"O lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle- be Thou near them! With them- in spirit- we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved friends to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us tear their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending windows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broke in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it- for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract heir bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who the ever-faithful refuge is and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen [After Pause] "Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it speak! The messenger of the Most High waits!" Book War Is... Soliders, survivors, and storytellers talk about war Edited by Marc Aronson And Patty CampbellP
