New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-02-25
superior TO that of most OF the men I have al
different tmes in The Secretion army. They bet

The same as ueuai One man thinks foe n hundred il
the South ard the hundreds fight for, without ex-
aiming or discussing, the opinions Of the single ami
mating brain.
Tie Rebel piivates 90 have said, have not in u
single instance, so far as can learn, received any
pay beyo2d few Confederate scrip notes, willie the
officers have generally been at considerable ex Jense
TO equip themselves and the men IN their command.
Poverty presses heavily upon Them they are fnan-
cally ruined and many have told me that while they
were prospering year ago in various kinds of bus-
ness at home, they now left without any means
Of support. No prospect is left them but to fight SO
'ong tie War confines, since they have embarked
their al in Us falling fortunes.
The enemy must have suffered fearfully from dis
ease during the psst Winter, as many Of them
nowledso; and among the prisoners one very
helnenily sees physical wrecks of men, aud those
worn out by watching, toll, privaton and disease
ihe regiments in the Rebel srmy will not average
over three hundred and fifty men, the remainder
having returned home with shattered constitutions,
or died OF sickness in camp.
No one knows, or perhaps ever will know, how
much tie enemy have suffered in their energetic
e0orts 10 sustain the rebellion. They made tter best
endeayOrs lroG the beginning; they put forth their
utmost strength. snd have no recuperatve capacity.
Every disadvantage, every defeat 10 10 them per.
maue; they cannot rally, and they see that step by
step ley losing ground they can have hope 10
rggsiu.
Many Of the enemy upon the battlefield, eiter We
bad obtained Possession Of a part of the intrenci-
meuis on Saturday afternoon, were horribly
(, dad M 10 lv Mt,.fh .,t Emf.
muskets and usually in the face or Oh the head
Poor fellows lay upon the ground with their ey es
and noses carried away. their brains ocziug from
heir crIia, their mouths shot into horrible di-ig
uTaion, making hideous spectacle TIA, must haunt
those who saw it Tor many future days and rise in
horror through many disiempered dreams.
saw an old gray haired man. MORALLY wounded,
endeayoring { stop with strip Of his coat the lie
de flowing fon tic bosom Of bic son. youth Of
;wenty yeas.
The hoy tod bis fatler that it useless that be
could not live; and while he devoted parent was
sill striving f,ebly 10 save him WHO perhaps biz
Fret bo,n shudGer passed through the frame Of the
would-bc Ircserver bis head fell upon the bosom OF
his youth and his gray bairo we've baiLed in death
with tie expiring blood Of biz misguided son.
raw TIE lHtlI NAN hb lOuI dItIi anu Youth anu
age were locked liieess, in one anolhers arms.
A dark-baiIed Young man, of apparently twenty
TWO or three, | found leaning against a tree, BE
breast pierced 10y a bayoDet. lie sad be lived in
Alnhama; that he he'd Joined the Rebels in opposition
to his rarents' wishes that bis mother, when she
lad fouud he would 60 Into tt army, had given lin
Les blessing, a Bible, and lock Of her hair.
Tie Bible lay half opened upon the ground, and
the hair, n dark lock, tnred with gray, that bad
been between the leaves, va. in It's hand.
Tears were la lbs eyes, az he thought Of the am
ions mot. er pausiug, perhaps, amd Ter prayers 10
.,u for tie oYseApeoled footsteps oil her son, who
would never more return.
IN thc l3cl Of hair, even more than in the Sacred
Volume, religion was revealed 10 the dying young
MN; and Jaw him hft the tre-s again aud again u
he lips, as his eyes looked duly the misty
ssa that bounds the shores Of Life and Death az il
be- saw nis mother reacl ing out 10 bin with the
hat rad nurfed him in bis infancy, to die, alas :!
Gshtnp aga :, bis country and her counses whore
memory lived latest in bis departing soul.
4 Secession soldier, member Of the lOh (lrishl
Tennessee Regiment believe, was lying just inside
Of the foriihcarions. His glazing eyes gave nssur-
ance that life was embraced IN minutes lie held
roesry and cruciix 10 bis band, and mis- moving bps
were doubtless Offering prayer. lie had evidently
endeayored 10 kneel, but was too weak.
One of our soldiers saw and hurried to him, 10 as-
sist him 10 bis altitude of prayer and while engaged
N this kind Office. shot from the Rebel cannon
struck and killed them both.
In two instances noticed wounded foes lying near
each other who were Offering water 10 ore another
Iur "A In
our living to the wounded and dying enemy that one
would have supposed they were the nearest and
closest fneuds.
One fierce Rebel, a Mssissippan, refused all Did,
though badly won ded and had endeayOred to shoot
a member Of one OF the Indiana regiments who had
approached to render him assistance. which 20 out
ragged the good-beaIted solder that be lifted bis
ker % blow out his enemy's brains. A moments
foctiJn made him magnluimous, however, and he
left the Mifsi.siDpian 70 care for himself
might relate d dozen instances of daring, suffer
ing, and leroisn on both sides, my notebook If
fan OF them; but they were little different from
what occur on all battle-felds, and prove how
Invs'eriously what we call Good and Evil are com.
mingled n Humanity, and that even through the
dark clouds Of war the sun u Jnftce aud Mercy
streams; and that in tho most rePuIsive landscape
lar flowers are breathing out their sweetness ever,
though all unfeen
Few rersons are there who have not some curl.
osiiy about batte-feldS, and who do not desire to
know low men feel when under fire. especially
? efOre custom has made them feel indii-
ierent Or secure. Mot Of those who were
az Donelson must have had this eXpe-
a a.. a. Al
pan Of il without incur,og more lees risk. Hardly