The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-09-11
Wounded

six hunureu ana forty -three wound
ed"
"1f that were all ~ my wife spoke in a
sad voice. 'If that were all r.
"The return is given as complete" |
said, referring again 20 the newspaper
which held in my hand. "One hundred
and fOrty-one killed, and six hundred
and forty-threc wounded
"a fearful list; but 10 is not all, my
wife answered Her tones were even
sadder than at lirst "a great many
more were wounded great many
more"
"But this is an official report signed by
the commanding general"
|. "And so far, doubtless, correct But
from every battlefield go swift-winged
messengers that kill and wound at
thousand miles, instead Of thousaR,l
PAGES; bullets invisible 10 mortal eyes,
that pierce loving hearts. or the dead
and wounded from these we have no re-
port. They are casualties not spoken Of
by our commanding general"
! had not thought Of this; or, at least,
not with any realizing sense Of what IL
involved. My Aifc resumed:
get us take the matter home We have
a son in the army. The ball that strikes
him strikes Us. If, in the list of killed
and wounded, we had found his name,
would there have been no bayonet point
OF SCATTERING bullet to our flesh? SILVER
at the thought All, these invisible mes
| sengcrs of pain and death wound often
deeper than iron and lead"
As she spoke my eyes VEN resting on
The official list, and / saw the name Of .
/ friend. An ejaculation Of surprise drop
ped from my lips
"WhatY' My startled vito grew
slightly pale.
Harley ia wounded -
so, dear The pallor increased and
that she felt pain there.
'Badly?' she tried to steady her voice.
4 "a ball through the chest. Not set
/ down as dangerous however
/ "loor Anna! What sad lidings for
/ her My wife arose II must 60 10 her
Immediately"
| "DO 50" / answered.
Soon aiterward we went ont together
TO my office, and she 10 visit the wife Of
our wounded friend.
II is strange how little those who are
not brought into the actual presence Of
death aud disaster on the battle field
realize their appalling nature. We read
of the killed and wounded, and sum up
the figures as coidly almost as it the stat
istics were simply commercial We talk
Of our losses rs indiilerently as if men
were crates and bales. do not except
myself. Sometimes | feel as though all
sensibiity, all sympathy for human suf-
fering, had died out of my heart. lt is,
perhaps, as we'll If we perceive 70 the
full extent the terrible reality Of things,
we would he in half paralyzed states, in
stead Of continuing our usual employ
ments, by which the common good is
served. We cannot help the suffering
nor heal the wounded by our mental
pain. But let us see 10 it that through
lack of pain we fail not in minisiratior
to the extent Of our ability
When / met my wife at dinner time
her face was paler than when had part.
ed with her in the morning. saw tha
she had been suffering while /, intent fol
hours upon my work, had half forgotten
my wounded friends, Harley and hi
wife: one pierced by visible and In,
other by an invisible bullet.
'Did you see Annie ?" | asked
eyes"
GLOW is she =
"Calm, but hurt very deeply Sh,
only had the news this morning
as she going TO him '
"Therc has not been time 10 decid,
what is best. Her husbands brother i
here, and will get rs much information
, by telegraph as is possible 10 receive
. Tonight or tomorrow he will leave 70
the battle field. Anna may go viii
him"
"Sho appeared to be hurt very deeply
you say
r "Yes, replied my wife, "and was i
most intense pain. Every line in he
face exhibited suffering. One hand wa
pressed all the while tightly over he
heart"
What did she say ~
, " Not much. She seemed looking int
the distance, and trying TO make gu
= things seen but imperleotly. If he wer
! to die / think il would kill her."
! Two deatha by the same bullet"
said, my thoughts recurring TO the morn
ing conversation.
In the evening ] called with my vii
! 10 see Mrs. Harley A telegram had bee
received, stating that her husband
! wound, though severe, was not Considere
dangerous. The ball was extracted, an
70 he was reported 10 be doing we'll Sh
was going to leave ia the night train wit
her brother in-law, and would be- wit
her husband in the quickest limo ID wa
possible 10 make How a few hours {
! suffering had changed her! The woun
, was deep aud very painful.
I IL was nearly two months before liar
ley was sufficiently recovered 10 be re
moved from the hospital. His wife la
been permitted 10 see him every day, an
to remain in attendance on him Tor
A., greater part Of The time.
, Did you know that Mr.. Harley an
, his wife were al homo ~ said ], on comm
I, in one day
! "No. When did they arrive wa
the answer and Inquiry.
This morning / heard il from Nj
llarley's brother
, GLOW are they 2" asked my wife.
T, Gle looks as well as ever, avn TOLD
/ though suffering some from his wound
but She is miserable, Mr. Harley says.
A shadow fell over my wife's face, an
she sighed heavily
2 ~ was afraid of that she said.
s knew she was hurt badly. Flesh wound
az A. j.