All Quiet Along the Potomac Tonight

[hawglips]

All Quiet along the Potomac To-night.


All quiet along the Potomac to night,
Except here and there a stray picket
Is shot, as he walks on his beat to and fro,
By a riflemen hid in the thicket.

'Tis nothing, a private or two now and then
Will not count in the news of the battle:
Not an officer lost, only one of the men
Moaning out all alone the death rattle.

"All quiet along the Potomac to-night,"
While the soldiers lie peacefully dreaming
And their tents in the rays of the clear autumn moon,
And the light of the camp fires are gleaming.

A tremulous sigh as the gentle night wind
Thro' the forest leaves slowly is creeping,
While the stars up above with their glittering eyes,
Keep guard o'er the army while sleeping.

There's only the sound of the lone sentry's tread,
As he tramps from the rock to the fountain,
And thinks of the two on the low trundle bed,
Far away in the cot on the mountain.

His musket falls slack, his face dark and grim,
Grows gentle with memories tender,
As he mutters a prayer for the children asleep;
And their mother--"may Heaven defend her."

Then drawing his sleeves roughly over his eyes
He dashes off the tears that are welling,
And gathers his gun close up to his breast,
As if to keep down the heart-swelling.

He passes the fountain, the blasted pine tree,
And his footstep is lagging and weary,
Yet onward he goes, through the broad belt-of light,
Towards the shades of the forest so dreary.

Hark! was it the night wind that rustled the leaves?
Was it the moonlight, so wondrously flashing?
It looked like a rifle! "Ha! Mary, good bye!"
And the life-blood is ebbing and splashing.

"All quiet along the Potomac to-night,"
No sound save the rush of the river;
While soft falls the dew on the face of the dead,
The picket's off duty forever.

The moon seems to shine as brightly as then--
That night, when the love yet unspoken,
Leaped up to his lips and when low murmured vows
Were pledged to be ever unbroken.

From:
SONGS OF LOVE AND LIBERTY.

COMPILED BY
A NORTH CAROLINA LADY
RALEIGH, N. C.,
BRANSON & FARRAR,
FAYETTEVILLE STREET,
1864

[Capt Coxetter]

A poignant little poem: thank you for posting it.

Capt. Coxetter

[blue_zouave]

This is from Kathy Frasier's Music and Poetry of the Civil War site...

"Inspired by newspaper headlines, young New Yorker Ethel Beers wrote this poem early in the war. Originally entitled "The Picket Guard," it appeared first in a now-unknown newspaper and then in the November 30, 1861, edition of "Harper's Weekly." It was later set to music by John H. Hewitt, himself a poet, newspaperman, and musician, who was serving in the Confederate army. A genuine (if unintentional) North-South collaboration, it enjoyed tremendous popularity on both sides of the lines."

www.civilwarpoetry.org

Zou

[Rad2duhbone53]

Yes... its a popular song on both sides. I to this day sing it along with Mr.Thornton while going to work. (love my CD player)

[samgrant]

Originally Posted by Rad2duhbone53

Yes... its a popular song on both sides. I to this day sing it along with Mr.Thornton while going to work. (love my CD player)

Who is Mr. Thornton?

[gary]

A powerful song that affected both sides. Shooting at pickets who merely patrolling became abhorrant to many and often times there would be truces (followed by trading). Shortly after that song, many of these informal truces sprung up between the armies in Virginia.

[Miss Markie]

Is it Mr. Thornton or Mr. Horton? I think I have a version Mr. Horton!

This song was the eloquent reply to the statement "All quiet along the Potomac" which was to say, "nothing much happening". Which of course was not the case if your loved one was the picket or lone soldier shot.

I love this as an instrumental as it was used in Ken Burn's series.