To My Wife -- A Civil War Poem from a Blessed Soldier far from Home

 At midnight, on my lonely beat,
    When darkness veils the wood and lea,
A vision seems my view to greet,
    Of one at home who prays for me.

Picture from a Civil War envelope

The roses bloom upon her check;

    Her form seems to me like a dream;

And on her face, so fair and meek,

    A host of holy beauties gleam.

For softly shines her flaxen hair;

    A smile is ever on her face;

And the mild, lustrous light of prayer

    Around her sheds a moonlike grace.

She prays for me, that's far away --

    The soldier in his lonely fight;

And asks that God in mercy may

    Shield the loved one and bless the right.

Until, though leagues may lie between,

    The silent incense of her heart

Steals o'er my soul with breath serene,

    And we no longer are apart.

So, guarding thus my lonely beat,

    'Mid darkening wood and dreary lea,

That vision seems my view to great,

    Of her at home who prays for me.

“Written by Joseph McArdle, Company F 163d New York Volunteers.  For some years First Assistant Chief of the Kansas City Fire department, and noted for his bravery and zeal in the discharge of duty.  He died a little over a year ago [Feb.21, 1893] from the effects of pneumonia, contracted while fighting a disastrous fire.  A self-contained and somewhat diffident old solider, he was loved by his comrades, especially by veteran Company A, but few suspected that he possessed any talent in a literary way.  Among his papers, however, was found the following little poem, written in 1864, dedicated to his wife, and containing sentiment worthy to be perpetuated.”  (Page 525 Under Both Flags  A Panorama of the Great Civil War as Represented in Story, Anecdote, Adventure and the Romance of Reality  Edited by C.R. Graham. 1896)

An obituary from Kansas City says that McArdle was born in Ireland in 1837, and came to the U.S. at age 10.  “When, in 1861, the war of the Rebellion broke out, McArdle enlisted in that famous 73d New York, 4th Regiment, Excelsior Brigade, 2d New York F’ire Zouaves.  In the fall of 1864, McArdle went to Kansas City and engaged for a short time in work for the government. But the urgent call for troops by President Lincoln once more appealed to his patriotism, and he re-entered the army, enlisting in the 51st Missouri, and serving as first sergeant. After five months’ service his regiment was mustered out of service, and McArdle went back to Kansas City.”  The obituary goes on to share about his service as their Fire Chief.

So McArdle would have been 27 years old when he wrote the poem about his love for his wife and her love for him that gave him strength as he served his country.  C.R. Graham is right.   Such love, such drawing strength to do the hard and challenging from knowing that you are loved by a wife who lets you go to do your duty while deeply desiring you to safely return is indeed a “sentiment worthy to be perpetuated”.  Consider the wisdom observations from King Solomon:

“He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and has obtained favor from the Lord”

Proverbs 18:22 NASV

“An excellent wife, who can find her?  For her worth is far above jewels.  The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” 

Proverbs 31:10-11,30 NASV

For my tribute to my wife, see my post on Aug.24, 2016:  In Honor of my Beloved Wife Vicki Lynn Rowe.

Children’s Project:  Discuss how McArdle’s love for his wife and his knowing that she cared and prayed for him while he was away in danger serving his country would have been a source of strength for him.  Discuss how a strong marriage between husband and wife can be built by sharing how you and your spouse have deepened your love for each other.

On a Muddy Path You have to Laugh -- Burnside's Mud March January 1863

    General Ambrose Burnside, who replaced George McClellan as commander of the Army of the Potomac in Nov.1862 hoped that his plans in January 1863 to march on Richmond would go better than the disastrous assault on Fredericksburg he had commanded in December 1862 had gone.  This time he planned for his army to outflank Lee’s defensive position at Fredericksburg by crossing the river upstream and drawing Lee’s men out of their defensive positions.  That was the plan. 

