But, O Sarah ! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved,

But, O Sarah ! 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 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
you throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah, do not
mourn me dead: think I am gone and wait for me, for we shall meet
again.
-- Major Sullivan Ballou, Union Army,
from a letter to his wife.