  Nashville, Tenn., 1862. Ye soldiers of the Union With holiest valor fired, To shield the land whose sacred cause Your father’s souls inspired— Strike at yon black rebellion, Like a thunderbolt of dread, For the safety of the living And the memory of the dead! Bright Banner of the Union! By beauty’s fingers wrought, Around the world thy lesson Of glory has been taught. It tells of deathless battle-fields, To fame and freedom dear, And speaks of peace and happiness To man’s enraptured ear. Bright altar of the Union! Around thy spotless shrine, We swear disunion ne’er shall touch Thy offering divine! For our dead would sleep dishonored And the living have no hope, If in rebellion’s starless night Our land were doomed to grope. Charge, soldiers of the Union, In truth’s eternal might, Ye strike not for the lust of power, But liberty and right. The present and the Future plead— The past full well ye know— Strike home as your forefathers struck And Heaven will guide the blow! |
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