Civil War

The War Prayer

"Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth into battle -- be Thou near them! With them -- in spirit -- we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended in the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames in summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it --

For our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimmage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet!

We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen."

Then & Now #10

Been working on a new project. Who knows where it'll go. Meantime, found an addition to the series.

The Monocacy Aqueduct figured prominently in the Antietam Campaign. In 1862 Confederate forces tried to destroy it, but due to its "extraordinary solidity and massiveness" they failed. And, thankfully, here it stands 150 years on.

Then and Now # 2.

On September 17, 1862 just outside of Sharpsburg, MD a 12 hour battle between Lee's and McClellan's armies raged. Nearly 100,000 men engaged.  23,000 perished. 12 hours. 23,000 dead. Lovely.

Below is a photo taken by Alexander Gardner, one of Matthew Brady's many charges traveling up and down the east coast with huge cameras and portable dark rooms making photographs of the carnage.

I found myself up there today and thought it another opportunity to add to my Then and Now series. (Since this is only the second one can I really call it a series yet?)

The trees behind the church in today's photo are mere saplings compared to the original, and there is the obvious telephone pole and electrical wires marring the view. However, the foreground isn't nearly as cluttered as the original. So there's that!

Peace.