RALLYING ROUND THE FLAG.
There came a gloomy day to the people of New Hope,--that gloomiest of
the year, of all the years,--that on which they received the astounding
intelligence that Fort Sumter had been attacked by the people of South
Carolina, and that Major Anderson commanding it, with his little
company, had been compelled to surrender. News so startling brought all
the people into the streets. They assembled around the telegraph office,
where Mr. Magnet read the despatch; how the attack had been made at
daybreak on Friday, the 12th of April, all the batteries which General
Beauregard had erected opening fire upon the half-starved garrison; how
shot and shell were rained upon the fort, from Moultrie, from the guns
on Morris Island, and from the floating battery which the Rebels had
built; how Major Anderson coolly ate his breakfast; how Captain
Doubleday fired the first gun in reply; how the cannonade went on all
day, the great guns roaring and jumping; how the fight commenced again
next morning; how the barracks were set on fire by the shells from the
Rebel guns; how manfully the garrison fought against the flames, rolling
kegs of powder into the sea to prevent their exploding; how the soldiers
were scorched by the heat and almost suffocated by the smoke; how the
flag-staff was shot away; how the flag was nailed to the broken mast;
how the brave little band held out till their powder was almost
exhausted, and till there was nothing to eat but raw salt pork; how at
last, after thirty-six hours' fighting, Major Anderson surrendered the
fort, saluting his flag as he hauled it down, carrying it away with him,
being permitted to sail with his company to New York; and how the
President had called for seventy-five thousand men to suppress the
rebellion. The people held their breath while Mr. Magnet was reading,
and when he had finished looked at one another in mournful silence. The
flag of their country was trailed in the dust, and dishonored in the
sight of the nations. They could not have felt worse if they had lost a
dear friend by death.
"The country is gone, gone, gone," said Judge Adams, wiping the tears
from his eyes.
"I reckon not, Judge," said Colonel Dare, "the people will have
something to say about this insult to the flag. They will wipe out the
disgrace by sweeping those scoundrels into the sea." The Colonel usually
looked on the bright side of things. He recalled the trainings of other
days, when his regiment paraded on the green and had a sham-fight. He
wished that he were once more in command; he would march to Charleston,
burn the city, and sow it with salt.
"The question is, whether a sovereign State has not a right to secede if
she chooses," said Mr. Funk,--for he and Philip were the only persons in
New Hope who were not sorrowful over the intelligence. Mr. Funk was a
native of Virginia, and had much to say about the superiority of
Southern gentlemen over all other men,--how noble and chivalric they
were.
"I am glad that the President has called for seventy-five thousand men
to crush the vipers," said the Colonel.
"He can't do it. It won't be constitutional. You can't coerce a
sovereign State," said Mr. Funk.
"We will do it. Let me tell you, Mr. Funk, that this is a government of
the people,--the whole people,--and that the old flag which has been
stricken from the walls of Sumter shall go up there, if it takes a
million of men to put it there!"
"You can't do it. One Southerner can whip five Yankees any day," said
Philip.
Colonel Dare took no notice of what Philip said. And he was too much
depressed by the news to enter into an argument with Mr. Funk upon the
right of a State to secede from the Union.
One by one the people went to their homes, meditating upon what they had
heard, and wondering what next would happen. They could not work; they
could only think of the terrible event.
What a gloomy day it was to Paul Parker! He went home, sat down before
the fire, and looked into the glowing coals. The gun which his
grandfather carried at Bunker Hill, and which in his hands had brought
down many a squirrel from the highest trees, was hanging in its usual
place. He felt like shouldering it and marching for Charleston. He
recalled the stories which his grandfather had told him there upon the
hearth, of Bunker Hill and Saratoga. Many times he had wished that he
had lived in those glorious days, to be a patriot, and assist in
securing the independence of America. But now the work which his
grandfather and the Revolutionary sires had accomplished seemed to be
all lost. It made him sick at heart to think of it. Would the people
resent the insult which South Carolina had given to the flag? What would
the President do? What if he did nothing? What would become of the
country? What would become of liberty, justice, truth, and right? O, how
hard it was to see them all stricken down,--to think that the world was
turning backward! He looked into the coals till he could see great
armies meeting in battle,--houses in flames, and the country drenched in
blood. He sat motionless, forgetful of everything but the terrible
intelligence and the gloomy future. What part should he take in the
contest? What could he do? The President had called for men to help
raise the flag once more upon the walls of Sumter; could he leave his
home, his mother, his friends? These were trying questions; but he felt
that he could go wherever duty called him.
