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 TRUE CHIVALRY— BENJAMIN H.PORTER, 
 
 By J .S.O .Abbott. 
 
 Harper ^s 
 Apr. 1867. 
 
Library of 
 The University of North Carolina 
 
 COLLECTION OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINIANA 
 
 ENDOWED BY 
 
 JOHN SPRUNT HILL 
 
 of the Class of 1889 
 
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TRUE CHIVALRY.— BENJAMIN H. PORTER. 
 
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 559 
 
 HEROIC DEEDS OF HEROIC MEN. 
 
 BY JOHN S. C. ABBOTT. 
 
 <3 
 
 0- 
 
 BENJAMIN H. POETEE. 
 
 XVII.— TRUE CHIVALRY. BENJAMIN 
 H. PORTER. 
 
 Birth.— Enters Naval School.— The Trip.— Commence- 
 ment of the Rebellion. — Roanoke Expedition. — 
 Blockading.— Admiral Foote. — Anecdote.— Explor- 
 ing Charleston Harbor. — Torpedoes. — The Rescue. 
 — Attack on Sumter. — The Capture. — Marched to 
 Columbia. — Imprisonment. — In Irons. — Disappoint- 
 ment and Endurance. — The Release. — Attack upon 
 Sumter. — Death. 
 
 ONE may search the records of ancient chiv- 
 alry in vain for a career more brilliant in 
 heroism than that of the young patriot sailor 
 Benjamin H. Porter. He was the son of James 
 G. Porter and Sarah Grosvener his wife, and 
 was horn at Skeneateles, Onondaga County, 
 New York, on the 10th of July, 1844, the 
 youngest of six sons. When he was four years 
 of age his father moved to Lockport, and there 
 he was educated until his fifteenth year. He 
 was then only remarkable for his cheerful, 
 amiable, and affectionate spirit, which rendered 
 him a universal favorite. 
 
 Like all adventurous boys he yearned for a 
 life at sea. A vacancy occurring, in the Con- 
 gressional district in which he resided, for the 
 United States Naval School at Annapolis, his 
 friends applied to obtain the appointment for 
 him. The Hon. Silas M. Burroughs, sitting 
 member of Congress for that district, took the 
 
 very proper course of inviting a competitive ex- 
 amination of the young men who were applicants 
 for the position. After an exhaustive and thor- 
 ough examination of a large class young Porter 
 won the prize. Reaching Annapolis in Novem- 
 ber, 1859, he was there exposed to another ex- 
 amination ; and though half the class, who were 
 examined with him, were rejected, he was ad- 
 mitted as a cadet, and was immediately placed 
 upon the school-ship Plymouth, which was anch- 
 ored in the bay. 
 
 There were one hundred and twelve cadets 
 in the class which he joined. He remained 
 there until the following June, when his clars 
 sailed on their annual cruise to initiate them 
 into the practical duties of seamanship. 
 
 On the 1st of July the ship put out to sea. 
 On the 3d they encountered a tremendous gale. 
 The ship sprang a -leak, and all hands were 
 called to the pumps. They, however, reached 
 Fayal, in the Azores, in safety, when the cadets 
 were relieved from their toil and spent a. day 
 luxuriously on shore, climbing the mountains 
 and clattering through the vine-clad valleys 
 upon ponies and donkeys. Each of these lilli- 
 putian animals had an attendant who clung to 
 his tail and urged him onward by blows and 
 the most unintelligible jargon. Thence they 
 sailed for Cadiz, in Spain. But the cruel quar- 
 antine cut them off from every joy. Their 
 chagrin was aggravated by seeing the beautiful 
 pleasure-grounds across the bay crowded with 
 groups of Spanisli maidens, graceful as fairies, 
 beneath whose gossamer veils the boys longed 
 to peep. 
 
 Making the best of their disappointment again 
 they weighed anchor, and passing by the Rock 
 of Gibraltar and the renowned Pillars of Her- 
 cules, they soon ran along the vine-clad hills of 
 Madeira, and steering for the Peak of Tene- 
 riffe, enjoyed a few rapturous hours in the Ca- 
 naries. Again they weighed anchor and reach- 
 ed Chesapeake Bay in September, where they 
 resumed their theoretical studies for the winter 
 on shore. 
 
 The storm of the great rebellion was now be- 
 ginning to rise. Eastern Maryland was terri- 
 bly agitated. Many of the people embraced 
 the secession cause, and bitter dissensions arose 
 among the officers and cadets of the school, 
 many of whom were from the seceding States. 
 It was feared that the traitors in the school 
 combining with those on the shore might seize 
 the ship, the guns, and the other property of 
 the United States belonging to the Naval School. 
 The officers and cadets who remained loyal gave 
 up all their ordinary pursuits, and stood guard 
 night and day at their battery and on the ship. 
 At length troops arrived to their relief. Then 
 by orders from Washington the pupils, with the 
 effects of the institution, were taken on board 
 
560 
 
 HARPER S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 
 
 the Constitution, and she sailed for New York. 
 Upon her arrival there they were ordered to 
 Newport, Rhode Island, where the school was 
 re-established in a region safe from the assaults 
 of treason. The great civil war was now fairly 
 inaugurated, and the rebels were making their 
 attacks upon the fortresses, arsenals, and im- 
 portant strategic points of the United States 
 with such ferocity that the Government needed 
 the services of every able and patriotic man. 
 
 It became necessary for the lads of the naval 
 school to abandon their studies and gird on the 
 sword. The two first classes, and a part of the 
 third, to which young Porter belonged, were or- 
 dered to active service as midshipmen. Ben- 
 jamin, then a boy of sixteen, was assigned to 
 the Roanoke, under Captain Nicholson, and 
 proceeded on blockade duty on the Atlantic 
 coast. It soon became necessary to take the 
 Lieutenants to command new A-essels, and this 
 boy performed a Lieutenant's task. He was 
 so faithful, skillful, and successful in these du- 
 ties as to win the highest approval of his su- 
 perior officers. The captain, on leaving the 
 ship, voluntarily gave him the following testi- 
 monial : 
 
 "I can not leave the ship without expressing to you 
 the great satisfaction 3-011 have given while on board 
 ship. Your duties have always been performed with 
 alacrity and skill, and I have no hesitancy in recom- 
 mending you to any one as a very efficient young 
 officer." 
 
 Commodore Marston succeeded to the com- 
 mand of the Roanoke. Young Porter imme- 
 diately won his accustomed place in the new 
 officer's affection and esteem. The steamer 
 unfortunately broke a shaft, and was for some 
 weeks at Hampton Roads engaged in repairs. 
 The Burnside expedition was then fitting out 
 for the waters of the North Carolina Sounds, 
 though no one but the commanding officers 
 knew its destination. Young Porter, chafing 
 under inaction, petitioned for the privilege of 
 accompanying the expedition. The high rec- 
 ommendations he presented from Commodores 
 Marston and Rowan secured his prompt accept- 
 ance. And young as he was he was directed 
 to prepare and take command of six ships' 
 launches, each with howitzers, and all carrying 
 a crew of one hundred and fifty men, to accom- 
 pany the expedition for service in shallow wa- 
 ter. 
 