           On January 20, 1863 in unseasonably mild weather the Union Army started its march to cross the Rappahannock.  But during the night a violent storm began pouring down rain which continued coming over the next two days.  The torrential downpour turned the dirt roads into a muddy quagmire.  One solider wrote “The whole country was a river of mud, the roads were rivers of deep mire.”  Wagons sank to their wheel hubs in mud.  At times artillery became so hopelessly stuck that even a team of 12 horses and 150 men couldn’t pull one cannon out of the mud.  Soldiers slipped repeatedly, many losing their shoes in the thick mud.  The rain ended on the 22^nd, but the unusual above freezing temperatures kept the roads sticky mud paths where horses and mules died of exhaustion.  To help raise his soldier’s spirits Burnside issued a whiskey ration, but instead it led to drunken troops brawling with one another.  Across the river, Confederate pickets watched the struggling Union troops with amusement.  Some put up a large sign on the riverbank that said “Burnside’s Army Stuck in the Mud” and another sign “This way to Richmond”.

    On the fourth day, Burnside cancelled the order for the advance and ordered his troops to return to their encampments.  Many in the ranks were totally demoralized.  A Massachusetts soldier, Charles E. Davis Jr. wrote, “It is not an exaggeration to say, that before or after, there was seen no such state of demoralization as possessed a large part of the Army of the Potomac at the end of this foolish undertaking.”  Lincoln replaced Burnside with Joseph Hooker as commander of the Army of the Potomac on Jan.26th. 

    All this historical background gives an interesting twist to a “revised prayer of the soldier while on the celebrated Burnside Mud March” that John Billings shares in his book of Civil War memories  (Page 72 Hard Tack and Coffee 1887):

"Now I lay me down to sleep
In mud that's many fathoms deep
If I'm not here when you wake, 
Just hunt me up with an oyster rake"

    You have to smile at the humor of whoever came up with this revision of a prayer meant to comfort.  Sometimes things in life are so bad, the only thing left is to find something to laugh over.  Yes, this is not a “significant historical notation”, but Billings gives us insight into one way the men in the ranks struggling through the muddy quagmire got a brief moment of relief.  And evidently one solider remembered it long after and shared it with Billings.  Good night and watch where you sleep.

General Burnside Civil War Patriotic Envelope US48
celebrating his attacks on Confederate forces along the North Carolina coast
from February through June 1862.
Wonder how popular this one was among the soldiers after the mud march?

Children's Project:  Explore how both the Confederate signs and the Union revised prayer are both "sarcastic humor" using irony (intended meaning is the opposite of what's expressed).  Explore how what is humorous to one is not so funny to the other (am sure neither the Union soldiers seeing the CS signs nor General Burnside were pleased to be mocked).  This might be an interesting way to discuss different types of humor and the challenges of "cancel culture" with your children.  For example, should they share a joke mocking their teacher with the teacher?  And obviously jokes about you as a parent are always off limits.

No One Cheered at Lincoln's Dedication Speech -- Gettysburg Address

    So how bad of a failure was Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address on November 19th, 1863? 

    The Democrat “Copperhead” Chicago Times newspaper (1854-1895) posted this editorial on Nov.24th, 1863 about the speech: "The cheek of every American must tingle with shame as he reads the silly, flat and dishwatery utterances of the man who has to be pointed out to intelligent foreigners as the President of the United States."

    C.R. Graham includes in his book, Under Both Flags. A Panorama of the Great Civil War as Represented in Story, Anecdote, Adventure, and the Romance of Reality (1896) p.73-74, an account of the crowd’s acceptance of Lincoln’s speech at the Gettysburg event by W. H. Cunnington, who was a newspaper correspondent up on the stage. Accounts differ as to how well accepted Lincoln’s speech was, and what the exact wording of the speech was etc. Don’t know how long after the war this account was written down by Cunnington. It is interesting that he views the audience being taken by surprise at how short it was and by the non-melodramatic way Lincoln spoke as explanations as to why the crowd did not cheer when Lincoln spoke. Since the previous speech had been two hours long, it is possible that the shortness of Lincoln’s address may indeed have been a reason the crowd was unresponsive. Again, this is one person’s memory of that historic event.

