The Wife I Left Behind Me

Published by Chas Magnus 12 Frankfort St. N.Y.

The Wife I Left Behind Me.

‘T is many days since I left home
To join our glorious army,
I thought but of my Country’s call,
And not of what might harm me;
I vowed to join both heart and hand,
Where duty calls you’ll find me,
I left my home, and shed a tear
For the wife I left behind me.

To meet the foe was my desire
Upon the field of battle,
“The Union States,” my battle cry,
While cannon’s thunders rattle:
But while I’m fighting for my flag,
And dust and smoke do blind me,
I’ II not forget to give one thought
To the wife I left behind me.

Oh. when rebellion is crushed out,
And traitors slain or taken,
The Stars and Stripes will shine morebright,
And joy each hart awaken:
The horrors of grim war will flee—
Like troubled dreams remind me,
How sweet to known I’ll meet once more
The wife I left behind me.

Surrounded no by friends and kin,
Who smile, weep and caress me,
I watch the tears of joy that flow,
As each dear one doth bless me.
But there is one who moves my soul,
My tears now almost blind me;
God grant I’ll be obliged no more
To leave my wife behind me.

500 Illustrated Ballads lithographed and printed by CHARLES MAGNUS. No. 12 Frankfort Street, New York.