 The magnificent squadron entered Hatteras 
 Inlet January 13, 1862. On the 7th of Febru- 
 ary they commenced their attack upon Roanoke 
 Island. Young Porter gallantly landed his bat- 
 tery and the sailors to man his guns at Ashby's 
 Cove. His pieces were dragged through a mo- 
 rass to a position where he could protect the 
 other troops which had landed, and there he 
 stood guard all of a cold, dark, freezing night, 
 drenched by a northeast storm. At daylight 
 the next morning he advanced with his battery 
 on a line with the skirmishers. Manning the 
 drag ropes, they pressed forward at the double 
 quick until they came in sight of the rebel bat- 
 
 teries, when they opened a brisk fire of round 
 shot, grape, and shell, receiving a deadly fire in 
 return. 
 
 Here was a lad of but seventeen years of age 
 in the midst of one of the fiercest battles of the 
 war, in charge of a battery of six ] 2-pound boat 
 howitzers. He had led his men in advance of 
 the lines. His zeal was so intense that he ut- 
 terly disregarded all peril. When at one gun 
 every man was killed or disabled by the fire 
 from the rebel fort, he stood alone for an hour 
 at that gun loading and firing. Eor two hours 
 this conflict lasted ; and he remained undaunted 
 at his post until the foe surrendered. His im- 
 perial spirit gave him perfect command of his 
 men ; his youthful appearance and almost femi- 
 nine beauty won their love ; his utter fearless- 
 ness commanded their admiration and roused 
 their enthusiasm. He possessed that rare elec- 
 tric power, so singularly developed by Napoleon, 
 which bound his men to him with almost a 
 supernatural affection. It was said that there 
 was not one of his men who would not readily 
 have died for him. The exaltation of his na- 
 ture may be inferred from the following extract 
 from one of his letters, showing the spirit with 
 which he entered into the battle. It was not 
 the love of fighting ; it was not the love of ad- 
 venture ; it was not the desire to obtain renown 
 for bravery. It was the highest and holiest im- 
 pulse which can move a human heart, which 
 thus ennobled him. This youth of seventeen 
 years wrote : 
 
 " If I fall remember it is for my country and the no- 
 ble cause of liberty. For that I came into the coun- 
 try's service ; to fight, and, if necessary, to lay down my 
 life. And I assure you that I am not only glad of the 
 opportunity, but if any thing is to be gained for my 
 country, I will gladly welcome any fate that awaits 
 me." 
 
 Admiral Goldsborough, as he took the brave 
 boy's hand after the battle, greeted him with 
 the words : "Young man, you have fairly won 
 your epaulets, and, as sure as there is a God in 
 heaven, you shall have them." 
 
 General Burnside, in his report, said: "The 
 skill with which the Dahlgren howitzers were 
 handled by Midshipman Porter is deserving of 
 the highest praise, and I take great pleasure in 
 recommending him to the favorable notice of the 
 Navy Department." 
 
 General Foster gave also his tribute of com- 
 mendation, saying: "I w'ould notice here the 
 gallant conduct of Midshipman Benjamin H. 
 Porter, who commanded the light guns from 
 the ships' launches, and was constantly under 
 fire. He deserves a commission for his admi- 
 rable conduct on that occasion." 
 
 In Admiral Goldsborough's official report he 
 again takes occasion to speak, as follows, of the 
 heroism of this young patriot : 
 
 "I deem it but justice to this interesting youth to 
 say, that both Generals Burnside and Foster assured 
 me in conversation, immediately after the battle, that 
 his gallantry was very conspicuous on the occasion. 
 The battery under his command, of six naval howitz- 
 ers, was placed in the advance, and it was there handled 
 with a degree of skill and daring which not only con- 
 
TRUE CHIVALRY.— BENJAMIN H. PORTER. 
 
 561 
 
 ■■■■■■■■I 
 
 tributed largely to the success of the day but won the 
 admiration of all who witnessed the display. No other 
 field-pieces were employed by our army in the engage- 
 ment. Mr. Porter was but seventeen years of age, 
 and, in my belief, no father in the land can, with truth, 
 boast of a nobler youth as a son. I sincerely trust that 
 he may be regarded by the Department as highly wor- 
 thy of its lasting consideration, and that he may have 
 bestowed on him ail that his merits deserve." 
 
 The affection which this young man uncon- 
 sciously drew to himself hy his eminently loving 
 and lovable nature may be inferred from the 
 following letter, which was written to him by 
 Commodore Marston of the Roanoke, and signed 
 by every officer of the ship : 
 
 " You have no idea how delighted we all are to hear 
 of your gallant and meritorious conduct in the late 
 action in North Carolina. We all agree that you have 
 Vol. XXXIV.— No. 203.— P p 
 
 justly won your epaulets ; and hope that they, the 
 emblem of devotion, trust, patriotism, and fidelity, 
 may be immediately awarded to you for that unflinch- 
 ing daring, reckless courage, and pure devotion to our 
 noble cause which have distinguished you in the late 
 action." 
 
 After the battle of Roanoke he made a short 
 visit to New York. His fame had gone before 
 him. Entirely unconscious that he had at- 
 tained celebrity, the modest youth took a room 
 at the Metropolitan Hotel. The lamented Ad- 
 miral Foote, veteran hereof the Mississippi, 
 chanced to be there with his family. When 
 young Porter entered the dining-hall he was 
 recognized by the Admiral, who sent a servant 
 with his card to invite him to take a seat with 
 himself and family at his table. He of course 
 accepted the invitation. The marked atten- 
 
562 
 
 HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 
 
 tion of the Admiral drew all eyes upon him. 
 The general inquiry throughout the crowded 
 hotel was, "Who can he be?" It soon became 
 known that he was the young hero of Roanoke, 
 and he thus became the observed of all observers. 
 This celebrity so much annoyed his modest na- 
 ture that he quietly removed to the St. Nicholas. 
 
 Admiral Paulding, learning that he was in 
 the city, expressed regret that the young man 
 had not called upon him. When this was men- 
 tioned to young Porter he replied, " I have no 
 claims upon Admiral Paulding's notice, and 
 certainly did not feel at liberty to intrude my- 
 self upon his attention." The Admiral, how- 
 ever, sent a special message for him to call, 
 which he of course obeyed. After an extreme- 
 ly pleasant interview he returned to his mo- 
 ther's apartment. "Why is it," said he, " that 
 every one is so kind to me ? I have done no- 
 thing to merit it." She playfully replied, "I 
 do not know, unless it is because you are a 
 good boy and try to do your duty." 
 
 His friends in Lockport sent him an elegant 
 sword as a testimonial of their affection and 
 their pride in his achievements. That sword, 
 so nobly won, was his companion in his "brief 
 future career, and was placed upon his coffin 
 when he was borne to his burial. 
 