 

Cunnington writes:
    “It was my privilege to be present at the dedication of the Soldier’s National Cemetery at Gettysburg, on the afternoon of November 19, 1863, and to hear the now world-famous address of Abraham Lincoln on that occasion. I can bear witness to the fact that this address, pronounced by Edward Everett to be unequaled in the annals of oratory, fell upon unappreciative ears, was entirely unnoticed, and wholly disappointing to a majority of the hearers. This may have been owing in part to the careless and undemonstrative delivery of the orator, but the fact is that he had concluded his address and resumed his seat before most of the audience realized that he had begun to speak.
    It was my good fortune as a newspaper correspondent to occupy a place directly beside Mr. Lincoln when he delivered this brief oration, and on the other side of the speaker was Hon. W. H. Seward. Other members of the Cabinet had seats on the stand, and I also noticed Governors Curtin, Seymour, Tod, Morton, and Bradford, Hon. Edward Everett, and Colonel John W. Forney.
    At the conclusion of Mr. Everett’s scholarly oration, Mr. Lincoln faced the vast audience. He looked haggard and pale, and wore rather a shabby overcoat, from an inside pocket of which he drew a small roll of manuscript. He read his address in a sort of drawling monotone, the audience remaining perfectly silent. The few pages were soon finished; Mr. Lincoln doubled up the manuscript, thrust it back into his overcoat pocket, and sat down. Not a word, not a cheer, not a shout. The people looked at one another, seeming to say, “Is that all?”  

    The full text of Mr. Lincoln’s address was as follows:
    ‘Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
    Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can longer endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
    But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shalt have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.’ 

    I am well aware that accounts have differed as to the manner of this address and its reception by the audience. I was an eye-witness and hearer, and my position was immediately beside the speaker, therefore that foregoing account may be relied upon.”

    In the days following the event, Lincoln’s Gettysburg address got both positive and negative reviews by various newspapers. Democrat papers like the Chicago Times paned Lincoln’s speech, after all the people there didn’t cheer, or they laughed at it. Many Republican leaning newspapers were more complementary of his wording and presentation, or at least neutral in their evaluation of it. It should be no surprise that “politics” played into how Lincoln’s words were evaluated back then, just like happens today.  Growing up in the 1950s/60s, my family would go and watch the Memorial Day parade in our small town in upstate New York, and then go to the cemetery for the Memorial Service. Each year from our local high school Senior class a young lady was selected to read the poem “In Flanders’s Fields”, and a young man to read the Gettysburg address. I got to do it my Senior year. That was back when Lincoln was honored and his words were viewed as a positive challenge. Now his statues are being defaced and torn down by ‘woke progressives’. Guess the democrats haven’t changed much in their assessment of Lincoln and his speech.

    Various studies have been done tracing how his Gettysburg address has been interpreted over the years. And there have been changes of interpretation of what he was saying, and differing views of what it should inspire in people who hear it today. Differences of interpretation are legitimate discussions.
    But to interpret his speech as hateful and representing a foul nation that is all just show, with no real equality is a Marxist lie being pushed by those who hate the freedom our nation was founded on: “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
    Yes, indeed our nation has had many serious problems over the years. Some have been addressed and other still remain. Equality of opportunity (NOT a guarantee of success or acceptance, but opportunity to work for it) and equality before the law (riches, connections, political power do not give an advantage or give a disadvantage) is the solid foundation that is needed to constantly address differences and conflicts. 

