

That coat is mail which that soldier wore.
When I saw the old blue coat he wore.

The blue great-coat, etc.
The blue great-coat, the sky-blue coat,
The old blue coat the soldier wore.

He may hang it up when the peace shall come,

And the moths may find it behind the door; I knew not, I, what weapon he chose,

But his children will point, when they hear a drum, What chief he followed, what badge he wore;

To the proud old coat their father wore.
Enough that in the front of foes

The blue great-coat, etc.
His country's blue great-coat he wore.
The blue great-coat, etc.

And so, my child, will you and I,

For whose fair home their blood they pour, Perhaps he was born in a forest hut,

Still bow the head, as one goes by Perhaps he had danced on a palace-floor;

Who wears the coat that soldier wore. To want or wealth my eyes were shut,

The blue great-coat, the sky-blue coat,
I only marked the coat he wore.

The old blue coat the soldier wore.
The blue great-coat, etc.
It mattered not much if he drew his line

REBEL PRISONERS IN 0110.—The following account From Shem or Ham, in the days of yore;

of the treatment of rebel prisoners in the Ohio PeniFor surely he was a brother of mine,

tentiary was given in the Richmond Examiner of Who for my sake the war-coat wore.

March seventeenth, 1864 :
The blue great-coat, etc.

The experiences of this war have afforded many exHe might have no skill to read or write,

amples of Yankee cruelty which bave produced an imOr he might be rich in learned lore;

pression more or less distinct upon the enlightened But I knew he could make his mark in fight, portions of the world. But the statement which we And nobler gown no scholar wore

proceed to give, takes precedence of all that has ever Than the blue great-coat, etc.

yet been narrated of the atrocities of the enemy; and

it is so remarkable, both on account of its matter and It may be he could plunder and prowl,

the credit that must naturally attach to its authorship, And perhaps in his mood he scoffed and swore; that we doubt whether the so-called civilized world of But I would vot guess a spot so foul

this generation has produced anywhere any well-auOn the honored coat he bravely wore.

thenticated story of equal horror. The blue great-coat, etc.

The statement we give to our readers is that we

have just taken from the lips of Captain Calvin C. He had worn it long, and borne it far;

Morgan, a brother of the famous General Morgan, who And perhaps on the red Virginian shore, arrived in Richmond under the recent flag of truce, From midnight chill till the morning-star,

which covered the return of several hundred of our That worn great-coat the sentry wore.

prisoners. Captain Morgan was among those of his The blue great-coat, etc.

brother's expedition who, in last July, were incarceratWhen hardy Butler reined his steed

ed in the Penitentiary of Ohio. On entering this in

famous abode, Captain Morgan and his companions Through the streets of proud, proud Baltimore,

were stripped in a reception-room and their naked Perhaps behind him, at his need,

bodies examined there. They were again stripped in Marcbed he who yonder blue coat wore.

the interior of the prison, and washed in tubs by The blue great-coat, etc.

negro convicts; their hair cut close to the scalp, the Perhaps it was seen in Burnside's ranks,

brutal warden, who was standing by, exhorting the When Rappahannock ran dark with gore;

negro barber to “cut off every d-d lock of their Perhaps on the mountain-side with Banks,

rebel hair.” After these ceremonies, the officers were In the burning sun no more he wore

locked up in cells, the dimensions of which were The blue great-coat, etc.

thirty-eight inches in width, six and a half feet in

length, and about the same in height. In these narPerhaps in the swamps was a bed for his form, row abodes our brave soldiers were left to pine, brand

From the seven days' battling and marching sore, ed as felons, goaded by “convict-drivers," and insulted

:

by speeches which constantly reminded them of the said they had already been taxed to the point of death. weak and cruel neglect of that government, on whose The wretch replied: "They did not talk right yet.” behalf, after imperilling their lives, they were now suf- He wished them to humble themselves to him. He fering a fate worse than death. But even these suffer- went into the cell of one of them, Major Webber, to ings were nothing to what was reserved for them in taunt him. “Sir," said the officer, “I defy you. You another invention of cruelty without a parallel, unless can kill me, but you can add nothing to the sufferings in the secrets of the infernal.

you have already inflicted. Proceed to kill me; it It appears that after General Morgan's escape, sus- makes not the slightest difference.” picion alighted on the warden, a certain Captain Meri- At the expiration of sixteen days the men were reon, who, it was thought, might have been corrupted. To leased from the dungeons. Merion said "he would alleviate the suspicion, (for which there were really no take them out this time alive, but the next time they grounds whatever.) the brute commenced a system of offended they would be taken out feet foremost.” devilish persecution of the unfortunate confederate Their appearance was frightful; they could no longer prisoners who remained in his hands. One part of the be recognized by their companions. With their bodies system was solitary confinement in dungeons. These swollen and discolored, with their minds bordering on dungeons were close cells, a false door being drawn childishness, tottering, some of them talking foolishly, over the grating so as to exclude light and air. The these wretched men seemed to agree but in one thing food allowed the occupants of these dark and noisome a ravenous desire for food. places was three ounces of bread and half a pint of “I had known Captain Coles," says Captain Morwater per day. The four walls were bare of every gan," as well as my brother. When he came out of thing but a water-bucket, for the necessities of nature, his dungeon, I swear to you I did not know him. His which was left for days to poison the air the prisoner face had swollen to two or three times its ordinary breathed. He was denied a blanket; deprived of his size, and he tottered so that I had to catch him from overcoat, if he had one, and left standing or stretched falling. Captain Barton was in an awful state. His with four dark, cold walls around him, with not room face was swollen, and the blood was bursting from the enough to walk in to keep up the circulation of his skin. All of them had to be watched, so as to check blood, stagnated with the cold, and the silent and un- them in eating, as they had been starved so long." utterable horrors of his abode.

