All the night of the 22d he rode up the peninsula, not a sound disturbing the silence of the darkness except the beat of his horse's hoofs. Every three or four hours he would ride up to a lonely homestead, still and quiet and dark in the first slumbers of the night, and thunder on the door with his sword: "Cornwallis is taken: a fresh horse for the Congress!" Like an electric shock the house would flash with an instant light and echo with the pattering feet of women, and before a dozen greetings could be exchanged, and but a word given of the fate of the loved ones at York, Tilghman would vanish in the gloom, leaving a trail of glory and joy behind him. BRADLEY T. JOHNSON _Col. Tench Tilghman's ride, 1781_ October Twenty-Fourth IMMORTALITY Battles nor songs can from Oblivion save, But Fame upon a white deed loves to build; From out that cup of water Sidney gave, Not one drop has been spilled. LIZETTE WOODWORTH REESE October Twenty-Fifth Supposing a disintegration of the Union, notwithstanding all efforts to prevent it, to be forced upon us by the obstinacy and impracticability of parties on each side--the case would still be far from hopeless. The Border States, in that event, would form, in self-defence, a Confederacy of their own, which would serve as a centre of reinforcement for the reconstruction of the Union. JOHN P. KENNEDY (_In "The Border States--their Power and Duty in the Present Disordered Condition of the Country"_) _John P. Kennedy born, 1795_ October Twenty-Sixth Give us back the ties of Yorktown! Perish all the modern hates! Let us stand together, brothers, In defiance of the Fates; For the safety of the Union Is the safety of the States! JAMES BARRON HOPE (_Centennial Ode_) October Twenty-Seventh The attempt made to establish a separate and independent confederation has failed, but the consciousness of having done your duty faithfully and to the end will in some measure repay for the hardships you have undergone. In bidding you farewell, rest assured that you carry with you my best wishes for your future welfare and happiness.... I now cheerfully and gratefully acknowledge my indebtedness to the officers and men of my command, whose zeal, fidelity, and unflinching bravery have been the great source of my past success in arms. I have never on the field of battle sent you where I felt myself unwilling to pursue. You have been good soldiers, you can be good citizens. Obey the laws, preserve your honor, and the government to which you have surrendered can afford to be and will be magnanimous. N. B. FORREST (_Farewell Address to His Soldiers_) October Twenty-Eighth