 Returning to the navy after this brief respite, 
 he was promoted to Acting Master, and was 
 placed in command of the gun-boat Ellis. It 
 would be difficult to find another instance of 
 one so young intrusted with responsibilities so 
 great — responsibilities which would task the en- 
 ergies of the most mature mind and the most 
 manly frame. With vigilance which never 
 slept he explored the numerous rivers, bays, 
 and inlets of those vast inland seas which wash 
 the coast of North Carolina. In the capture of 
 Fort Macon he took an active part, command- 
 ing a floating battery. While engaged in block- 
 ade duty in the waters of Pamlico and Albe- 
 marle sounds, he one day caught sight of a rebel 
 craft, and in the pursuit gained upon her so 
 rapidly that the rebel captain ran his vessel 
 ashore, and the crew endeavored to escape by 
 the boats. They were, however, all cut off and 
 captured. As they were brought on board the 
 Ellis one of the prisoners was found mortally 
 wounded. Young Porter, to his great surprise, 
 recognized in the bleeding, dying young pris- 
 oner one of his classmates at the Naval School, 
 who had embraced the cause of the rebellion. 
 Deeply affected by the incident, he took the 
 captive to his own room, and nursed him with 
 the utmost tenderness until he died. 
 
 In November, 1862, he was ordered to report 
 to Admiral Du Pont, at Port Royal. Here he 
 was again for a few months employed in the 
 blockade service, on .the ship Canandaigua. He 
 acquitted himself so acceptably, and displayed 
 such energy and vigilance, that in July, 1863, 
 he was selected by the Admiral to perform the 
 exceedingly difficult and perilous duty of ex- 
 ploring Charleston harbor, under the guns of all 
 its innumerable batteries and its fleet of patrol 
 
 steamers, to search out its obstructions. This 
 was a duty which could only be performed in 
 dark and often stormy nights, when the adven- 
 turous party, in their open boats, were tossed 
 by the waves and drenched by the rain. That 
 one so young should have been selected for a 
 duty so arduous, so full of peril, and requiring 
 such combined energies both of daring and of 
 prudence, is one of the highest possible compli- 
 ments which could be paid to the reputation of 
 this young man. 
 
 For twenty-four successive nights he was en- 
 gaged in this enterprise. During every mo- 
 ment of this time he was exposed to the most 
 imminent danger from the torpedoes, picket- 
 boats, gun-boats, forts, and batteries of the en- 
 emy. So deeply did he feel his responsibility, 
 and with such entireness of consecration did he 
 devote himself to the work, that while the labor 
 lasted he lost a pound of flesh each day. 
 
 Every night he found rebel picket-boats on 
 the watch, and was frequently chased by them. 
 On the occasion of a general night bombard- 
 ment of Wagner, which attracted the attention 
 of all in that direction, he slipped around in his 
 boat between Sumter and Moultrie, and for three 
 hours was uninterrupted in his explorations. 
 He stood in the bow of the boat, in darkness 
 which was only illumined by the flash of the 
 guns, with his boat-hook feeling for and dodg- 
 ing torpedoes. At length he came across a 
 buoy. Not knowing but that it was attached 
 to a torpedo, he carefully approached and threw 
 a rope over it, and then, backing some distance, 
 he pulled upon it. As it proved to be harm- 
 less he again approached, and feeling with his 
 boat-hook found it supported a large chain. 
 Following the chain under water he soon came 
 to other buoys and timbers, stretching across 
 the channel. Following these up he found the 
 opening for blockade-runners. Carefully mak- 
 ing observations, to be sure of finding it again, 
 he returned to the fleet and reported to the Ad- 
 miral, offering to pilot the Monitors through. 
 
 One night twelve large yawl-boats were sent 
 out from our fleet, each containing about twen- 
 ty-five men and a heavy boat-howitzer, to cruise 
 between Sumter and Cumming's Point, to pre- 
 vent any rebel communications between them. 
 It was a dark night, and the utmost vigilance 
 was necessary, since the rebels had picket-boats, 
 driven very fast by steam, constantly patroling 
 the harbor. Two of our Monitors had approach- 
 ed the rebel forts as near as they could in safe- 
 ty, that they might assist the yawl-boats in case 
 of need. Ensign Porter, in command of one 
 or two small boats, which were less exposed to 
 observation, and which could run in the shoal 
 water near the shore, where the rebel gun-boats 
 could not pursue them, and in the gloom of 
 night could not see them, had crept up beneath 
 the guns of Sumter and almost to the wharves 
 of Charleston. With muffled oars and a strong 
 pull he came rushing back to one of the Moni- 
 tors with the tidings that a rebel steamer was 
 under way and was coming down the harbor. 
 
TRUE CHIVALEY.— BENJAMIN H. PORTER. 
 
 563 
 
 ■IP 
 
 WBWm 
 iffli 
 
 A larger boat was at once pushed ahead on a 
 scout. It was so dark that nothing could be 
 seen at a distance of a hundred feet. It was a 
 windy night, and the dashing of the surge and 
 the breaking of the waves prevented any ordi- 
 nary noise from being heard. Suddenly a rebel 
 steamer emerged from the darkness, rushing 
 down directly upon the scout-boat, which had 
 been sent from the Wabash. The rebel steam- 
 er caught sight of the boat, fired a gun into her, 
 and dashing on, struck the boat on the bow, 
 breaking her to pieces. The men leaped into 
 the water, and as the steamer swept by volleys 
 of musketry were fired upon them while strug- 
 gling in the waves. Ensign Porter, hearing the 
 report of the howitzer, the firing of the musketry, 
 and the cry of the drowning, utterly regardless 
 of his own danger, ordered his men to bend to 
 
 their oars to rescue the crew. There is some- 
 thing truly sublime in the vision of that fragile 
 boy of eighteen, in that dark and stormy night, 
 with no eye to see him but the eye of his God, 
 with no impulse to urge him but his own noble 
 soul, rushing into the very jaws of destruction 
 and death to save his drowning comrades. In 
 a moment he was in the midst of them. Eight 
 he dragged from the water into his boat. The 
 steamer had actually passed over them. It now 
 turned to complete its work, and yet young 
 Porter, with apparently as much coolness as if 
 in his father's parlor, flashed the light of his 
 dark lantern all around over the waves to ascer- 
 tain if any more drowning men could be dis- 
 covered ; though he knew full well that those 
 gleams would but guide the on-rushing rebel 
 steamer down upon him. 
 
564 
 
 HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 
 
 The flash of his lantern -revealed to him the 
 steamer heading directly for his boat. By this 
 time there was a general alarm in the Union 
 fleet. The light of Porter's lamp had revealed 
 the rebel gun-boat to the Catskill, and she 
 opened upon her with her ponderous guns. The 
 gun-boat could not for a moment cope with such 
 an antagonist, and putting on all steam she fled 
 back into the harbor, while at the same moment 
 young Porter, with the rescued crew, plunged 
 into the gloom of the storm and of the night, 
 and returned to the fleet in safety. 
 
 This is but a specimen of the services our 
 hero rendered in these twenty-four nights of 
 unexampled toil. He would sometimes return 
 to the fleet so exhausted that his crew would 
 have to lift him from his boat and lay him like 
 a child in his berth, administering stimulants to 
 restore him. 
 
