"If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the gladdest days and in the darkest nights ... always, always, and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath, as the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again ..."
Sullivan Ballou to his wife, Sarah, from a letter found in his personal effects
after his death at the Battle of Bull Run, 1861
after his death at the Battle of Bull Run, 1861
