An Incident of the War

 •  1 min. read  •  grade level: 10
 
After a great charge, a search party went out to look for any wounded men. They found many dead and many wounded. Among the former was a bugler, lying dead, with a pencil in his right hand and a paper in his left, on which he had written the following lines, which were copied and brought home by a young soldier.
"Hark! What means that heavenly music,
Sounding sweetly on my ear?
Can it be that I am dying?
Heaven seems so very near.
Come, dear mother, come yet closer,
Kiss me as I suffering lie;
Jesus calls, and I must answer,
But I'm not afraid to die.

"You have often prayed dear mother,
For your loved and wandering child,
And your heart was well-nigh breaking
O'er his conduct rough and wild.
But at last the loving Savior
Heard your earnest, pleading cry,
Now He calls, and I must answer,
For I'm not afraid to die.

"Since I joined the army, mother,
In the battle I've been true,
And though tried by sore temptation,
My dear Lord has helped me through.
Now I come to Jordan's river,
With the angels standing by,
Take me, Jesus, I'm Your soldier,
And I'm not afraid to die.”
"BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED."
"NEITHER IS THERE SALVATION IN ANY OTHER: FOR THERE IS NONE OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN AMONG MEN, WHEREBY WE MUST BE SAVED."