 This was a period of intense activity in the 
 harbor. There were daily bombardments, and 
 earth and ocean seemed to shake beneath the 
 tempest of war. 
 
 Ensign Porter, after an hour or two of sleep, 
 would be again found on the gun-deck, com- 
 manding his section of guns in action, stripped 
 to shirt and trowsers, black with smoke and 
 powder, sighting every gun. His spirits were 
 always elastic and joyous ; never a complaining 
 word or a confession of fatigue or a downcast 
 countenance. The bombardment from our fleet 
 and land batteries had crumbled the walls of 
 Sumter into ruins. Still those ruins afforded im- 
 pregnable protection to the rebel garrison, who 
 in casemates of rock manned its guns. Admiral 
 Dahlgren deemed it advisable, before attempt- 
 ing to penetrate the harbor with his ships, to 
 get full possession of the fort, which seemed to 
 be only a mass of crumbling ruins. He organ- 
 ized an expedition of boats to storm the fortress 
 in a night attack. It was a very perilous en- 
 terprise, for the garrison could open upon the 
 assailants with grape and canister, and all the 
 surrounding rebel forts could concentrate upon 
 them the most deadly fire. 
 
 Though the result of the expedition could 
 not but be doubtful, the importance of the en- 
 terprise was sufficient to warrant the hazard. 
 Ensign Porter, ever eager to lead where the 
 blows fell thickest and fastest, implored per- 
 mission to join the undertaking. Commodore 
 Rowan, aware of the priceless value of such a 
 life, very reluctantly gave his consent. Thirty 
 boats, carrying seven hundred men, were col- 
 lected ; and on the night of September 7, 1863, 
 the attempt was made. The rebels, with their 
 glasses, could see the boats collected from the 
 fleet, and made every preparation to meet the 
 assault. They sent down from Charleston a re- 
 inforcement of three hundred men, with every 
 needful provision to repel the assault ; they also 
 brought some gun-boats into position, and had 
 all the adjoining forts in readiness to overwhelm, 
 by a concentrated fire, the assailing party with 
 swift destruction. 
 
 In the darkness of the night stealthily the 
 
 boats approached Fort Sumter. Suddenly there 
 burst upon them such a storm of iron and of lead 
 from the garrison, the gun-boats, and the bat- 
 teries as no mortal valor could withstand. This 
 tornado of war swept every boat back but three. 
 One of these three was commanded by Benja- 
 min H. Porter. These three boats reached the 
 debris of the fort. A hundred men sprang from 
 them upon the broken mound of brick and stone, 
 with the deafening thunder of artillery filling 
 the air, and with round shot, grape-shot, and 
 hand-grenades flying in all directions around 
 them. The wounded, the dead, and trails of 
 blood marked their path as they ascended the 
 rugged acclivity a distance of forty feet. Here 
 they unexpectedly encountered a perpendicular 
 wall 16 feet high, with its top crowded with 
 rebel sharp-shooters. They threw down hand- 
 grenades which, bursting in the boats, blew 
 them to pieces. These grenades also fell with 
 fearful destruction into the disordered ranks of 
 the assailants. At the same time fire-balls were 
 thrown down which lighted up the whole scene 
 as bright as day, enabling the garrison to take 
 unerring aim at the little handful of men strug- 
 gling at such fearful odds. Our brave tars 
 sheltered themselves as well as possible behind 
 the debris of the battered walls, and, refusing 
 to surrender, continued the fight for two hours, 
 hoping the boats would return or the fleet come 
 iip to their assistance. But no help could be 
 sent them, and after the loss of many men the 
 remnant were forced to surrender and were 
 marched into the fort as captives. 
 
 The commander could not but admire the 
 gallantry they had displayed, and received them 
 with much courtesy. "Gentlemen," said he, 
 to the officers, "you are unexpected guests. 
 But I will entertain you to the best of my abil- 
 ity." 
 
 The next day they were allowed to send to 
 the fleet for clothing and money, and were then 
 dispatched by steamer to Charleston. As they 
 landed upon the wharf, and were marched 
 through the streets to the jail, the whole popu- 
 lation of the city crowded around them with 
 exidtation. They were soon after removed for 
 safe keeping to Columbia, South Carolina, and 
 there this heroic young man and his brave com- 
 rades were subjected by their barbarous foe not 
 to the treatment of prisoners of war, but they 
 were shut up in close confinement like felons in 
 a jail. For fourteen months Benjamin Porter 
 endured these woes, with a resolution of spirit 
 which never for one moment flagged. At first 
 he was sanguine in the hope that an exchange 
 would soon be effected ; but as the dreary 
 months of imprisonment rolled on and all those 
 hopes died away plans of escape began to be 
 meditated. With long and perilous toil they 
 contrived to dig a tunnel under the hearth to 
 the outside wall, ingeniously concealing their 
 operations from their jailer. They had so far 
 succeeded in this enterprise that the work of 
 one more day would have carried them so far 
 that, in a dark night, they could have broken 
 
TRUE CHIVALRY.— BENJAMIN H. PORTER. 
 
 565 
 
 through outside of their prison walls. Though 
 they would then have been in the very heart of 
 rebeldom, they doubted not that their sagacity 
 and energy would enable them to elude their 
 foes and escape to a land of freedom. When 
 one of his companions suggested the ar/parent 
 hopelessness, even if he escaped from the pris- 
 on, of ever reaching from such a distance the 
 Union lines, he replied : 
 
 "No matter; the enjoyment of a sense of 
 freedom and of Heaven's pure air for one day, 
 or one hour, is sufficient to warrant all the toil 
 and all the exposure to recapture or death ! " 
 
 Just at this time their plan was discovered — 
 betrayed, as was believed, by a traitor in the 
 building. Bitter indeed, almost heart and hope 
 crushing, was their disappointment. It is said I 
 
 that sorrows go in troops. Porter had now been 
 three months in captivity when a new and very 
 terrible calamity befell him. The rebel Gov- 
 ernment, as an act of reprisal for the imprison- 
 ment as pirates of some rebel privateers, or- 
 dered two officers at Columbia — Lieutenant 
 Williams and Ensign Porter — to be put into 
 close confinement in irons, as hostages. By 
 some misunderstanding the rebel privateersmen 
 had been thus treated. The matter, however, 
 was promptly brought to the notice of our Gov- 
 ernment, and the assumed pirates were released 
 from irons. But it so happened that at this 
 time, for several weeks, there was a rupture of 
 all communication between the two hostile par- 
 ties. Consequently these two officers (Lieutenant 
 Williams and Ensign Porter) remained in irons, 
 
566 
 
 HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 
 
 in utter solitude and in close confinement, in a 
 cold and gloomy cell, without fire, bed, or chair, 
 from early in December to the 15th of March. 
 The clanking of their chains at every move 
 they made could be heard distinctly by their 
 comrades in the adjoining room. In the fol- 
 lowing terms this brave-hearted, uncomplain- 
 ing boy- — cold, hungry, and fettered — wrote to 
 his father : 
 
 " Lieutenant E. P. Williams and myself are in irons 
 and close confinement, held as hostages for Acting- 
 Masters Braile andM'Guire, of the Southern navy, now, 
 as I am informed, confined at Fort M 'Henry to be 
 tried as pirates. I wish you would see what you can 
 do for me ; for although we are as comfortable as can 
 be under the circumstances, still we are far from being 
 comfortable." 
 
