The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-06-27
Total
HOrrid Scenes.

The following is an extract of private
Better from an officer in the Army, dated
MATAMoRAs, May %.
II went over the field after the battle of
Resrcn de Ia Palma and the sight which met
Hny eyes there was one which imagination
van scarcely depict Bodies of Mexican sol
alters were lying about i'll every direction
some with their heads entirely or partly shot
s,fr-others without legs or arms-oihers with
9heir entrails torn out. One man, fine look
sng fellow, was lying on the ground with u
cartridge N his fingers, having evidently been
killed while in the act of printing his musket.
crept about on my hands and knees through
the chapparal. and at every few PAGES would
come across dead bodies: and mt one spot ]
discovered the body of beautiful -Hericdn gTI
siaked THROUGH the heart. 1t is impossible to
conceive who could have been guilty ofthis
nhumau act"
Another letter says.
Il omitted TO say, in my account of the bat
ties of the 9Th and 9th, that | was struck in
the side the first day by a half spent OF. shot,
and thrown over, but it fortunately hit my
thick sword belt and fell at my feet harmless.
! have preserved il as n specimen ofthe cop
per shot of the enemy All their shot are
brass or copper, except musket balls, whlch
are lead. am quite well, except my side,
which pains me little. There was little
sense ola mere personal discomfort, however,
on n field covered with slaughter scene
which, trust in Heaven, never To witness n
gain. There lay around me fellow men, COM
Tades and antagonists, suffering the most hor-
rid anguish: some with an arm Off others with
one and some with both legs shattered or sew
cred from the body. There was one poor
fellow, Mexican, with his belly torn open
and a part ofhis bowels protruded upon the
ground he was still alive and pointed to his
mouth for water, but, alas! in vain, for we had
none to gve--not even drop to cool ms
tongue. He soon after persisted, ofco'rse."
Another letter from an officer who visited
the Mexican hospital in Matamoras, says:
went to visit the different hospitals. They
are filed with the wounded and dying. The
stencil that arose from them, from the want
ofDolice was disgusting. You could tell at a
glance the wounded of Palo Alto or de Resa-
ca de Ia Palma The latter were mostly bull
let wounds, whereas the amputated limbs told
,ofthe cannons fearful execution in the former.
Beside one poor fellow beautiful girl of IL
was seated keeping off the flies. She was
his wife. In another corner, family group.
the mother and her children, were seated by
their wounded father. One bright eyed little
girl quite took my fancy, and my heart bled
70 think that thus early she should be intro
duced to so much wretchedness. On one
bed was a corpse on another was one dying
holding in his hand the grape shot that had
passed through his breast, He showed 1T to
us with sad countenance. left the hospi-
tai shocked with the horrors of war. The ar
my have left their wounded comrades with
very little attention to their wants.
A widow lady, residing in the east part OF
the town of Cornish, whose husband died a
bout two years since, leaving her in possession
of small farm, &C., a few months since mar,
ried n second husband. This second husband
it appears did not, in the lady's estimation, IN
all things quite equal Che first husband. Or
this,she took occasion to remind him--re-
marking in no very pleasant tone that things
didn't go so when he was on the farm Al
Iii, ,bo L;,sb,nd stnrted xyjtho,t n word went