    “Equity” is a “woke progressive” ploy to give the elites power over the masses who submit for “compensation” given to preferred “categories” of people. I posted a satirical blog back in 2013 about what then President Obama’s version of the Gettysburg address might have sounded like had he given it in 1863 instead of Lincoln (What would President Obama’s version of the Gettysburg Address be?). I suggested that Obama would have praised “federalization”. I didn’t know how correct I was in describing the agenda of the “woke progressives”. I choose to stand with Lincoln, imperfect as he was. And I stand with America, imperfect as we are. Judge others individually by the character of their heart, not by their group ethnicity. Reject the Marxist equity path which divides us into group categories to allow the elites to control us. Do not let the men who died at Gettysburg die in vain.

Civil War Veteran's Memorial Day Poem

Like stars that sink into the west,

So one by one we seek our rest;
The column’s brave and steady tread
With banners streaming overhead,
Will still keep step, as in the past,
Until the rear guard comes at last.
Ah, yes, like stars we take our flight,
And whisper, one by one, “Good night.”
Yet in the light of God’s bright day,
Triumphant, each again will say,
"Hail, comrade, here has life begun,
The battle’s fought, the victory’s won!”

by George M. Vickers

p.127 Under Both Flags  A Panorama of the Great Civil War as Represented in Story, Anecdote, Adventure and the Romance of Reality  Edited by C.R. Graham. 1896

    Graham cites three other poems by George M. Vickers in his book. On page 456 Graham gives a brief biography of George Vickers. “The author was a private soldier in the Second Regiment, Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, when commanded by Colonel, afterwards General, McCandless, and in more than one desperate battle witnessed [McCandless’s] heroism.” From the sentiment of this poem, it is definitely written post-war, as the veterans are dying off one by one. 

    Memorial Day observed on the last Monday of May, remembers and honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War with the great loss of life and the establishment of national cemeteries. By the late 1860s many towns across the US began to hold springtime tributes to their lost soldiers like this. There is much dispute as to the “origin” of this holiday. What seems most probable is that it arose as “tradition” in many towns across the US in both the north and the south in the years following the end of the war and gradually became part of the spring time tradition that finally became officially nationalized as an official federal holiday in 1971. It arose out of the grief over the loss of husbands/sons/fathers/brothers in the war as a means to find some relief in remembering and honoring them.

    On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance he called Decoration Day. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.” The date was chosen because it was not the anniversary of any particular battle.

    On the first Decoration Day at Arlington National Cemetery, General James Garfield made a speech to 5,000 who attended and who decorated the graves of the 20,000 Civil War soldiers buried there. Many Northern states held similar commemorative events, with the tradition being repeated in subsequent years. By 1890 each one had made Decoration Day an official state holiday. Southern states, on the other hand, continued to honor their dead on other days during the spring until after World War I.

Children’s Project:
Have your child draw a picture showing what Memorial Day means to them.
Or
Ask your child to compose their own poem about Memorial Day

Letter Writing and Postage Stamps Importance to the Civil War Soldier

     John D. Billings' recollections of his time served in the Army of the Potomac have many interesting insights into life in the army during the Civil War.  In 1887 he published them in his book Hard Tack & Coffee -- Soldier's Life in the Civil War.  I hope you will find Billings' brief description of letter writing and dealing with postage stamps in the chapter "Life in Tents" as interesting as I have.  [page 62-63].

Letter writing was important

"The manner in which the time was spent in these tents [Sibley style] and, for that matter, in all tents varied with the disposition of the inmates.  It was not practicable for men of kindred tastes to band themselves under the same canvas, and so just as they differed in their avocations as citizens, they differed in their social life, and many kinds of pastimes went on simultaneously.  Of course, all wrote letters more or less, but there were a few men who seemed to spend the most of their spare time in this occupation.  Especially was this so in the earlier part of a man's war experience.  The side or end strip of a hardtack box on the knees, constituted the writing-desk on which this operation was performed." 