 He knew well what would be the throbbings 
 of a father's anxious heart and of a mother's ten- 
 der love did they know the sufferings which 
 their child was enduring. He would therefore 
 conceal his anguish, and only let them know 
 just so much as was necessary to guide to ef- 
 forts for his relief. It was not, however, until 
 March, 1864, that the chains were stricken from 
 his limbs, and he was cheered by the tidings 
 that he was to be removed to Richmond, there 
 to be exchanged. But a new disappointment 
 fell upon him. The advance of General Butler 
 up the James River, and the opening of Grant's 
 magnificent and final campaign before Rich- 
 mond, broke off communications. A long and 
 tedious summer of continued imprisonment en- 
 sued, wearing much upon the health and forti- 
 tude of all the prisoners. But it is their unit- 
 ed testimony that through all these lingering 
 months of suffering not a complaining word es- 
 caped the lips of Ensign Porter. His generous 
 sympathy, his happy, hopeful spirit so cheered 
 the sinking hearts of his comrades that they 
 regarded him almost as an angel of consolation. 
 
 It so happened that there w r as a young lady 
 resident in Columbia who had known Ensign 
 Porter in his favored home of competence and 
 refinement in the North. Learning accident- 
 ally of his incarceration, she applied for permis- 
 sion to see him, but was peremptorily refused. 
 She, however, contrived to open a correspond- 
 ence with him, occasionally sent him some com- 
 forts, and at last, by her generous persistence, 
 induced the friends in Columbia of a rebel officer 
 who was confined on Johnson's Island, in Lake 
 Erie, to pay Ensign Porter $300, upon his 
 promise that his friends at the North should 
 remit the equivalent to their relative. She was 
 enabled to make such a representation of the 
 ability and honor of the family, that the verbal 
 promise of the young captive was deemed am- 
 ple security. This money contributed much to 
 the comfort not only of Ensign Porter but to 
 that also of his companions. He was now able 
 to write home ; but the only complaint to be 
 found in his letters was "that, at his age, he 
 could not afford to lose so much time while 
 there was so much active sen-ice to be done." 
 
 In the winter of 1S63 General Burnside ar- 
 rested a rebel officer found recruiting in our 
 
 lines in Kentucky. He was tried by court- 
 martial and executed. Soon after, the rebels 
 found a Captain Harris, of East Tennessee, en- 
 gaged in the same business within lines which 
 they claimed as theirs. Pending reference to 
 Richmond for confirmation of the sentence of 
 death which a court-martial had pronounced 
 upon him, he was confined in irons in a room 
 opening from one in which the naval officers 
 of the Sumter expedition were confined. He 
 had been there several months when these offi- 
 cers arrived. Ensign Porter, on being relieved 
 from irons and returned to his old room, suc- 
 ceeded with his jack-knife in removing or 
 springing the lock of the door of Captain Har- 
 ris's room. Then, after much effort, he taught 
 him how to slip his irons off and on again. This 
 was to him an immense relief, as he would slip 
 them on only when the jailer w'as about to enter 
 the room. When Ensign Porter and his asso- 
 ciate officers came North they left Captain Har- 
 ris still in his room, liable any day to be led out 
 to be hung ; and there he remained, with a 
 brave and manly heart, this terrible doom ever 
 impending over him, until the approach of Gen- 
 eral Sherman's army in the spring of 1865. 
 
 In the confusion of these tumultuous scenes, 
 when the sweep of Sherman's columns was 
 spreading dismay in all directions, the jail tool, 
 fire in the night and was entirely consumed. 
 In the morning Captain Harris's shackles were 
 found among the glowing embers, and it was 
 supposed that he had miserably perished in the 
 flames. But the brave Captain, in the confu- 
 sion of the fire, and aided by the dismay which 
 then agitated all Southern hearts, had quietly 
 dropped his shackles, walked forth into the 
 streets, and made a straight path for his feet to 
 our army lines at Wilmington. Here he met 
 with warmest congratulations some of those 
 friends who had so sadly left him at Columbi:: 
 a prisoner in chains awaiting the scaffold. 
 
 In October, 1864, an arrangement was effect- 
 ed for the exchange of all the naval officers 
 and men captured at Fort Sumter. Mr. Porter 
 emptied his pockets of all his money, and gave 
 all his spare clothes and other effects to his 
 friend Colonel Payne, a distinguished officer of 
 the One Hundredth New York Volunteers, who 
 had shared his imprisonment, but who was not 
 permitted to share his release.* 
 
 * I can not refrain here from paying a brief tribute 
 of respect and affection to Colonel L. S. Payne, who 
 had done so much and has suffered so much for his 
 country. While Ensign Porter was reconnoitring the 
 fortifications and positions of the enemy in Charles- 
 ton harbor Colonel Payne was engaged in the same 
 service in the labyrinth of creeks south of Sumter. 
 These two officers were summoned to meet on board 
 Admiral Dahlgren's ship for concerted action. Unfor- 
 tunately the night before the appointed meeting Col- 
 onel Payne was shot through the neck and captured. 
 They soon met as captives in a rebel prison, and for 
 weary months suffered together, each cheering the 
 other. For some time before Ensign Porter's release 
 they were lodged in the same room, and a very strong 
 affection sprung up between them. "After Mr. Por- 
 ter's release from irons," writes Colonel Payne, "he 
 managed to get some old naval works on navigation, 
 
TRUE CHIVALRY.— BENJAMIN H. PORTER. 
 
 5G7 
 
 PORTEE. IN PEIKON. 
 
 With a buoyant heart young Porter found his 
 steps directed toward his home. On arriving 
 at Richmond he was placed in Libby Prison, 
 and after ten days of vexatious delay was final- 
 ly sent to our lines. Taking passage for Wash- 
 ington he, with some others, arrived there the 
 next day and reported to the Navy Depart- 
 ment. Porter proceeded that night to New 
 York, where he had a happy reunion with those 
 dear friends who loved him so tenderly, who 
 cherished him so proudly, and whose hearts 
 had bled with such anguish in sympathy with 
 
 and some mathematical books, and a work on geom- 
 etry. To these he devoted most of his attention in 
 study, often saying that he intended to be the first in 
 his class, on examination, when exchanged." 
 
 his sufferings and his perils. His two years of 
 toilsome service, of gloomy imprisonment of 
 hard fare, had left their traces on his once 
 beaming and happy face. His frame was ema- 
 ciate, his cheeks sunken, and his countenance 
 bore a premature expression of care and sad- 
 ness. A few months had done the work of 
 years. He was no longer the light-hearted, 
 joyous youth who had so buoyantly left his 
 happy home but a few months before, but the 
 mature man, war-worn and pressed down by as 
 weighty responsibilities as can ever rest upon a 
 human heart. 
 
