Manassas (Clark)

by Mary Bayard Devereux Clarke

MANASSAS.

DEDICATED TO GENERAL P. T. BEAUREGARD.

By Mrs. Colonel Clark. 14th N. C. Regt.

Now glory to our Lord of hosts, Oh! bless and praise his name,
For he has battled in our cause, and brought our foes to shame;
And honor to our Beauregard, who conquered in his might,
And for our childrens children, won Manassa’s bloody fight.
Oh! let our thankful prayers ascend, the joyous praise resound,
For God, the God of victory, our untried flag has crowned.

They brought a Mighty army to crush us with a blow,
And in their pride they laughed to scorn the men they did not know;
Fair women came to triumph, with the heroes of the day,
When the boasting Southern Rebels should be scattered in dismay;
And for their conquering Generals a lordly feast they spread,
But the wine in which we pledged them was all of ruby red.

The feast was like Beltshazar’s,—in terror and dismay,
And before our conquering heroes the Yankees ran away;
God has weighed them in the balance with his hand upon the wall,
At the taking of Fort Sumpter, had feredoomed them to their fall.
But they heeded not the warning, and scoffed in unbelief,
Their scorn was changed to wailing, and their laughter into grief.

All day the fight was raging, and amid the canon’s peal,
Rang the cracking of our Rifles, and the clashing of our steel;
But above the din of Battle, our shout of triumph rose,
As we cdarged upon the batteries, and turned them on our foes.
We stayed not for our fallen, we though not of our dead,
Until the day was our’s, and the Yankees all had fled.

But once our spirits faltered Bee and Bartow, were down,
And the gallant colonel Hampton, lay wounded on the grond;
But Beauregard, God bless him! led the Legion in his stead,
And Johnson raised the colors and waved them o’er head.
E’en a coward must have followed, when such heroes led the way,
And not a drop of dastard blood, flowed in Southern veins that day.

But every arm was strengthened, and every heart was stirred,
When the cry of “Davis! Davis!” along our lines was heard;
As he rode into the battle, the joyous news flew fast,
And the dying raised their bleeding heads, to cheer him as he passed.
Oh! with such glorious leaders, both in Cabinet and field,
Our gallant Southern Chivalry, may die, but never yield.

But from the wings of victory, the shafts of death were hurled,
And our pride is crashed with sorrow, as we count our noble dead;
Yet in our hearts they’re living, and to our sons we’ll tell,
How our glorious General Johnson and our glorious Fisher fell;
And the name of each we’ll cherish, as an honor to his State,
And teach our boys to honor them and if need be meet their fate.

Then glory to the Lord of hosts, Oh! bless and praise his name,
That he has battled in our cause, and brought our foes to shame;
And honor to our Beauregard, who conquered in his might,
And for our children’s children, won Manassas bloody fight.
Oh! let our thankful prayers ascend, the joyous praise resound,
For God, the God of victory, our untried flag has crowned.