Colonel Dare, as he reflected upon what had happened, saw that the
people needed stirring up to sustain the President; that the Rebellion
must be put down, or there would be an end of all government. He
resolved to get up a public meeting. "We will have it this evening, and
you must be chairman," he said to Judge Adams.
He called upon Rev. Mr. Surplice. "I want you to open the meeting by
prayer," he said, "for these are sober days. We need God's help. If we
ask Him, He will help us. And you must make a speech. Come down on the
Rebels," he added, with sudden indignation; "curse them, as David cursed
the enemies of God. You, who are watchman on the walls of Zion, must
lead off, and the people will follow. Their hearts are burning within
them; the kindlings are laid; strike the match now, and there will be
such a flame of patriotism as the world never saw."
"We shall want singing," he said to Paul. "You must get that up."
He engaged Mr. Tooter to be there with his fife, and Mr. Noggin with his
drum. These two were old companions on training days. They had drank
many glasses of cider together, and had played "Yankee Doodle," and "The
Campbells are coming," and "Saint Patrick's Day in the Morning," on
many occasions.
"We shall expect some resolutions and a speech from you," he said to
Squire Capias.
Thus he laid out the work, and entered upon it with so much zeal, that
all hands caught the spirit of his enthusiasm. Judge Adams, who had been
very much depressed, became more cheerful, and thought over what he
should say upon the occasion. Rev. Mr. Surplice looked through the
Psalms and Isaiah and the New Testament to find the Scripture most
appropriate to read. Squire Capias sat down by his round table in his
dingy office, ran his fingers through his long black hair, and thought
over his speech. Paul and Azalia, with Hans, went to Colonel Dare's,
and, with Daphne, rehearsed the "Star-Spangled Banner," and "America,"
while Mr. Noggin put a new cord into his drum, which had been lying for
months in his garret, and was covered with dust.
Evening came. The sexton rang the bell of the church,--not soberly and
steadily, but he tugged with all his might at the rope, throwing the
bell over and over,--ringing as if the whole town was in a blaze. The
farmers out on the hills heard it, and came driving furiously into the
village to see what was the matter.
Mr. Tooter and Mr. Noggin, with Mr. Chrome, who had a new flag, walked
out upon the parade-ground. The musicians struck up Yankee-Doodle. How
it stirred the hearts of everybody,--the sharp, shrill notes of the
fife,--the roll, the rattle, and the rat-a-tat-tat of the drum, and the
clanging of the bell, and the sight of that flag, its crimson folds and
fadeless stars waving in the evening breeze! Never had it looked so
beautiful. The little boys swung their caps and cheered, the women waved
their handkerchiefs, and the men hurrahed in an outburst of wild
enthusiasm. Then they formed in procession with Colonel Dare for
marshal,--the music and the flag in advance, Rev. Mr. Surplice, Judge
Adams, and Squire Capias next, and then all the citizens, marching round
the public square to the church, filling the house, the pews, the
aisles, the entry, and hanging like a swarm of bees around the windows.
Judge Adams forgot all his despondency, while Mr. Surplice, who was
getting a little prosy as a preacher, was as full of fire as in his
younger days. Mr. Capias was so eloquent that the people stamped till
the house fairly shook with applause. He ended with resolutions,
pledging the support of the people of New Hope to the government,--their
lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor towards suppressing the
Rebellion. But more thrilling than all the eloquence of the evening was
the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner, by Azalia, Daphne, Paul, and
Hans. They stood on the platform in front of the pulpit, Azalia and
Daphne with flags in their hands. How sweet their voices! How inspiring
the moment when they sang:
"And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the
free and the home of the brave!"