 The reaction from the gloom of the prison to 
 the glowing affections and comforts and en- 
 dearments which now clustered around him 
 
568 
 
 HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 
 
 were so great that for many nights he was tor- 
 tured with restlessness and the most hideous 
 dreams. He was starving ; he was escaping 
 from prison ; he was recaptured ; he was dragged 
 back to dungeons and chains ; he toiled in vain 
 to unclasp his irons and they ate into the bone. 
 The suffering of these nights was positive and 
 extreme. Gradually, however, as parental love 
 so tenderly encircled him these impressions wore 
 away, and his countenance resumed its former 
 expression of beauty and of joyousness. 
 
 Just before his imprisonment he had been 
 ordered to proceed to Newport to be examined 
 for promotion. It was now necessary that this 
 should be attended to. A special board of ex- 
 aminers was convened at Washington, with his 
 early friend Admiral Goldsborough at its head. 
 He passed an excellent examination, and his 
 rank of Lieutenant was dated back to the pre- 
 ceding February, when he was but nineteen. 
 This is probably the only instance of that rank 
 being attained in our navy at so early an age. 
 
 Ensign Porter was not yet exchanged, but was 
 liberated on his parole. He, however, report- 
 ed to the Secretary of the Navy in his new 
 rank as Lieutenant, stating that he was ready 
 and anxious for active service as soon as his 
 exchange could be effected. Since he was fif- 
 teen years of age, excepting the time of his im- 
 prisonment, and while at the Naval School, he 
 had spent less than sixty days on shore. While 
 waiting for this release from his parole he had 
 leave of absence, and visited his childhood's 
 home in Western New York. In the greetings 
 with which he was received by his neighbors, 
 friends, and old school-mates, he seemed entire- 
 ly unconscious that he had done any thing worthy 
 of remark, while he was loud in praise of the 
 exploits of his brother officers. 
 
 He had been at home but two days when a 
 telegram from the Department announced his 
 exchange, and summoned him to report imme- 
 diately to Admiral Porter at Hampton Roads. 
 He had hoped to have spent Christmas with 
 his friends, which would have been the first he 
 had enjoyed at home for five years. But ere 
 that day came he was with the fleet thundering 
 at the walls of Port Fisher. With all possible 
 speed he hastened for Hampton Roads. There 
 he found that the squadron had already sailed 
 for Beaufort, North Carolina. Embarking on 
 board a transport he reached the fleet and re- 
 ported to the Admiral. He was warmly re- 
 ceived, and immediately placed in command 
 of the flag-ship, the Malvern. The following 
 anecdote is related in reference to his arrival 
 at the fleet : One of the most distinguished 
 Captains, having heard that Lieutenant Porter 
 had reached the squadron, ordered his boat, 
 and, proceeding to the flag-ship, asked for an 
 audience with the Admiral. 
 
 "I understand," he said, "that Lieutenant 
 Porter has arrived." 
 
 " Yes, Sir," was the reply of the Admiral. 
 
 *' Well, I want him." 
 
 " What do you want him for ?" 
 
 "Why, I am short of officers, and I know 
 him, and I have written to the Department for 
 him." 
 
 ' ' Do you want him very much ?" the Ad- 
 miral responded. 
 
 "Yes, Sir." 
 
 "Will it make you sick if you don't have 
 him?" 
 
 "I don't know but that it will." 
 
 "Well, you can't have him. He commands 
 this ship, Sir." 
 
 Lieutenant Porter passed through the first 
 battle of Fort Fisher safely. In planning the 
 second attack, as the fort had been largely re- 
 inforced and strengthened, the Admiral deem- 
 ed it necessary, in addition to the land troops, 
 to send on shore all the force which could be 
 spared from the ships. About eighteen hun- 
 dred sailors and marines were thus landed. 
 Lieutenant Porter, carrying the Admiral's flag, 
 claimed the right to lead the assaulting col- 
 umn. Just before the conflict he wrote to his 
 mother : 
 
 "We are now off New Inlet once more, for the pur- 
 pose of taking Fort Fisher ; and this time, by God's 
 blessing, we mean to do it. We have General Terry 
 in command, and he is young and ambitious. I hope 
 he will make his men fight. It is 4 o'clock in the 
 morning, and we are moving in for the attack. We 
 will strike a telling blow for Columbia to-day. Amer- 
 ica expects every man to do his duty, and our gallant 
 tars never flinch." 
 
 Another letter which he wrote to a young 
 friend and companion in arms reveals the in- 
 ner man — the ardor of his affections, the noble- 
 ness and the purity of his aspirations, and that 
 lofty faith which allies man to the angel. His 
 young friend had recently become a Christian, 
 and the letter from which we quote is in re- 
 sponse to one which he had just received from 
 that friend announcing this fact : 
 
 "I was made very happy to-day by the receipt of 
 your letter of the 3d instant. And, my dear friend, 
 although I can not say that I am a Christian, I was 
 made happier than I ever was in my life before by 
 knowing that you, the dearest friend on earth to me, 
 had at last 'tacked ship' and become a Christian. 
 Your letter has made me stop and review my past 
 life, and I assure you that my past wickedness really 
 frightens me. It seems as if I had gone too far to 
 hope for forgiveness. It seems as though God would 
 never receive one so wicked as myself. But as Christ 
 died to save us all I shall hope that, by trying to be 
 good the rest of my life, his blood will wash out my 
 many sins, and that at last I may stand at your side, 
 one of our Heavenly Father's chosen. It will be a 
 hard road to travel for a while, but I am determined 
 to give up all my old wicked habits and try to the ut- 
 most to be a true Christian. 
 
 "As I said before, I can not feel that I am a Chris- 
 tian, although I know that Christ died to save me. 
 But if God will keep me I will try and be one ; and I 
 know that I can succeed if I try, for our Heavenly Fa- 
 ther has promised to listen to ail who ask him with 
 their whole hearts. How could you imagine that I 
 could love you the less because you are a Christian ? 
 No, no, Adams, I love you more, if such a thing be 
 possible, than I ever did before. And now I beg you 
 to pray for me, and ask God to give me a new heart 
 and teach me to pray. I shall pray for you every 
 night. 
 
 "I am going ashore to lead my men to the charge 
 on Fort Fisher ; and if God will keep me from harm 
 
TRUE CHIVALRY.— BENJAMIN H. PORTER. 
 
 569 
 
 and bring me out of the fight in safety I will try and 
 obtain a ten days' furlough, and then, my friend, I 
 will see you. I have been in command of the flag- 
 ship several weeks, and am very pleasantly situated. 
 I expect that we shall have a very hard tight, and as I 
 am going to assault the fort I run a good chance of 
 losing the number of my mess. But if I do, my ever 
 dear friend, you must remember that I love you with 
 my whole heart, and I know that you will think of 
 me sometimes. I shall write you again from New In- 
 let, and give you an account of the tight. Until then 
 I beg of you to think of me and pray for me, and I 
 will do the same for you." 
 
