“Written during the war for the suppression of the Slaveholders’ Rebellion.”

Hand down thine ear, dear Savior,
And hear my earnest prayer;
O bless my soldier-father,
And keep him in thy care.

When marching o’er the mountains,
Out in the wintry storm;
Or in the scorching sunshine,
Protect him from all harm.

When worn, and sick, and weary,
And racked with burning pain,
O fold thine arms about him,
And make him well again.

At night, when on his knapsack
He rests his aching had,
Snd down thy holy angels
To guard his lowly bed.

And in the fierce, hot battle,
When the shot fly thick and fast,
O spread thy wings above him
Until all danger’s past.

And when sweet Peace comes smiling,
And this sad war is o’er,
O bring him back, dear Savior,
To his loved home once more.

— From my copy of Sunny Slope. Songs and Stories. by Annie E. Morse (published 1866).