The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1856-01-31
TIE Horrors OF sVar-Letrer by a
Russian sister of. Mercy.

written in May last BY one Of the Russian
Siaters.of Mercy mihistering at SebastopoL
"0nly few days have passed sioce last
wrote to you, aud now l could again fill at
twenty pages with the events OF the one sim
gle night between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Oh, how much | should have to tell you, but
how, or with what wordsl My God, what
horror is war! What unnatural cruelty II
is! In the night between Monday aad Tues
day our men were ordered to dig fresh tren-
ches and throw up batteries, with a strong
force to protect the workmen. We were
altnight prepared for an attack, but il pass
ed of quietly, and the WI Of Tuesday
was calm and still. In the evening all was
again expectation. Every preparation .Was
made. Several rows Of mattresses were
laid on the ground; small tables were arran-
ged with lights and writing materials upon
them. The attendants were placing heaps
Of lint, bandages, dressings, short sterine
candles, and medicines upon a table. In,
ene corner stood large Samoan "a camp
kettle) and near it two small tables, with
small teapots and cups. On the other side
table covered with brandy, wine, lemon
ade, tumblers and wine glasses. The room
is nearly dark, and peculiar stiffness reigns
around, as in the ais before thunder storm.
Fifteen surgeons, and more, are seated a.
round Pirogoffin the room for operations, or
are walking up and down in pairs. The
officer and the smoriel (super;ntendanD who
have TO see that everything is in readiness,
are busily moving about, or are fetching in
more medical help and attendants.
As you stand at the door, or look odt
throuuh Tho laftu x,;n M doyyp ~ hoth .;Io. -
the room, you see bright, quiet night, for
the moon is shining, and the stars are twink
ling without a cloud. Between nine and
ten O'Clock, there is fash like that OF light
ming at the windows, and suddenly 1t roars
till every pane Of glass fattles. By degrees
fash follows flash more frequently and rap-
idly; you can no longer distinguish the shots
from each other. The fifth and sixth bas-
tions are lit up with fire; but the enemy's
bombs do not reach the city. We sit and
listen, ever in the same sort of twilight, and
about an hour passes over. Then comes q
litter, another and another-it has begun -
The candles are lit; folks run hurriedly
backward and forward, ard the large room
is soon filed with men. The floor is cover
ed with the wounded-etetywhere, where
they can sit, they who have crawled in, do
sit. How they shrek! What DIM He'll
is let loose around us. You cannot hear
the thunder of the guns for this wailing and
groaning. That one screams, but not in
words. This one cries. "Save me, brethren,
save mel" Another sees the brandy on the
table, and entreats me, "Be kind mother
to me, and give me DRAM" In all direc-
tions voices are heard moaningly entreating
the surgeons, who are probing the wounds,
GOOD, my lord, do not rack me-" my
self walk with great difficulty between the
rows of stretchers and cry out, "come here,
! my men, and take him to Gustscznski's 8
house"-that is where the hopelessly woun-
ded are carried-"take this man to the Nj
kolaieff battery, Place that man upon this
bed.' Now they bring in officers too.-
The rooom is crowded densely with the
wounded, but operations are not to be tho't
of this moment God give US but time to
bind up the wounds of alive sisters are
all busly engaged.
There they are bringing in ar officer; his
foot is deluged with blood; wish it off,
meanwhile he takes laboriously out Of his
spop-purse some money for the soldiers who
brought him to drink his health. | have
seen many do the same thing. I kneel on
the floor to light the doctor-the wounded
man has been shot in the breast--to zee fthe
ball has gone right through, place my hand
under his back and feel for the wound. You
may think how he lies weltering in his gore.
But enough. You would shudder if were
to describe to you all the tortures and ago
Enies I witnessed that night. Dawn comes
at last, and the firing ceases. We have lit
tie garden. Picture it to your mind-well,
there are wounded lying there also. took
brandy and ran down to it, while the sun
was rising most gloriously over the bay amid
the twitterng of birds, in the shade of aca-
cias full of white blossoms. found thirty,
or thereabouts, oil grievously wounded,mo
of them already at the point of death. My
Maker and my Lord! whata contrast to this
sweet spring morning. begged two OF the
Inhabitants, who had been helping most dill
gently all night to carry the wounded, to take
these Immediately into the hospital. Thank
Heaven, the bringing in of stretchers is at
an end The surgeons who had gone home
at aybreak to get some rest returned, when
those whose turn it was to be relieved, de-
parted with the close of day.
CAT O'Clock tho operations re-commence.
Although it was not my day to be ON duty,
resolved to be again in attendance. The
operations last till two in the morning. Be-
tween 5 and o'clock Pirigoff comes back
and they operate till eight; then the work
was over, and at nine went home. The
cannonade, however, still continued, and
grew fercer toward the morning; accord
ingly got up about six, and OF seven | an
nounced myself ready for duty. Everything
was in order; 100 wounded were bfodght in
this night. It is true the amputations LASTED
three hours. but by o'clock the dressing
was finished. They brought me your par
eel; opened it and began to tear bandaget
off your linen directly. They are bringing
me my dinner. All is quiet. Thank God
this day then is quiet one. The door il
, opened, and one stretcher after the other il
borne along. What is the meaning of this
How is this When were you wounded
J poor man? "We have lain out yonder eve
) since that night" There is truce at thi
: moment. Only think of this horror The.
. have been laying out yonder nearly twic
twenty-four hours; few compassionate
Frenchmen had given them bread and water
We washed their wounds at once; we boun
them up; we gave them to eat and to drink
Of course they were all wounded in tn
legs; though few not severely. Agai
there was twelve operations, and as no on
e expected an arrival Of this sort out Of hours
9 DR.. Chlebnikok and myself were almost tn
I, only persons at the operating table Th
! night passed off quietly. Imagine my hay
u ing to tie the arteries for Pigorofr's patient
on that dreadful night, while he was pdllin
6 them out and holding pincers in his hand.