 The following extract from a letter written, 
 after the death of Lieutenant Porter, hy the 
 friend to whom the above letter" was addressed 
 will be read with interest. It was written to 
 the father of the deceased, under date of April 
 3, 1865: 
 
 "I visited the Malvern a few days since and went 
 into poor Ben's cabin — a cozy, comfortable little place 
 — and I wished I could have been alone for a little 
 time. It was a greater trial than I had anticipated, 
 and every thing seemed to bear a reference to Ben. 
 
 " Since I sailed I have been through the places where 
 we were together years ago, or in which he had been 
 since we parted. I have been daily and hourly brought 
 in contact with persons and objects which have brought 
 him to my mind, and every time his memory is dearer 
 and purer than before. It is now a part of my very 
 self. Every thing I undertake I wonder if that would 
 have been his way of doing it ; and his example is the 
 model I try to follow. 
 
 "I miss him in my duties and in my plans, and ev- 
 ery day his absence seems more and more unbearable. 
 And every day I feel a greater and prouder satisfaction 
 in the knowledge that so noble and gallant a hero 
 as Ben called himself my best-beloved friend ; and I 
 thank my Heavenly Father daily for it, and for the 
 happy promise of Ben's eternal rest in His arms." 
 
 The terrible hour for the assault came. 
 Young Porter, bearing the Admiral's flag, 
 claimed the post of honor in leading the head- 
 most column with the Malvern men. As he 
 left the ship, with the flag in his hand, he said, 
 "Admiral, this shall be the first flag on the 
 fort." Admiral Porter's own son, but seven- 
 teen years of age, went by his side. But Lieu- 
 tenant Porter's hour had come. Accompanied 
 by two of his best friends, and two of the most 
 heroic young men the war has developed — 
 Lieutenants W. B. Cushing and S. W. Preston 
 — he took his place at the head of the column. 
 Under a heavy fire from the enemy's guns, 
 which exposed them to instant death, they ad- 
 vanced, about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, to 
 within four hundred yards of the immense 
 works of the foe. They then threw themselves 
 upon the sand, and remained there quietly 
 talking while the battle raged with deafening 
 roar, and thousands of shells were hurtled 
 through the air over their heads, as the majes- 
 tic fleet and equally majestic fort exchanged 
 bombardments. At last the signal was given 
 to charge. They sprang to their feet. The 
 only survivor of the three young men, Lieu- 
 tenant W. B. Cushing, the hero of the Albe- 
 marle capture, whose fame can never die, thus 
 describes the scene which ensued : 
 
 " Ben looked grave and determined, and I remem- 
 ber being much impressed by his supremely noble 
 bearing. In a moment we were under a terrific tire, 
 
 and the men commenced to get confused. It needed 
 all the pluck and daring that man can have to lead 
 and give confidence to the sailors in charging up that 
 bare and level beach. Ben threw himself to the front, 
 flag in hand, and the charge went on. We were all 
 three in uniform, perhaps rashly, but it has ever been 
 the pride of naval officers to wear, amidst the smoke 
 of battle, the same lace that denotes their rank when 
 enjoying the pleasures of society. 
 
 "At the palisade, by the ditch that surrounds the 
 fort, Ben fell, shot through the breast. His last words 
 were, ' Carry me down to the beach.' Four of the 
 Malvern's and Monticello's men raised him and tried 
 to comply. Two were killed. He waved the others 
 aside with a last motion, and died, with as sweet a 
 smile as I could paint with words. I doubt not that 
 some world met his dying eyes where spirits so pure, 
 so noble, so brave as his meet with an eternal and 
 great reward. The blood-stained fortress where he 
 fell will stand forever a monument of tender and sor- 
 rowful recollections to us all. It would be idle to 
 measure a brother officer's regards by a parent's love ; 
 but he carries the respect and affection of all to the 
 grave, and has left a navy of mourners." 
 
 His friend and companion Lieutenant S. W. 
 Preston fell almost at the same moment, and 
 together the spirits of these two noble young 
 men took their flight to their celestial home, 
 where, we trust, clustering angels gathered to 
 greet them. Fleet-Captain K. R. Breese, in 
 his Report to the Admiral, pays the following 
 beautiful tribute to the memory of these two 
 young men, who so cheerfully sacrificed their 
 lives for their country : 
 
 "Lieutenant S. W. Preston, after accomplishing 
 most splendidly the work assigned to him by you, 
 which was both dangerous and laborious, under con- 
 stant tire, came to me, as my aid, for orders. Showing 
 no flagging of spirit or of body, and returning from 
 the rear, where he had been sent, he fell, among the 
 foremost at the front, as he had lived, the embodiment 
 of a United States naval officer. 
 
 "Lieutenant Porter, conspicuous by his figure and 
 uniform, as well as by his great gallantly, claimed the 
 right to lead the headmost column with the Malvern 
 men he had taken with him, carrying your flag, and 
 he fell at its very head. Two more noble spirits the 
 world never saw ; nor had the navy ever two more in- 
 trepid men. Young, talented, and handsome, the 
 bravest of the brave, pure in their lives — surely their 
 names deserve something more than a passing men- 
 tion, and are worthy to be handed down to posterity 
 with the greatest and best of naval heroes." 
 
 There is heart-touching pathos in the follow- 
 ing letter of condolence from Admiral Porter 
 to the bereaved mother : 
 
 "Tour gallant son was my beau-ideal of an officer. 
 His heart was filled with gallantry and love of coun- 
 try. It must be a dreadful blow to lose such a son. It 
 was a dreadful blow to me to lose such an officer. My 
 associations with my officers are not those of a com- 
 mander. We are like comrades, and form fond attach- 
 ments to each other. When they fall I feel as if I had 
 lost one of my own family. Your son was captain of 
 my flag-ship, and a favorite with me and all who knew 
 him. 
 
 "He was brave to a fault. I shall never forget the 
 day he left the ship, with my flag in his hand, saying, 
 'Admiral, this shall be the first flag on the fort.' My 
 own son, a lad of seventeen, went by his side, and was 
 with him when he fell, with my flag in his hand, trying 
 to reach the enemy's ramparts, from whence the mur- 
 derous wretches were firing thousands of muskets into 
 our brave fellows. 
 
 " That was a wretched night for me. Your son was 
 reported killed, and mine, last seen at his side, was 
 missing till late in the night. I could imagine his fa- 
 ther's anguish, and I could imagine yours. I have no 
 
570 
 
 HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 
 
 consolation to give you, unless to console you with the 
 certainty of meeting in a better world than this. I 
 have gone through a great deal in this war. For four 
 years I have been but one month with my family. I 
 have seen my official family cut down one after anoth- 
 er, and my heart is so sad that I feel as if I could never 
 smile again. 
 
 "Among all the young men who have been on my 
 staff no one had my entire confidence more than your 
 lost son— lost only for a time. You will find "him 
 again where all is peace and joy. 1 would like to drink 
 of the waters of Lethe and forget the last four years." 
 
