The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1861-11-28
What Canadian Saw at Richmond, afs
ter the Battle at Manassas.

What CanausAn S0W Al NlchmOnu, ais
ter the Battle at Manassas.
An cx editor of the Montreal Witness,
who was in Richmond when the battle of
Manassas was fought, writes to that jour
nal some of the horrors that met his WIS.,
ion when the killed aud wounded were
brought in. Bull Run is rather ante.
dated, but the editors observations will
BE- read with interest:
"No song of triumph was sung in
RichmonC, or in the surrounding villa
ges Those who had cherished hopes,
raised by the reports that those they
loved were not dead, but onl ly wounded,
were, alas, doomed to suffer more bitter
anguish than that Of their fellow citizens
who wept over the biers of the slain
No pen can adequately describe the hor-
ror of the scenes Witnessed by anxious
crouds, as day by day the wounded were
brought in aud carried to the houses of
their friends, or to the st. Charles Hotel,
which had been fitted up as hospital
question, indeed, whether many Of the
battle fields Of Europe have been the are
ma of such horrible Individual suffering.
| have read of no campaign, except that
Of Moscow, where the French soldiers
pcrished by tens Of thousands, in every
conceivable agony, that can offer a com
parison in this respect. 1t may seem
absurd to speak Of Moscow and Bull Run
in the same breath; but | do not refer
to the relative magnitude Of the cam
paigns, nor compare the numbers en-
gagged, the duration of the struggle, nor
the loss of life. My comparison refers
only to the peculiar sufferings Of the
wounded, as day after day they were
brought into the city in every conceiva-
bic and inconceivable condition of mutt
lation, and writhiny in agony where NOR
t'fication bad not already superyened. or
where the stupor which generally pre-
ccdcs death by violence had not seized
upon the haplcss victim Of this fra,rici
d.l strife. In most battleields of modern
times, skiltul surgeons and attentive
nurses have been in prompt attendance,
and the wounded have received every
possible attention compatible with their
unfortunate posit Oh but with the woun-
ded Of the Southern army, at least, this
not the case. Possibly sufficient
number of surgeons could not be provi-
lcd, and | know that many who were
present were poorly supplied with surgi
cal instrumt nts, or with medicines of a
nature to alleviate suffering, aud that
they did the best they could under tn.
/ h,,< | hr,unl
in who had lain twenty four hours on tn
field where they had fallen, uaaided, an,
without a drop of water to slakc thci
burning thirst. | saw meo brought il
deirious with fever, raving like madmen
ard failing to recognize their dearest
friends Some were borne past upon
whose livid features death had already
set his scal-thc pi,ifuA, appealing glance
Of the fast glazing ey" being the only
sign that II c stlil fingered. Inc sc",u. -
of many were SO distorted by pain, that
they scarcely appeared to be human; and
most horrible of all, | witnessed at least
Il drzen poor creatures brought in who
had either lost limb by cannon ball Or
had suffered the amputation Of leg OF
an arm. 1t is hard to decide which OF
these two classes Of victims had suffered
the greatest agony--those who had laid
uncarcd for, save by some comrade wEo
had bound his handkerchief over the limb
to stop the effusion of blood, and thus
preserve the vital spark-or those who
had endured the pains OF an'puiat'on, cl'
ther too hurricd!y, or else unskiiiuily
performed In several Of the latter ca,
ses the ligaturcs had slipped or else had
become loosencd, the baDdaees had fallen
off, and the bones pro:ruded beyond the
manglcd flesh, while in both alike, the
flesh was black and fostering, and swarm
ing with maggots. People shuddered
and sickened as they turned away from
the horrid spectacle women tainted in
the streets-and yet there we're some
brave women-mothers, wives and sis.
ters-who dared to dress these trightful
wounds, when men, used to witness blood
and suffering, shrank appalled, from the
ghastly scene. Striving to conceal then
own acute mental suffering, these angels
of mercy fingered to the last over the
dying husband or brother and in mere
than one case, to my knowledge, ovel
the bed of those who were strangers and
Misunderstanding to impart that com
fort to the departing souls, which, neav
en- help them, they SO much needed them
selves 1t was happy thing for these
poor victims, that in most instances they
had ceased to feel pain, while conscious
ness generally returned for an hour o.
two before death but it is almost need
less to add that recovery amongst thos'
who had suffered in the manner describ
ed, was rare indie d. We know Of bu
one instance Of the recovery Of a maj
who had suffered the amputation of
limb on the battle field.
SEN iTOR MASON.
, The Peoria Transcript thus conclude
an article on james NJ. Mason, the reb'
Minister recently captured at sea an