Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-07-04
Scenes in the HosnitnIs.


Correspondence of the New York Evening Post
The wards of the model hospital on Judi
ciary square, Washington, are still filled with
the wounded boys from the battle of Fair
Oaks. The morning after their arrival what
scene this hospital presented! The great
hall was thronged with men ''slightly wound
ed, on crutches, with arms in Sings and
shaver heads in bandages. They seemed in
the best OF spirits, talking together of the bat
tie; of the coming fight; some, of their ankle
ty to be in it; others, of their expected fur
loughS and their anticipated visit home.
Worn, dusty bronzed, wounded, it was
touching to see the gaiety of these men but
the real tragedy was within. 1t was not acted,
but suffered on more than a thousand cots lin
ing those long wards. Surgeons were busy
everywhere, and as | watched them narrowly
it seemed to me nothing could exceed their
skill, their assiduity, their gentleness. Yet
there did not seem to be enough. Men living
IN garments covered with the grim of battle,
saturated with the gore from their wounds still
undreSsed, waited without a murmur their
turn. did not hear groan nor complaint
but eyes looked up to mine from those cots
which will haunt me always. With faces
blanChed from loss of blood, scorched with
fever, Frustrated with pain, the mute, appeal
ing, suffering soul looked through its windows
and told its story. What a comment on our
brotherhood, on our civilization, was the spec
tacle of these men.
On the edge of his cot sat a young fellow
whose face scarcely bore vestige of that of
a man. 1t was so swollen that his eyes were
not visible, and as purple as if already morti-
fed. The lower part Of his jaw, with his
tongue, was shot away.
Holding his head with both hands and lean
ing over a stand sat young lieutenant whose
Nv Il
tered and the other shot out.
Many letters to the home friends of these
sufferers were written for them by women that
morning. How touching was the falsehood
which all alike wished indicated: ''TelI her
that am not much hurt, and expect to be
well enough to be in the next battle" Or, 81
am very slightly wounded, and shall soon be
well enough to come home on a Through"
''Don't tell my mother how | am hurt, it will
make her feel so very bad" said a young boy
from New York city, severely wounded ''tell
her am getting along nicely, and shall soon
be we'll"
Say: ''My dear wife, do not fret My
wounds are all dressed and have the best of
care. Tell sissy that papa sends her kiss,
and is coming home to see her." This was
the message Of young man, pale and pros
trate.
''You must have had enough of fighting"
[ said to a clear-eyed man, Gone of Colonel
Bakers men, who had one limb shattered
and the other shot off. "I'd go back to-mor-
row if l had wooden Leg" he said lifting
his head in the bed at the very thought.
''Why don't you send your boys" | asked
of an exceedingly gentlemanly looking man of
more than sixty, in whose elbow and shoulder
a bullet was still lodged Il took two sons
and son-in-law, and would have taken more
if L had had them" he said with a SMILE
. GA Soldier in a Good Cause" was the name
of little book given to young man from
Michigan. ''That is t." he exclaimed look
ing at the title. '''A good cause that is WHY
we can fight so well for it. l have been
wounded for i'll am ready to die for it,
These are not fancy utterances, but spon-
taneous words, which record as | heard them
from the lips of our suffering but heroic sol
diers. 1t is more than brute forttude, it is a
high moral sediment, love for their country,
the thought that they have sacrificed them
selves for it, which makes these young men
suddenly manned, many rendered helpless for
life, so utterly patient, so cheerful even,
through the long weary days of eXcruciating
pain.
In one of the wards there were a large
number OF wounded men from Casey's divis-
ion. They did not care for their wounds, one
SAID, but 1t was hard to be wounded in the
HSnU ana Jnen De called COwardS' tOur
boys are not towards" he declared; "but we
were surprised while we were cooking our
dinners, and overpowered by great numbers +"
Near by lay young man whose mild blue
eyes and fine fibred frame indicated an organ
ization exquisitely sensitive to suffering. One
of his arms had been shot off close to the
shoulders-his right ARMAND the odor from
the undressed wound made the atmosphere of
the room almost unbearable By his side sat
the wife of senator, writing for him to his
mother. Suffering had weakened his nerves,
and, spite Of an evident struggle to keep them
back, as he indited his message Of love, tears
rolled down his emaciated face, and tears, too,
rolled down the cheeks of the lady while she
wrote.
The next morning, when the surgeon
dressed this arm, when he dug the clotted
blood from the fostering bone, and thrust his
keen knife into the life, quivering flesh, this
poor fellow looked upon the operation with
less emotion than he would had it been per-
formed upon another person, not groan es-
capped him. Not tear fell down his cheek
then!
Entering another ward the first object on
winch my eyes rested was the form of child.
a boy not more than twelve years old with
one leg amputated. There he lay outside of
the coVerlet, beautiful, dark-haired how ;
the IDS shut over his sleeping eyes. the long
lashes ringing his check Directly over his
head some w0manly hand had hung the on
craving OF kneeling boy, with seraphic face
and lifted hands, praying to his Father in
Heaven.