 It is a remarkable fact that the best of men 
 feel their sins far more deeply than do the worst. 
 Young Porter felt that he was a "great sinner" 
 in the sight of God. And yet so unblemished 
 were his morals, and there was such maidenly 
 purity in his character, that, to his friends, he 
 appeared without a stain. When we see such 
 a one shedding tears of penitence, breathing 
 
 prayers for pardon, hungering for a more holy 
 life, pleading for renewal by the Spirit of God, 
 and casting himself upon the merits of the great 
 atonement, and when we remember that he 
 cheerfully sacrificed his life for the most sacred 
 cause in which men ever drew the sword, it is 
 not without reason that we feel assured that an- 
 gels bore him on their wings to his celestial 
 home. 
 
 The morning after the battle Admiral Porter 
 dispatched a steamer for Norfolk with the bod- 
 ies of Lieutenants Porter and Preston escort- 
 ed by Lieutenant Saunders, a friend of the de- 
 ceased. Thence the body of Lieutenant Por- 
 ter, in a metallic case, was forwarded to his 
 friends in New York by express. Commodore 
 Paulding was anxious to honor the memory of 
 the departed by a public funeral, and General 
 
THE CHILDREN IN THE MOON. 
 
 571 
 
 Bnrnside expressed a wish that the land troops 
 might join in the procession. But the grief of 
 his friends was so deep that they had no heart 
 for the public display, and they chose to retire 
 with the remains of their loved one to his birth- 
 place that he might sleep by the side of his 
 brother and sister. 
 
 And as the precious body sank into the grave 
 the anguish of both father and mother found 
 solace in gratitude that God had given them 
 the remains to bury ; for another son of this 
 patriot family, the peer of Benjamin in all those 
 traits which ennoble man, had previously fallen 
 in the second battle of Bull Run. Two jour- 
 neys the heart-stricken father made to that field, 
 where treason had so cruelly robbed him of his 
 boy, and twice he returned to his desolated home, 
 having searched the graves in vain to find the 
 
 body of his son. It would be a comfort to weep- 
 ing friends could the remains of these noble 
 brothers slumber side by side here below. But 
 it is a greater comfort to feel assured that their 
 spirits have met in heaven ; that there they are 
 now, brother angels, hand clasping hand and 
 heart beating responsive to heart in joys which 
 shall never fade away. 
 
 Near the banks of one of the most beautiful 
 lakes which gem the Empire State the remains 
 of Benjamin H. Porter now repose, awaiting the 
 resurrection summons. He sleeps with many 
 of his loved kindred around him. And who- 
 ever drops a tear over his grave may say : " Ben- 
 jamin H. Porter merits these tears, for he was 
 a cherished son, a noble brother, a brilliant of- 
 ficer, a warm-hearted friend, and a humble 
 Christian." 
 
 THE CHILDREN IN THE MOON. 
 
 Hearken, child, unto a story ! 
 
 For the moon is in the sky, 
 And across her shield of silver, 
 
 See ! two tiny cloudlets fly. 
 
 Watch them closely, mark them sharply, 
 As across the light they pass — 
 
 Seem they not to have the figures 
 Of a little lad and lass? 
 
 See, my child, across their shoulders 
 
 Lies a little pole ! and, lo ! 
 
 Yonder speck is just the bucket, 
 
 Swinging softly to and fro. 
 
 It is said, these little children, 
 
 Many and many a summer night, 
 
 To a little well far northward 
 Wandered in the still moonlight. 
 
 To the way-side well they trotted, 
 Filled their little buckets there, 
 
 And the Moon-man, looking downward, 
 Saw how beautiful they were. 
 
 Quoth the man, " How vexed and sulky 
 
 Looks the little rosy boy! 
 But the little handsome maiden 
 
 Trips behind him full of joy. 
 
 " To the well behind the hedgerow 
 Trot the little lad and maiden ; 
 
 From the well behind the hedgerow 
 Now the little pail is laden. 
 
 "How they please me ! how they tempt me 
 Shall I snatch them up to-night ? 
 
 Snatch them, set them here forever 
 In the middle of my light? 
 
 " Children, ay, and children's children 
 Should behold my babes on high, 
 
 And my babes should smile forever, 
 Calling others to the sky ! " 
 
 Thus the philosophic Moon-man 
 
 Muttered many years ago, 
 Set the babes with pole and bucket, 
 
 To delight the folks below. 
 
 Never is the bucket empty, 
 
 Never are the children old ; 
 Ever when the moon is shining 
 
 We the children may behold. 
 
 Ever young and ever little, 
 
 Ever sweet and ever fair! 
 When thou art a man, my darling, 
 
 Still the children will be there ! 
 
 Ever young and ever little, 
 
 They will smile when thou art old ; 
 When thy locks are thin and silver, 
 
 Theirs will still be shining gold. 
 
 They will haunt you from their heaven, 
 Softly beckoning down the gloom — 
 
 Smiling in eternal sweetness 
 On thy cradle, on thy tomb ! 
 
u2 
 
 HARPER'S NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 
 
 
 
 HHI* ^"V< 
 
 THE SHADED STREAM. 
 
 I know a stream whose rippling current flows 
 By shady banks whereon the white-birch grows, 
 And beechcn trees that darkly interlace 
 Their spreading branches in a close embrace, 
 Like loving friends who stand on either side 
 And stretch their arms across the murmuring tide. 
 
 There moss-grown rocks, half hid in tall green fern, 
 Whichever way the gazer's eye may turn, 
 Along the borders of the stream abound ; 
 There, too, the iris by the brink is found; 
 And thirsty cattle come at noon to lave 
 Their heated fetlocks in its brimming wave. 
 
 With many a curve it takes its devious way, 
 While through the leaves the yellow sunbeams play, 
 And softly round the denser shadows fall 
 Prom the laced boughs where thrush and cat-bird call ; 
 And broad-leaved water-weeds, of glossiest green, 
 In separate clusters by the shores are seen. 
 
 In Spring when balmy south winds softly blow, 
 And quickly fades the last long streak of snow, 
 On either bank the trembling violet blooms, 
 Preferring most the unfrequented glooms; 
 And from his safe and rocky-guarded lair 
 Comes forth the trout the angler's skill to dare. 
 
 When Summer's genial warmth the wide air fills, 
 
 And draws a veil about the purple hills, 
 
 So thickly gathers then the leafy screen 
 
 No ray of sunlight finds its way between, 
 
 Save here and there a truant golden beam 
 
 That struggles through to light the shaded stream. 
 
 But most I love to linger by the side 
 Of that sweet stream in mellow Autumn's tide, 
 When overhead the beach leaves gather brown, 
 And beechen nuts come gently pattering down; 
 And all the woodland's rich autumnal glow 
 Is seen reflected in the stream below. 
 
 But captive now, with neither stir nor sound, 
 In iron Winter's icy fetters bound, 
 No more by shadowy banks where broad ferns grow, 
 With devious course, its voiceless currents flow ; 
 And leafless now the woodland monarchs grind 
 Their barren branches in the wintry wind. 
 
 Ah ! many a time with friends my heart holds dear 
 I've lingered by that stream while yet the year 
 Was in its green and glowing Summer prime, 
 Or in the golden Autumn's fruitful time; 
 And eager longings, not unmixed with pain, 
 Stir in my breast to tread its shores again.