The North-Carolinian., 1856-02-02
sae Horrors ef War.---Lc:tcr by a Russian
Sister OF Merry.

''0nly few days have passed since l last
wrote to yen, and / could again fill at
least twenty pages with the events of one single
night between Tuesday and Wednesday Oh
how much | should have to tell You, but how,
| or with what words! Ny God, what a horror
| is war! What unnatural cruelty it is! In the
| night between Monday and Tuesday men
| were ordered to dig fresh trenches and throw
up batteries, with q strong force to protect the
workmen. We we're all night prepared for al,
attack, but it passed off quietly, aud the whole
of Tuesday calm and still In the cvcilin.
all was again expectations. xsEs rstie.
was made. Several rows OF nisf*@ysFs " ere
laid on the ground: small tables were arranged
with lights and writing materials upon them.
The attendants were placing heaps OF lint,
bantlagcs dressings, short sterin candles, and
medicines upon table In one cup stood a
large Samoan "a camp kettle) and near it two
small tables, with small tcapots and cups. On
the other side was table covered with brandy,
wine, lemonade tumhlers and ine-glaSses.
The room is nearly dark, and peculiar still
rci.ns around in the air before Il
thunder storm Fifteen surgeons, and more
are seated around IirogofT in the room for OPP
crations, or arc walking up and down i'll pairs
The officer and the smoritel superintendent,
who have to that everything is i'll readiness,
are bnSily movin" about, or are fetching i'll more
medical help and attendance.
AS YOU stand at the door, or look out through
the lofty windows at both sides Of the room,
YOU bright, quiet night. for the moon is
shining and the stars twinkling without
cloud Between nine and ten o'clock, there is
a fash like that of lightning at the windows,
and suddenly it roars till every pane of glass
rattles. BY degrees flash follows flash more
frequent and rapidly; you can no longer distin-
gnisfl the shots from each other The fifth and
sixth bastions are lit up with fire; but the enc
mys do not reach the city We sit and listen,
ever in the sort of twilight, and about an
hour passes over Then comes litter, another
and anothcr---it has begun. The candles
lit, folks run hnrrediy backward and forward,
and the large room is soon filed with men.
The floor is covered with the wounded-cvery
where where they sit, they who have
crawled in, do sit. How they slrick What
Il din. He'll is let loose around us. You
rot hear the thunder of the guns for this "ailing
and oroanin@.--That one screams, but not in
words This one cries: Save me- Brethren
save mcn Another sees the brandy the
table, and entreats me: BE kind mother to
nc and give a dram! In all directions
voices are heard moaningly entreating tie sur
gcons, who are probing the wounds: Good
my lord. do not rack me- | myself walk with
great difficulty between the rows of stretchcrs,
and cry out: Come here my men, and take
him to GustseZiuski's house that is where the
hopelesSly wounded are carricd-takc this man
to the Ncolaicm battery. Place that man upon
this bed. Now then hiring in the officers too.
The room is crowded dcnseIy with the wounded,
but operations not to be thought of at this
moment. Tod give us but time to bind up the
wounds Of alive sisters all buSily engaged.
There they are bringing i'll officer; his face
is dclnged with blood wasI, it off, meanwhile
he takes lahorously out OF his snap-purse some
money for the soldiers who brought him to
drink his health. | have many do the
same thing. | knccl on the floor to light the
doctor-the wounded man has been shot in the
breast-to see if the ball has gone right through.
| place my hand under his back and feel for the
wound Iou may think how he lies wcItering
in his gore But enough. lou would shuddrr
if | were to discribe to yon all the tortures and
a@onies witnessed that night. Dawn comes
at last, and the firing ceases. We have i little
garden. Picture to your mind-wcll, there are
wounded lying there also. ] took brandy and
ran down to it, while the was rising most
gloriouSly over the bay amid the twiterlng Of
birds in the shade of acacias ful! of white bios
SONS. | found thirty, or thcreatouts, all grev
ously wounded most of them already at the
point of death. My Maker and my Lord! what
contrast to this sweet spring morning. ]
begged two of the inhabitants, who had been
heipn" most diligently all nj ght to carry the
wounded, to take these Immediately into the
hospital Thank Heaven the bringing i'll of
stretchers is at end. The surgeons, who had
gone HoiC at ttal pIcak 10 StG SoHic ltSt, It-
turned, when those whose turn it was to be
relieved departed with the close of day.
s.At o7clork the operations rccoininence.
Although it was not my day to be on duty. !
resolved 10 be again IN attendance. The opera
tions last till two in the morning. Between .
and 6 O'Clock Pirogoff comes back and they
operate till eight: then the work was over, and
al nine ! went home The cannonadc, howcv-
err, still continued, and grew liercer toward the
morning: ] accordingly got up about SIX and
at seven announced myself ready for duty
EVERYTHING was in order; 100 wounded were
brought in this night 1t is true the amputa-
tionS lasted three hours, but by o'clock the
dressing was finished. They brought me your
parcel: opened it aud began to tear bandages
off your linen directly. They are bringing
my dinner. All is quiet. Thank God, this
day then is qniet one The door is opened
and one strctcher after the other is borne along
What's the meaning Of this2 How is ti:~?
When You wounded, poor man? We
have lain out yontlcr since that night ;
There is truce at this moment Only think
of this or.-They have been lying out yoll-
der nearly twenty-four hours; a few compass
sIonate Frcnchmen had given them bread and
water. We washed their wounds at once; we
bound them mp; gave them something to
eat and to drink OF course they were all
wounded in the legs, though few not severely.
Again there were twelve operations, and no
one expected arrival Of this sort out of hours,
DR.. Clebnikotf and myself were almost the only
persons at the operating table. The night
passed off qniety. Imagine my having to tie
the arteries for Pigor0ff's patients on that dread