Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-08-06
MISCELLANY.
The Battlefield of Solferino

The Africa brings over an intensely in
tcrestlng letter from the editor of the New
York Times, who from very safe position
and at considerable distance from the scene
witnessed the battle Under date OF Gas.
tiglionc, Monday, June 9th, the writer
proceeds
The day after the battle, instead of 90
ing forward with the headquarters of the
army, remained behind to see the woun-
dcd and to so over the ground where the
fight had been the most severe During
the whole of Friday night, and all through
Saturday and Sunday, tho wounded of both
armies continued to b9 brought in
They were removed from the field where
they lay as rapidly as possible, and brought
to some point whore their wounds could be
dressed. All the churches and accessible
buildings of this town, public and private,
were occupicd-thc officers being general
ly taken to private houses so far as practi-
cable. But for thousands noshctcr what
ever could be found, and they were from
necessity left in the open air. AS fast as
their wounds could be dressed they were
removed to the next town beyond which
is Montechiaro five miles distant,-and
from thence to Brcscia, twelve miles fur
ther, that being the first town of any con
siderable size and at all adequate to the
care of such an immense number Of pcr-
SONS. | was at Montccharo when the
procession began toarrivc. At the entrance
of the town stands large building used as
hospital, fronting upon small open space
and being placed at the angle of two di-
verging roads, AS the wounded arrived,
those of them who could 90 no further
were taken off the carts and left here, while
the rest moved on to Brcscia never saw
so cart-rcnding a sight as was presented
III front of that hospital. The army seems
not to be provided with any means of re-
moving the wounded, but relies entirely
upon the convcyanccs they can procure from
the surrounding pcasantry. Everything
for miles aroun,l had been called into re-
QUESTION. For the most part they consis-
ted of the rude, heavy ox-carts of the far
mcrs, made to carry stone or other pondc-
rous articles over the fields Each of them
had fiat platform six or eight feet wide
and twelve or fifteen long. Some hay was
spread upon this, and upon that the woun-
ded soldiers were placed as thickly as they
could be laid-without shelter of any kind,
or pillows for their heads or blankets for
their limbs, except such as they might hap
pen to have upon them The weather has
been excessively warm-thc storm on the
day of the battle being the last rain that
has fallen, and yesterday and to-day the
sky has been perfectly clear and the air
heated with the warmcst rays of an italian
sun. The roads arc perfectly hard and
very dusty and it was utterly impossible
for we'll persons to travel along them with
any comfort without protection of some
kind from the heat. You can Judge then
Of The intense suffering which these thou
sands of MANNED and mutihtcd creatures
must have endured during that fearful iour-
ney Of ten or fifteen milcs-pcrformc at
the slowcst pace of heavy oxen, and com
PEELED constantly to stop by some Interrupt
tion of the procession. 1t was enough to
melt the most obdurate heart to sec the
whole state in which they arrived, Thc
peasants who drove them seemed not to
have the slightest sense of their condition,
or to take the least pains to alleviate their
agony. Some Of the soldiers themselves
whose wounds were least serious and per-
nlltted them tomoYe about had cut BRAN
ehcs from the willows and other trees that
border the road, and made of them a slight
shade for some of those who could only lie
on their backs, their faces turned to the
brozcn and the burning sky. Asfar as the
eye could see, dense cloud of white dust
marked the approach ofthe advancing train
AS the carts came into the town, many of
the poor wretches stretched out their
hands, piteousfy crying for water, or for
wine, as they were perishing of thirst
The people of the village had prepared,
so far as possible, for their reception -
Committees had been appointed, quanti-
ty Of souphadbeen prepared, and the young
women and men of the place went to work
to supply the most pressing necessities of
the poor creatures who were suffering on