                                                  

     I've always appreciated the fact that the many letters written during that time have given us greater insight into "what was going on" than the historical headlines about "date and location and armies fought here" could ever do alone.  Sadly our modern means of communications (which are very helpful and enjoyable) will not do the same for future generations looking back on us.  Oh well, life moves on.  For reenactors who wish to portray letter writing at an event, using a wood board as a writing desk might communicate to spectators better the creativity of the soldier-in-the-ranks  overcoming obstacles.  "Let the officers have their fancy writing desks.  We men in the ranks can get the job done even without the advantages of privilege."  The picture here is from the book.  I have seen it before but didn't know where it originally came from.

Postage Stamps were a necessary Challenge

     Then Billings gives insight into why and how postage stamps became important to the soldier, as well as the challenges of keeping the stamps usable:

"It will be remembered that in the early months of the war silver money disappeared, as it commanded a premium, so that, change being scarce, postage stamps were used instead.  This was before scrip was issued by the government to take the place of silver; and although the use of stamps as change was not authorized by the government, yet everybody took them, and the soldiers in particular just about to leave for war carried large quantities away with them -- not all in the best of condition.  This could hardly be expected when they had been through so many hands.  They were passed about in little envelopes, containing twenty-five and fifty cents in value.

Many an old soldier can recall his disgust on finding what a mess his stamps were in either from rain, perspiration, or compression, as he attempted, after a hot march, to get one for a letter.  If he could split off one from a welded mass of perhaps a hundred or more, he counted himself fortunate.  Of course they could be soaked out after a while, but he would need to dry them on a griddle afterwards, they were so sticky."

     One time a few years ago I had a reenactor ask me for an assortment of my reproduction stamps so that he and his fellow comrades could use them as "money" as they played card games at events as the spectators walked by.  In spite of my not wanting to encourage gambling (after all, I do portray the U. S. Christian Commission), I did share some with him because I agreed that it would allow them to portray more accurately to the spectators what the soldiers did back then.
      Billings' description about the stamps getting wet and stuck together is an interesting insight into the many challenges soldiers faced as they lived on the march. When the war broke out the uncertainty over what was going on and people's distrust over the value of the Greenback paper money being issued led to the hoarding of coins made of copper & silver & gold.  But people still needed to give or get back small change in making purchases such as a 3 cent loaf of bread or a 5 cent quart of milk.  During the first few years of the war stamps became by common acceptance and out of necessity "money".  In July 1862 Congress attempted to address the coin shortage by passing a law which allowed postage stamps to satisfy debts owed to the government of up to $5.  People incorrectly presumed that this officially approved stamps as usable for any type of debt or purchase.  In 1862 John Gault came up with the creative encased postage stamp coin solution.  Using button making machines he enclosed postage stamps in silver or brass buttons with a thin mica layer on one side which allowed you to see the stamp's denomination -- this helped preserve the actual stamp better.  He would later add on the back of the encasement button advertisements for various company about their products or services.  His invention was short lived as in 1863 the U.S government issued official script factional currency to over come the coin shortage.  Also during this time various vendors issued "private issue tokens" that they gave out as change when sales were made.
     All this shows the creativity of the people back then as they faced the challenges arising from society being torn apart.  I've often marveled at the fact that postage stamps back then could be cut in half and still used to mail out letters.  For example, you could take a 2 cent Black Jack, and cut one stamp in half, put it on the envelope next to a complete 2 cent stamp and that would total up to the 3 cents needed to mail the letter.  Can you imagine trying to do that today?  The US Postal Service would probably call the police and have you arrested!  Times have certainly changed as the bureaucrats have gotten greater power to control us with "the official regulations and procedures".
     When we forget history, we lose examples of how people before us have risen to the challenge of "changing times".  We should never be herded into the socialist mentality that "the government" or "the experts" will solve what's wrong.  We as individuals need to always be experimenting with options to overcome the difficulties.  It may be having to use a board for a desk or having to soak apart stamps and then dry them on a griddle.  Creativity needs to come from each of us.  That makes us better and stronger, and will also make for good stories later on we can tell around the campfire.

