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53 But peal on peal from the distant mountain tells us War is there with all his murderous ruin. He respecteth not the lovely or the beautiful. And here that relentless Demon stands. "With eye that scratcheth all it looks upon." Oh! Detested War, leave our land and return no more. Come not again to desolate our homes with thy unrighteous tread. Come no more to desecrate our sepulchers; to burn the habitations of our peaple; to hew down our groves; to fill our land with mourning; and with thy blood stained hands to mar the beauteous face of nature. The smoke rose thick and heavy on the side of the distant mountain, and shells were bursting over its summit. We descended into the valey. Twas dark as we approached the foot of the other mountain. Into a deep vale we descend down, down till it seemed we would never reach the bottom, and now we are beneath the battle. Not a sound is heard# but the flash of artilery plays light lightning on the mountains brow, And muskets like fire flies in sparkling in its forests. From the depths of the valey we began the ascent of the mountain just as the firing ceased. We are now passing a hospital and hear the groans

1. When we were at Frederick City 13 miles distant we could distinctly hear the battle, and when we were on the Katochtin mountains 6 miles distant we could even hear the musketry. But when we were not more than a mile from field almost under it we could not hear a gun. There is a great deal in the nature of the atmosphere and in the situation about hearing sounds. The first day of the Battle of Gettysburg while marking towards the field we could not hear a gun though not more than 6 miles distant. While on the 3d day of July in the same battle the guns were heard twas said 115 miles distant. I have frequently known of cannon being fired withing two miles and not a sound could be heard. At Coal Harbor VA in '64 the rebels shelled us with a mortar and we never heard the firing of the piece.