in his heart and guided his life. Of his courage it is unnecessary to speak: to souls like his, capable of a high purpose and a deep enthusiasm, the presence of danger is always an inspiration. His standard of drill and discipline was very high, yet his genial manner, his kind smile and pleasant. words, his unselfish interest in the comfort and welfare of the men, made him one of the most popular officers in the regiment. With a talent for command, he united a deep sense of the duty of subordination. He seemed too much absorbed in his own duties to find time for very profound speculation on the merits of different commanders, -to criticise one officer, or cultivate a blind devotion for another. He fought wholly for his country, never for an individual. No degree of distrust of one general, or of confidence in another, could affect his resolution to fight as long and as well as he knew how, no matter who gave the orders. Though he bore up steadily and manfully under hardship and disaster, his proud and sensitive spirit felt keenly at times the mortification of defeat. Yet he was not discouraged. Reverses, instead of disheartening him, seemed only to kindle an intenser indignation, and develop a more determined spirit of opposition to the ene G mies of his country. "The next time," said he, 66 we will fight as every man must fight if we ever expect to succeed in this war. The Twenty-Sixth shall stand until every man is shot down, rather than retreat an inch. Whatever may happen to the rest of the army, our regiment shall not be beaten again." Faithfully did the noble TwentySixth fulfill the prophecy at Fredericksburgh. It matters little now, yet as we look back upon the history of the last eighteen months, there is something inexpressibly sad and touching in the thought that he, in common with the rest of our brave but unfortunate army, was called upon to endure so much of the hardship, toil and trial of a soldier's life, with so few of its compensations. To one tenderly cherished, as he was, with all his reasonable wants gratified, and his desires almost anticipated, those trials and hardships, in the main so cheerfully borne, will not be counted among the least of the sacrifices he was called upon to make. Hunger, cold, heat, fatigue, long, weary marches, ending in disappointment or disaster; the humiliation of defeat, and at last, wounds, suffering and death, were all his portion, yet he never knew the reward of the brave and faithful soldier; and even in his dying hour he was denied the joy of victory, or the proud thought that by his sacrifice he had aided to "win the battle for the free." Yet in the bitterness of our sorrow let us not forget to acknowledge, with humble and grateful hearts, the great goodness and mercy of God. Let us thank Him that He gave to one whom we dearly loved, so noble a work to do on earth, and that He enabled him to do it so faithfully and so well; that if die he must at this time, he was permitted to die upon the battle-field, not in an unholy warfare or an unjust cause, not coldly turning away from the call of his country, or secretly sympathizing with her foes, but in the way of his duty and in the defense of the right;that he has left behind him so stainless a name, and so sweet and precious a memory; that having fulfilled his earthly mission, and yielded up his young life upon the sacred shrine of freedom and humanity, he has gone to join the noble army of martyrs who surround the throne with songs of victory, there to share in the triumphs of his Lord and Saviour, and to dwell in the light of His glory forever. APPENDIX. NOTE A. BY PROFESSOR EDWARD NORTH, OF HAMILTON COLLEGE. As a student in Hamilton College, Adjutant BACON showed a fine appreciation of the beautiful in art and letters, with a skill beyond his years in the rhythmical use of words. What he could do with his ready pen, was known only to a few. In his early death, his more intimate friends mourn the untimely loss of a promising poet, as well as an accurate and elegant scholar. His reading of Homer and Horace was not done perfunctorily, but with an evident perception and relish of that which gives them pre-eminence as classical authors. In the fall of 1860, he read the Oration of Demosthenes, De Corona. Near the close of this master-piece of eloquence, Demosthenes recites the inscription from a costly monument erected by the Athenians in honor of their countrymen who fell at Cheronea. It was proposed to the Sophomores, as a voluntary exercise, to translate this inscription into English verse. While others undertook the task in iambics, Adjutant BACON rendered the epitaph into graceful dactyls, thus closely imitating the original Greek, and showing that he was competent to manage the most difficult rhythm in our language. Of course, a literal translation could not be made, under the conditions proposed. If the sentiment and spirit of the Greek were put into appropriate verse, the effort would be praiseworthy. Leland's translation of this epitaph, that runs through twenty iambic lines, is considered an elaborate failure. Thomas Campbell's version, in ten compact and vigorous lines, was contributed, by special request, to Lord Brougham's edition of the De Corona. For the convenience of any who may wish to compare the two, we copy, first, the original Greek, and then Adjutant BACON's rendering: ΕΠΙΓΡΑΜΜΑ. Οἵδε πάτρας ἕνεκα σφετέρας εἰς δῆριν ἔθεντο TRANSLATION. These are the heroes who fought for their father-land's weal, Bravely they fought, and their souls to grim Pluto they gave, This College exercise may serve as an illustration of Adjutant BACON's scholarship and intellectual character. Yet we would not have recalled it here, did not the G* |