Southern Contraband of War Fleeing North -- Gen. Butler's Account of the Contraband Tag being Applied to Runaway Slaves

Major General Benjamin Butler gives this account of his inspiration to classify escaping southern slaves as "contraband":

    On the day after my arrival at the fort [Fort Monroe}, May 23 [1861], three negroes were reported coming in a boat from Sewall's Point, where the enemy was building a battery.  Thinking that some information as to that work might be got from them, I had them before me.  I learned that they were employed on the battery on the Point, which as yet was a trifling affair.  There were only two guns there, though the work was laid out to be much larger and to be heavily mounted with guns captured from the navy-yard.  The negroes said they belonged to Colonel Mallory, who commanded the Virginia troops around Hampton, and that he was now making preparation to take all his negroes to Florida soon, and that not wanting to go away from home they had escaped to the fort.  I directed that they should be fed and set to work.

    On the next day I was notified by an officer in charge of the picket line next Hampton that an officer bearing a flag of truce desired to be admitted to the fort to see me.  As I did not wish to allow offices of the enemy to come inside the fort just then and see us piling up sandbags to protect the weak points there, I directed the bearer of the flag to be informed that I would be at the picket line in the course of an hour.  Accompanied by two gentlemen of my staff, Major Fay and Captain Haggerty, neither now living, I rode out to the picket line and met the flag of truce there.  It was under charge of Major Carey, who introduced himself, at the same time pleasantly calling to mind that we last met at the Charleston convention.

    Major Carey opened the conversation by saying:  "I have sought to see you for the purpose of ascertaining upon what principles you intend to conduct the war in this neighborhood. . . ."

US57

    "I am informed," said Major Carey, "that three negroes belonging to Colonel Mallory have escaped within your lines.  I am Colonel Mallory's agent and have charge of his property.  What do you mean to do with those Negroes?"

    "I intend to hold them," said I.

    "Do you mean, then, to set aside your constitutional obligations to return them?"

    "I mean to take Virginia at her word, as declared in the ordinance of secession passed yesterday.  I am under no constitutional obligations to a foreign country, which Virginia now claims to be."

    "But you say we cannot secede," he answered, "and so you cannot consistently detain the negroes."

    "But you say you have seceded, so you cannot consistently claim them.  I shall hold these Negroes as contraband of war, since they are engaged in the construction of your battery and are claimed as your property.  The question is simply whether they shall be used for or against the Government of the United States.  Yet, though I greatly need the labor which has providentially come to my hands, if Colonel Mallroy will come into the fort and take the oath of allegiance to the United States, he shall have his Negroes, and I will endeavor to hire them from him."

    "Colonel Mallory is absent," was Major Carey's answer.

    We courteously parted.

Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major General Benj. F. Butler: A Review of

His Legal, Political, and Military Career  (Boston: A.M.Thayer & Co. 1892.  p256-58)

    In the pages which follow this summary of how he came up with the "contraband" tag Gen. Butler gives a rebuttal of those who suggest it really didn't originate with him.

    The Union cover "Secession's Moving Foundation" pictured above reflects the reality that came out of Butler's decision to not return the slaves to their owner.  Many other slaves followed and were taken in by Northern forces.  Their exact status of slave/free would remain undetermined until later in the war after more formal policy was established.  But the artist of this cover catches the fact that things are changing, that Southern culture as it was is being challenged.  

    I don't know if I'd class this cover as an "abolitionist" cover.  Probably I'd see it more along the lines of cheering the fact that the South is being weakened both economically and structurally with each escaping "worker".  By this I mean, if we view patriotic covers as 1860s bumper stickers declaring political opinions of those who use them, then I do not think this covers's use would be limited only to strict abolitionists.  

I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day -- Christmas and the Civil War

    What value is the "promise of Christmas" amidst the struggles of life?  Is it only for the happy hearts who can blithely sing Christmas songs and madly shop for gifts?  Is the no room for the sad struggling heart?