Captain Morgan was so fortunate as to obtain a Confinement in these dungeons was the warden's transfer to Johnson's Island, whence, after being carried sentence for the most trivial offences. On one occa- to Point Lookout, he was exchanged. He says that sion, one of our prisoners was thus immured because when he got into Beast Butler's hands, he felt as if he refused to tell Merion which one of his companions he had been translated to Paradise”_showing what had whistled, contrary to the prison rules. But the comparative things misery and happiness are in this most terrible visitation of this demon's displeasure oc- world. But he left in those black walls of captivity curred not more than six weeks ago.

he had been released from, sixty-five brave men, who Some knives had been discovered in the prisoner's are wearing their lives away without even a small cells, and Merion accused the occupants of meditating whisper of relief from that government for which they their escape. Seven of them, all officers, and among are martyrs. them Captain Morgan, were taken to the west end of Is there any authority in Richmond that will crook the building and put in the dark cells there. They a thumb to save these men, who are not only flesh of were not allowed a blanket or overcoat, and the ther- our flesh, but the defenders of those in this capital, mometer was below zero. There was no room to pace. who, not exactly disowning them, undertake the base Each prisoner had to struggle for life, as the cold be- and cowardly pretence of ignoring their fate? numbed him, by stamping his feet, beating the walls, What is the confederate definition of “retaliation"? now catching a few minutes of horrible sleep on the Captain Morgan says that on his way down the bay, cold floor, and then starting up to continue, in the to Fortress Monroe, he met Colonel Streight; that this dark, his wrestle for life.

famous “hostage” was fat and rubicund; that he “I had been suffering from heart disease,” says spoke freely of his prison experience in Richmond, and Captain Morgan. “It was terribly aggravated by the complained only that he had to eat corn-bread. This cold and horror of the dungeon in which I was placed. appeared to be the extent of his sufferings, and the I had a wet towel, one end of which I pressed to my confederate limit of retaliation. Is it necessary to preside; the other would freeze, and I had to put its sent the contrast further than we have already done, frozen folds on my naked skin. I stood this way all by a relation of facts at once more truthful and more night, pressing the frozen towel to my side, and keep- terrible than any argument or declamation could posing my feet going up and down. I felt I was strug- sibly be? gling for my life.”

Captain Morgan endured this confinement for eighteen hours, and was taken out barely alive. The other prisoners endured it for sixteen days and nights. In Colonel Mosby, the guerrilla chief, has become fa this time they were visited at different periods by the mous, and his dushing exploits are often recorded to physician of the penitentiary—Dr. Loring—who felt our disadvantage; but even he meets with his match their pulses and examined their conditions, to ascer- occasionally. tain how long life might hold out under the exacting On Friday, March twenty-fifth, 1865, Captain E. B. torture. It was awful, this ceremony of torture, this Gere, of the Griswold Light Cavalry, was sent out with medical examination of the victims. The tramp of the one hundred and twenty-five men to the neighborprisoners' feet up and down, (there was no room to hoods of Berryville and Winchester on a scout, and walk,) as they thus worked for life, was incessantly encamped at Millwood, some six or eight miles from going on. This black tread-mill of the dungeon could the former place. be heard all through the cold and dreary hours of the After the men had got their fires built, Sergeant night. Dr. Loring, who was comparatively a humane Weatherby, of company B, Corporal Simpson, of person, besought Merion to release the unhappy men; company it, and a private, went some two miles from

COLONEL MOSBY OUTWITTED.

CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN GENERAL BUTLER AND A

FEMININE SECESSIONIST.

camp to get supper at a farm-house, and, waiting for arms, equipments, etc., is still in the possession of the long delayed tea, were surprised to find several re- Simpson. We believe it is the intention of the regi. volvers suddenly advance into the room, behind each ment to buy them from the Government, and to prepair of which was either Colonel Mosby, a rebel cap- sent them to the “ Yankee Corporal who beat Mosby tain or a lieutenant, all rather determined men, with out of his pet nag.” “shoot in their eyes," who demanded the immediate Captain Gere returned to camp at Halltown Satursurrender of the aforesaid Yankees. The aim being day afternoon, having captured Lieutenant Wysong, wicked, the three Twenty-firsters saw they were “un- of the Seventh Virginia, the successor of Captain der a cloud," and so quietly gave up the contest. Blackford, a noted guerrilla, who was killed by a ser

Colonel Mosby was much elated by his good for- geant of the First New-York. tune, and required his prisoners to follow him supperless on his rounds to his headquarters at Paris; the private, however, while pretending to get his horse, hid himself in the bay and escaped, Mosby not daring to wait and hunt him up.