Men threw up their hats, women waved their handkerchiefs, and all
cheered and shouted, while many shed tears, as they looked upon the
banner of their country, which had been so insulted and despised. There,
in the place where they met on the Sabbath to worship God, they resolved
that, let it cost what it might of money, of sacrifice, or of life, the
old flag should once more wave in triumph upon the walls of Fort
Sumter,--that the Rebellion should be subdued and the traitors
punished.
That was an ever memorable night to Paul. Alone in his chamber, lying on
his bed, whence he could look out, as in childhood, upon the stars, he
thought upon what had happened at Fort Sumter, and of the meeting in the
church at New Hope, and how he had pledged himself with the rest to
stand by the flag of his country. The water by the mill was repeating
the soul-stirring song, which Azalia, Daphne, Hans, and himself had
sung. The maples, elms, and all the forest-trees, like a multitudinous
chorus of a great and mighty people, were saying, "It shall wave--shall
wave--over the home of the brave!"
But men were wanted. The President had called for them. Ought he not to
be one of the seventy-five thousand? Would not his grandfather, if
alive, point to the old gun, and say, "Go, Paul, your country calls
you?" Were not all who have died for liberty, justice, truth, and right
calling upon him to do his duty? Were not the oppressed everywhere
looking to him? What answer could he give to the millions yet to be, if
in his old age they were to question him as to what part he bore in the
great struggle? Thus the voices of the ages propounded solemn
questions--voices of earth and heaven--of his duty to his country and to
God. But how could he leave his home, his mother, his friends, his
school, the choir, Azalia, Daphne, Hans, and give up the dear
associations of the place? What if he should fall in battle? Could he
meet death face to face? But then he remembered that the path of duty,
though it may lead through dangers, though it may lead to the death of
the body, is the way by which peace comes to the soul. It was the most
solemn moment of his life, for God was questioning him. He heard not
only the voices of the past, and of the winds, the water, and of his
country, calling him to do his duty as a patriot, but there was a still,
small voice talking of sins committed and duties neglected; of a lie
which he had told in childhood, and which had burned through all the
years like a red-hot iron, leaving a crisped and blackened scar upon his
soul. How could he be at peace? How ease the pain? Tears of anguish
rolled down his cheeks. He turned and tossed in agony, wishing that the
scar could be cut away, and that he could be made fit to dwell with the
angels. But in his agony he heard another voice saying, "Come unto me,
and I will give you rest."
They were no longer tears of sorrow which wet his pillow, but of joy,
for he saw that Jesus, having carried the cross up to Calvary, was able
and willing also to bear his burden. What a friend,--to take away all
his sin, and leave no scar, no pain, no sorrow! He would serve such a
friend with his whole soul. He would do his duty, whatever it might be.
For such a friend, he could go through all dangers and win his way to
victory. For him he would live, and for him he would die, if need be, to
save his country.
"Go, my son,--your country calls you, and God will take care of you,"
said his mother in the morning, when he told her that he thought it his
duty to enlist.
"I have decided to be a volunteer, and shall spend a half-hour with the
school and then dismiss it, and this will be my last day as a teacher,"
said Paul to the school committee, as he went for the last time to the
school-house. It was hard to part with those who were dear to him. He
had been so kind and gentle, and yet so firm and just, that all the
scholars loved him.
"You may lay aside your books, I have not time to hear your
lessons,"--he said, and then talked of what had happened,--said that the
flag had been insulted, that justice, law, religious liberty, truth, and
right had been overthrown, and that, unless the Rebellion was put down,
they would have no country, no home,--that God and his country called
him, and he must go. The issues at stake were not only worth living for,
but they were worth dying for, if they could be secured in no other way.
It was a duty to fight for them. How hard it was to say "Good by!" They
would meet again, but perhaps not in this world. His voice trembled;
there was weeping around the room. When he dismissed them, they had no
heart to play; they could only think how good and kind he was, and how
great their loss; and in imagination, looking into the gloomy future,
beheld him in the thickest of the fight upon the battle-field.