    The words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1863 poem "Christmas Bells" wrestles with the tension between "joy" and "sadness" at Christmas.  Understanding the history of his times and life will expand our appreciation of the familiar Christmas carol "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."

    Yes, the upbeat "hope came on Christmas Day" is true.   Jesus, the Son of God was born, and He is the hope of the world.  In Him alone is our hope for forgiveness of sin and the restoration to peace with God the Father.  Through Jesus there is "peace on earth, good will to men"

    But does that mean that all "struggle of faith" is magically eliminated?  No.  The world is often not a happy place full of "good cheer and joy".  It wasn't during the night of Jesus' birth for the Jewish nation living under the tyranny of Roman rule and it wasn't for Henry Longfellow in 1863.  But out of Longfellow's struggle with grief and perplexity over the turmoil of the war came the words for a Christmas carol that many today casually sing as "just another song".  The poem "Christmas Bells" that he wrote in December of 1863 reflects his struggle to put the optimistic "promise of Christmas" into perspective within a life of sadness and struggle and loss.

"Christmas Bells"

(verses 4 & 5 were edited out to create the Christmas Carol "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" published in 1872)

1)  I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of  peace on Earth, good will to men!

2)  And thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along

The unbroken song

Of peace on Earth, good will to men!

3)  Till, ringing, singing on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime,

A chant sublime

Of peace on Earth, good will to men!

4)  Then from each black, accursed mouth

The cannon thundered from the South,

And with the sound,

The carols drowned

Of peace on Earth, good will to men!

5)  It was as if an earthquake rent

the hearthstones of a continent,

and made forlorn

the households born

Of peace on Earth, good will to men!

6)  And in despair I bowed my head;

"There is no peace on Earth" I said:

"For Hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on Earth, good will to men!

7)  Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead; nor doth He sleep!

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on Earth, good will to men!

    In 1861 the Civil War broke out and our nation was divided by anger and war.  Before the war Longfellow was among those calling for the abolition of slavery, being associated with the New England Anti-Slavery Association.  Longfellow's famous poem "Paul Revere's Ride" published in 1860 was written to call for a new revolution to give freedom to all.  That was a righteous and noble hope.  But no one could foresee the tidal wave of conflict and suffering that would be needed to bring about that change in our nation.  What many presumed at first in 1861 would be a short quick revolution was by 1863 still painfully dragging on battle after battle.  The genuine hope for good was facing the reality of a long drawn out cruel war.  This harsh reality challenged even the staunchest desire to see good change take place.

    In 1861 Longfellow also experienced great personal tragedy when his wife, Fanny, died in a tragic accident.  Her dress caught fire as she lite a candle.  She ran into Longfellow's study for help.  He tried extinguishing the flames with a small rug, but failed, so he threw his arms around her to smother the flames.  Though successful in smothering the flames, Fanny died the next day from her injuries (July 10, 1861).  And Longfellow himself suffered burns to his face, arms and hands so badly that he was unable to be at her funeral.

    In his journal for Christmas day 1861 he wrote "How inexpressibly sad are all holidays."  That next July in 1862 he wrote "I can make no record of these days.  Better leave them wrapped in silence.  Perhaps someday God will give me peace."  On Christmas day 1862 he wrote " 'A merry Christmas' say the children, but that is no more for me."  Yes, the bells ring on the Christmas promise of peace & hope, but Longfellow's heart struggles with the harsh realities of life both nationally & personally.

    In March of 1863, Longfellow's oldest son, Charles (born June 9, 1844), left home without his father's permission to join the Union army.  Charles wrote his father "I have tried hard to resist the temptation of going without your leave but I cannot any longer.  I feel it to be my first duty to do what I can for my country and I would willingly lay down my life for it if it would be any good."

