The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-02-12
From the Ncw York Herald
INCIDENTS IN THE SIEGE OF GRANADA.

W. VohS~'S "o i1NfS ENthCtCu liS iclIoN III
particulars and incidents of the fighting {
Granada. The narrative is not given in til
exact words of the Colonel, but it contain
the material facts. Colonel Jones hold
the office Of PaymastcrGeneral in Walk
er's army. He was with Henningscn du
ring the whole struggle and fighting a
Granada, and while accommodating the 10
sition of the enemy, on the first day of til
attack by the Costa Rcans, he received
ball in his thigh from minnie rifle whicl
broke his thigh bone, and consequently in
capacitated him from taking any activ
part in the defence of the various posi-
tions occupied by Gen. Hcnningsens com
maMd.
The incidents connected with the fight
ing in Central America, have peculiar in
terest, showing as they do the individual
characteristics of men, and their idiosyn
cracies while suffering from wounds and the
various stages of disease. During the
fighting in the trenches and field, there
were men on our side WHO frequently dis
played the most dare devil and reckless
courage. Willie the minnie balls were f1y.
ing around us like hail they would stand
out in an exposed position and coolly pop
of All enemy. being at the same time q tar
get for the shot of hundreds of Central
Americans.
In the place where the sick and wounded,
the dead and dying were gathered together,
there were scenes very comico- tragical-in-
cidents most diverse and opposed. A great
many mon went almost mad from the ef-
fects of opium-they lost the entire use of
their legs below the knees. They would
sit there among the corpscs of the dead,
and amid the moans Of the dying, acting
SO Enthusiastically and droll, that it was impos-
siLlc sometimes to keep from laughing =
They were tormentcd by a burning, parcI,-
ing, quenchless thirst, like that of the
Sahara under the meridian sun. Some
times in crawling about to get water, they
would meet or otstruct one another; then
they would attack cacl. other and fight furi-
ously, fight like malmen, which they were.
At the same time near them, or perhaps al
most under them, would lay poor woun-
ded man, bowling from the intensity of his
pain, or praying for death, while big agony
with torturi"g hand grappIcd his quivering
form. The madlcncd men would thus
fight till separated, exhausted, Or one over
come the other. Sometimes they would
chant the fragment Of Il raLLle song as a
4hneral dirge for the dying.
There was one poor fellow lying beside
me who had his leg terribly shattered by a
ball. I forget Ills name, but we call him
Anderson. A dclirious man near him kept
crawling about for water, and in doing so,
came in contact whitli tho wounded mans
mangled limb, which, of course, made the
latter suffer the most intense pain. Andcr-
son boro it patiently as long as he could,
and then swore that the next one who got
on his leg should suffer for it. Again the
delirious opium cater, parchcl with thirst,
crawling along seeking for water, got upon
the woundedle leg. Anderson raised himself
up and pitched into his tormentcr, who,
with the instinct of madness. defended Him
self; and returned the assault. Tile fight
grew furious; tliey pcltcd each other right
heartily the one assailcd as freely as the
bloodhound does the stag when held at bay,
the other defended as savagcly as the tiger
when Blind with rage and mad Will,
wounds, lie rushes wildly at everything in
l'is course. At length sense Of weakness
oyercame strength. and madness; Anderson
triun,phed, though, like many who battle
for the right more injured from its defence
than he would have been n,by its loss but
l'e obtained peace, a. least, from one mad
man for theFest Of that night.
slept on a lounge or raised bed wi,icl,
was scarcely foot above the floor, yet one
night two crazy fellows got in contact with
eaclr-other. under it, when fight ensued
there in that confined position {; they bat.
tied it ont II had the legs of my bed cut
ofso niey could not get under there any
ssJnore; A burning tLirst anil an instinct OF
sslt-deispce seemed to be tile great charac.
tesis1cse Of the men when maddened from
>ths sfscts Of opium. They take the opium
tsVhc6t they are attacked by cholera, to save
sthen from tp pain and effects of that dis
eda; basasalie drug generates burning
tIIsG alAH they drink water they are sur,
10 k thsE do not drink water, opium
,a very good medicine for cholera.
: There WAS native Niearaguan with us
,,Ao ltay 6en attacked With the cholera
t0o af its cure. As usual, q con
followed; they would not le
.slii5 eys water. There was a we
atnexy Hax 1,a