[No. 374
Ent'd. March 28th 1865
Depos'd March 28th 1865]
To the Sorrowing Mothers of Our Fallen Heroes.
[Cover page:] "Kiss me Mother once again" [28 Mar 1865]
[Title page: "Kiss Me, Mother, Once Again"]
Song and Quartette
Words by
Theo[dore]. D. C. Miller
Music by
Cha[rle]s. W. Sykes.

Buffalo, NY: HEDGE BROTHERS, 283 Main St.
New York, NY: Wm. A. POND & CO.
[28907]
[COPYRIGHT
Oct18 1865
LIBRARY]
[M 1640
  .S]
[Plate No.] 6085
Eng'd at Clayton's.
[Source: 1865-200002040@LoC/IHAS-CWM]

  In the fierce battle of Gettysburgh a young and brave New 
England soldier, who had fearlessly faced the leaden hail, 
was mortally wounded. Thro' the dark and lonely night he lay 
nearly unconscious upon the gory field; but as the rosy hues 
of morning lit up the eastern sky, he was found by a few no-
ble comrades where the fiercest charge of the terrible battle 
had taken place, and the dead and dying lay in dense piles. 
Ere death bore his heroic spirit to a better clime-- and in 
a half-unconscious state-- he exclaimed: "Oh! my dear, dear 
mother! I would that you were here beside me! My pain is
nearly over now. Kiss me, mother, once again!" And after 
repeating these sweet sentences with youthful ardor, his soul 
passed from earth as calmly as that of an innocent cherub 
upon its mother's breast.


1. On a field of bloody carnage
  Where the glory wavelets swell,
Over wan and ghastly warriors
  Who have nobly fought and fell,
Lay a young and daring soldier,
  Weary, wounded, bleeding,— fair!
But a smile o’erspread his features,
  Such as angels only wear.

QUARTETTE [sung after each VERSE]
[with overlapping voices]
Oh! he breath’d the sweetest music,
  For it eased his heart’s dull pain,
It was soft, and low and gentle;
  Kiss me mother once again!

2. In the pale and sickly moonlight,
  Thro’ the night, so dark and drear,
Sad and lonely Will was lying,
  With no loving comrade near;
But the morning broke in splendor,
  And the warclouds roll’d away;
Then they sought our bleeding hero
  Where the wounded thickest lay.

3. Smiles of sweet angelic beauty
  O’er his placid features spread,
And his eyelids slowly opened:
  Gently, softly, Willie said,
“Comrades! tell my darling mother
  I am freed from earthly pain,
But I longed once more to see her—
  Kiss me, mother, once again!”

4. Like pure rays of fadeless splendor
  Seemed our brother’s features fair,
As his breath came slow and feeble,
  And he left this world of care;
But a host of happy angels
  Bore his spirit to the sky,
And we knew his end was peaceful—
  He was not afraid to die!