LOCUSTVILLE, ACCOMAC Co., VA., March 10, 1864. On the way to Paris, the Colonel amused himself General B. F. Butler : by constantly taunting his prisoners with questions : Sir: My school has been closed since Christmas, “Were they with Major Cole when he thrashed him because, as I understood the oath required of us, I at Upperville ?" "Were they with Major Sullivan, could not conscientiously take it. Having heard of the First veterans, when his men ran away and left since then that one of your officers explains the oath him ?” “How did they fancy his gray nag ?-he took as meaning simply that we consent to the acts of the that from a Yankee lieutenant." "Didn't the Yanks United States Government, and pledge passive obedi. dread him and his men more than they did the regu-ence to the same, I take the liberty of addressing this lar rebel cavalry?" “ How did they (the prisoners) to you to ascertain if you so construe the oath. I canlike bis style of fighting ?” and a hundred such re- not understand how a woman can supporl, protect, marks, that indicated the man as being more of a and defend the Union,” except by speaking or writing braggart than a hero.

in favor of the present war, which I could never do, He was, in the mean time, engaged in gathering his because my sympathies are with the South. If by men with the avowed intention of attacking Captain those words you understand merely passive submission, Gere's force at daylight, and, if possible, of cutting it I am ready to take the oath, and abide by it sacredly. to pieces. His followers live in the farm houses of Very respectfully,

MARY S. GRAVES. Loudon, Clarke, and Jefferson counties, and are either

HEADQUARTERS EIGHTEENTH ARMY CORPS, rebel soldiers or Union citizens, as the case may re

DEPARTMENT OF VIRGINIA AND NORTI-CAROLINA, quire. He would ride up to a house, call Joe or

FORTRESS MONROE, March 14, 1861. Jake, and tell them that he wanted them at such an My Dear Madam: I am truly sorry that any Union hour at the usual place; to go and tell Jim or Mose. officer of mine has attempted to fritter away the efAlmost every farm turned out somebody in answer to fect of the oath of allegiance to the Government of his call, proving that these men, with the certified the United States, and to inform you that it means oath of allegiance in their pockets, and with passes nothing more than passive obedience to the same. allowing them to come in and go out of our lines at That officer is equally mistaken. The oath of allewill, are not only in sympathy with the enemy, but giance means fealty, pledge of faith to, love, affection, are themselves perjured rebels.

and reverence for the Government, all comprised in When they arrived at Paris, Colonel Mosby dis- the word patriotism, in its highest and truest sense, mounted and stepped into the house where he had his which every true American feels for his or her Gov. headquarters, leaving his pistols in the holsters. The ernment. Lieutenant, with drawn revolver, watched the prison- You say: "I cannot understand how a woman can ers while the Captain endeavored to find an orderly to support, protect, and defend the Union, except by take the horses. Corporal Simpson, who had been speaking or writing in favor of the present war, which marking the road for future use, and had been long I could never do, because my sympathies are with the looking for it, saw his chance and pretended to tie his South.” horse, but really putting his foot into the stirrup of That last phrase, madam, shows why you cannot Mosby's saddle and laying hold of one of the over- understand “ how a woman can support; protect, and looked pistols. The Lieutenant detected the move defend the Union.” and fired at him, when Simpson shot him through the Were you loyal at heart, you would at once underheart with the weapon be had secured. The Captain stand. The Southern women who are rebels underturned round and fired, and Colonel Mosby came to stand well “how to support, protect, and defend” the the door to see "what all that - row was about,” Confederacy, “without either speaking or writing." just in time to hear a bullet whiz unpleasantly close to Some of them act as spies, some smuggle quinine in his head, that he fired at him “just for luck" as he their underclothes, some smuggle information through and his comrade left, yelling back : “ Colonel Mosby, the lines in their dresses, some tend sick soldiers for how do you like our style of fighting? We belong to the Confederacy, some get up subscriptions for rebel the Twenty-first New.York."

And away they went, gunboats. leaving Colonel Mosby dismounted, and outwitted of Perhaps it may all be comprised in the phrase: his best horse, saddle, overcoat, pistols, two Yankee “Where there is a will there is a way.” prisoners, and at least one vacancy among his com- Now, then, you could “support, protect, and defend missioned officers. Corporal Simpson rode twelve the Union ” by teaching the scholars of your school to miles to the camp, closely followed by the Sergeant, love and reverence the Government, to be proud of and gave Captain Gere such notice of the enemy's in their country, to glory in its flag, and to be true to its tentions that they thought best not to pitch in at the Constitution. But, as you don't understand that your. appointed time.

self, you can't teach it to them, and, therefore, I am The captured horse is a very fine one, and with the glad to learn from your letter that your school has