The whole country was aflame with patriotism. The drum-beat was heard
not only in New Hope, but in every city and village of the land. There
was a flag on almost every house. Farmers left their ploughs in the
unfinished furrows; the fire of the blacksmith's forge went out;
carpenters laid down their planes; lawyers put aside their cases in the
courts,--all to become citizen soldiers and aid in saving the
country,--assembling in squads, companies, and regiments at the
county-seats.
He called upon Rev. Mr. Surplice. "The Lord be with you, to guide,
protect, and bless you," said the good man as he bade Paul farewell. It
was a blessing and a benediction which followed Paul all the day, which
comforted and strengthened him, when he reflected that he might be
bidding a last farewell to his friends.
He was surprised to find that everybody was his friend; that all bade
him God speed,--all, except Mr. Funk and Philip. It was evening when he
called upon Azalia. He had shaken hands with Daphne and Hans, and others
of his associates. The train would bear him away in the morning. Azalia
came tripping down the path, holding out both hands to meet him at the
gate. She greeted him with a sad smile. "You are not going away to the
war, are you?" she asked with faltering voice.
"Yes, Azalia, and I have come to bid you good by!"
"Do you think it your duty to go and leave your mother? It will be hard
for her to give you up; she will miss you very much, and we shall all
miss you."
"I know that the old house will be lonesome,--that the days will be long
and the nights dreary to my mother,--that she will listen to every
approaching footstep and think perhaps it is mine. I know, Azalia, that
possibly I may never return; I feel that perhaps this is the last time I
may ever take you by the hand; but I feel that God and my country both
are calling me, and that I must go."
"But what if you are killed on the battle-field! O Paul, it is dreadful
to think of!"
"I would rather die there while doing what I feel to be my duty, than
remain here shirking responsibility. Last night I heard the voices of
the past calling me, and I seemed to see the myriads who are to come
after us beckoning me. I know it is my duty to go. You would not have me
falter, would you, Azalia?"
She could not reply. Her voice choked with emotion; she had not expected
such a question. Tears came into her eyes, and she turned away to hide
them.
"I could not go without coming to see you, to thank you for all your
kindness to me; you have been always a faithful and true friend. God
bless you for all you have done for me! I know your goodness of heart,
and I hope that, when I am gone, you will sometimes go in and comfort my
mother, and shorten the hours for her; for your smile is always like the
sunshine, and it will cheer her."
"I will do what I can to make her forget that you are gone."
"And you will not wholly forget me."
"I shall never forget you," she replied; then, looking steadily upon
him, with a strong effort to keep down her emotion, said, "Paul, I have
heard that there are many dangers in camp; that soldiers sometimes
forget home and old friends, and become callous and hardened to good
influences; that they lose sight of heaven and things holy and pure amid
the new duties and strange excitements. But for the sake of those who
respect and honor and love you, you will not give way to vice, will you?
I know you will not, for my sake."
"For your sake, Azalia, if for no other reason, I will resist evil, and
I will try to serve God and my country faithfully in all things, so that
if I come back, or if I fall in battle, you will not be ashamed of
having once been my friend."
She touched her sweet lips to his forehead, saying, "I have nothing else
to give you for such a promise. Remember that it came from your old
friend, Azalia."
His heart was full. He had braved himself to say farewell to all his
friends without shedding a tear, but his courage was faltering. How
could he go, perhaps never to return! He wanted to say more. He wanted
to sit down at her feet and worship such goodness; but he could only
dash away the tears, look for a moment into her eyes, drink in the sad
smile upon her face, leave a kiss upon her cheek, press her a moment to
his heart, and say, "God bless you, Azalia!"
He turned hastily away, and passed through the gate. He cast one glance
behind, and beheld her standing in the gravelled walk, her chestnut hair
falling upon her shoulders, and the setting sun throwing around her its
golden light. She waved him an adieu, and he passed on, thinking of her
as his good angel. When far away, pacing his lonely beat at dead of
night, he would think of her and behold her as in that parting hour.