    On December 1st, 1863 Longfellow received a telegram saying Charles had been severely wounded during the battle of New Hope Church in Virginia during the Mine Run Campaign.  The bullet had entered his left shoulder, ripped across his back, exiting the right shoulder.  Would Charles live?  And if he did, would he be paralyzed?  For Longfellow, December was a time of traveling to see if his son was still alive, then bringing him back home for a long painful recovery.

    Longfellow does what writers/poets often do:  he processes his emotions through words, exploring a path through the conflicts within his heart.  Look again at the poem.

    The poem starts off in verses 1, 2 & 3 with observing the "typical expectations" of Christmas.  Yes, the message put out is about peace on earth, goodwill to men, recalling the angel's proclamation to the shepherds the night Jesus was born.  There is hope!  Into this troubled world, the One who will resolved the troubles has come!  That's "the unbroken song" everyone knows and many dutifully nod in agreement "ho hum, heard it all before, let's move on".

    Then Longfellow shifts to the political reality of his times, the Civil War which seems to contradict the proclamation given to the shepherds by the angles.  These two verses (#4 and #5 omitted in the 1872 version "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day") openly wrestle with the conflict of "life's reality" during the Civil War of Longfellow's time vs "the angels' proclamation".  Where is the peace on earth and goodwill to men as the cannons thunder and soldiers die and families are ripped apart with loss and death?  I am sure Longfellow is also wrestling with the sufferings in his private life as well.  Where is the peace on earth & goodwill to men in the loss of my wife, and the suffering of my son?  In his heart he honestly expresses what he feels in verse #6 of his poem:  "in despair I bowed my head: There is no peace on Earth, for hate is strong and mocks the song" that is the message of Christmas.

    These words come across much stronger to me in meaning knowing both the national and personal struggles Longfellow is living with as he writes this poem.  Knowing the history makes the movement into the last verse #7 even more powerful.  Yes indeed, evil and sadness and loss mock the Christmas promise.  Life's realities mocked the promise for the Jewish people living under Rome's crushing rule the night the angels came to the shepherds.  In 1863 national & personal sufferings mocked it to Longfellow.  And even today evil and sadness and loss are still mocking the promise of "Peace on earth, goodwill to men!"  But genuine "Christmas celebration" calls us back to the promise of the angel's proclaimed:   Jesus will be the solution. "God is not dead, nor doth he sleep.  The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill to men."
    Longfellow in his poem Christmas Bells is laying out the challenge he is facing.  In the process of writing, he is setting a goal that he sees he needs to strive for;  setting out a path of faith that he needs to travel in his heart.  Did writing the poem resolve all his struggles.  I doubt it.  Broken discouraged  hearts are not so simply fixed.  But knowing the path we should travel, remembering the promise we should cling to in the struggles we feel gives us "a way forward".  We no longer have to linger where we are, bewildered in doubt and confusion.  We once again have a goal we can focus on moving our emotions and faith toward.
    One last thought.  I've heard it said by a friend who has spent years studying & portraying Abraham Lincoln that when someone asked President Lincoln if he thought God was "on our side", meaning on the side of the Union cause, Lincoln replied something like this:  It's not 'is God on our side', but are we on God's side that is important.  Christmas challenges us to that goal.  It's not "will God help me to do what I want" in life, but it's God calling us to accept His goals and hope.  He wishes to redeem us from our sin, but we must accept His terms -- that Jesus Christ is the only way of forgiveness.  Christmas, the celebration of Jesus' birth, is not about "having a good time and getting what I want";  it's about remembering that God offers what I really need at great cost to Himself.  In all the distractions of life, the struggles of life, the conflicts of life, do not walk by the greatest gift ever offered: peace with God through His Son Jesus.  When we accept God's gift of forgiveness through Jesus, we then have the anchor we need to navigate our way through the struggles and conflicts and loss of life to our Heavenly Home across the Jordan.  "Merry Christmas" becomes a reminder that Our Heavenly Father "is not dead, nor doth He sleep, the wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill to men".