Song Of Marion's Men

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Title:     Song Of Marion's Men
Author: George Pope Morris [More Titles by Morris]

In the ranks of Marion's band,
Through morass and wooded land,
Over beach of yellow sand,
Mountain, plain, and valley,
A southern maid, in all her pride,
Marched gayly at her lover's side,
In such disguise
That e'en his eyes
Did not discover Sallie!

When returned from midnight tramp,
Through the forest dark and damp,
Oh his straw-couch in the camp,
In his dreams he'd dally
With that devoted, gentle fair,
Whose large black eyes and flowing hair
So near him seem,
That in his dream,
He breathes his love for Sallie!

Oh, what joy, that maiden knew,
When she found her lover true!--
Suddenly the trumpet blew,
Marion's men to rally!
To ward the death-spear from his side!--
In battle by Santee she died!--
Where sings the surge
A ceaseless dirge
Near the lone grave of Sallie.

Note:

"Sallie St. Clair was a beautiful, dark-eyed Creole girl. The whole treasury of her love was lavished upon Sergeant Jasper, who, on one occasion, had the good fortune to save her life. The prospect of their separation almost maddened her. To sever her long, jetty ringlets from her exquisite head--to dress in male attire--to enroll herself in the corps to which he belonged, and follow his fortunes in the wars, unknown to him--was a resolution no sooner conceived than taken. In the camp she attracted no particular attention, except on the night before battle, when she was noticed bending over his couch, like a good and gentle spirit, as if listening to his dreams. The camp was surprised, and a fierce conflict ensued. The lovers were side by side in the thickest of the fight; but, endeavoring to turn away a lance aimed at the heart of Jasper, the poor girl received it in her own, and fell bleeding at his feet. After the victory, her name and sex were discovered, and there was not a dry eye in the corps when Sallie St. Clair was laid in her grave, near the river Santee, in a green, shady nook, that looked as if it had been stolen out of Paradise."--Tales of Marion's Men.

[The end]
George Pope Morris's poem: Song Of Marion's Men

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