, 1862-04-14

cold and Rigid as marble. One 11ad crawled I
away 70 t5e border Of the woods, ana enseoqc-
tie rain of tie previous ight. BE was a
wounded rebel, aud he pitdfully asked "if We
could do anything for him ~ At bis feet Lay |
the body Of one Of those Union boys hage |
spoken Of g havjDg bad bis bur burned from
cause Of his being IN such condition, his only |
reply wss, 1T do net know-I did not do it.f' ]
We assured him that an ambulance would |
soon be d hand to take him to better quar-
terB, and left him.
! Tie: larger guns had done some strange |
work One case saw where the entire lower |
portion of mans foot had been carried away,
leaving two toes aud the upper portion re- t
nnaining. Another had been struck BY hul-
let on the forehead, and the missile bed fol
to the termination Of the hair on the back
part of the cranium- The case of the celebra-
ted Kansas scout. Carson, mot Kit) was hor-
Tnying. His face and the entire lower portion
Of his head Ke7s entirely gone, big brain dab,
gathered in the cavity below. could I'LL
pages with such cases, but 1t is useless to par
ticnlarize. 5uface it to say, that the slaugh~
ter Is immense.
DEATH OF LETT. COL cASFBLD AND CAPT.
BERTRAA-
As write this I just learn Of the deaths
Of Lieutenant Colonel Garfield, Of the Seyen-
ty-seeond Ohio, Capt. Bertram Of the Fifty
fourth Ohio, and Capt. Warner OF the Forty
eighth Ohio. The case of the former uamed
officer is peculiarly affecting. His amiahle
lady has reached here, IN company with her
young SOD, in time to learn that her husband
has been sent to Savannah severely wounded.
He is now dead, and hiB body has been placed
aboard the J. ". Pattin for transportation to
Paducah. Capt. Hertram'e body will be sent
forward to Cincinnati to-morroW.
The rumors tonight, as to who are killed,
wounded md missing, are SO numerous that
| do not think it proper to chronicle any
| statement hear as to the victims In either
| case, except ouch as haye come under my own
| personal observation. I do not wish to create
| any distress, or even uneasiness in the minds
| Of any of the dear ones at home, as to the
safety Of their relatives on the field Of battle
I will say, however, that 1t has been battle,
the equal Of which has never been knoEn IN
| this country.
An old surgeon, who has been long in the
| service, and who has just returned from the
/ field for the first time since the battle began,
said to me as he sat down tonight On the
| river bank: II have been present at both
Bull Run and Fort Donelson, but they were
sknmishes to- what have seen since yester-
mony Of all with whom have couversed in
relation to this great contest :.
The battle has now been over for at least
ten hours, yet so accustomed have become,
u "
there is constant sscrack, "cracll, - "cracl !"
write.
TIE REBELS AMONG THE HOSPITALS.
In my previous letter had mentioned that
the diarThRa had prevailed more extensively
toned to the soil, climate, OF water Of this Sec
tion Of Tennessee. This had weakened some
Of the regiments, 90 far as numbers we're CON
cerned-Ihe hospitals having been to4erab1y
well filed with the sick previous to the attack.
Though the health Of the men was fmproV'
ing, yet there we're many who had not Jet been
discharged as it for duty, These were on the
sick LIST at the time the enemy so suddenly
made their appearance within the camp on the
front lines. Many Of them left for the river,
an order being Issued for the immediate evac-
nation Of the hospitals, and it was pitHul
drag one foot after another, vending their way
slowly to some place Of safety. The fire o1
the enemy vas severe behind them, but some
OF fthem looked as though they would welcome
difference. Those who were unable to walk
remained and awaited their fate. They saw
their healthy comrades drivenpaek amid show
ers Of balls, some Of which pierced the tents
wherein they lay, helpless as though they vert
dead.
The tide of battle rolled on, and they were
left to such treatment as the rebels NIGH
choose to bestow upon them. In some cases
the hospital tents we're burned, with the sicl
still within them. These, believe were iso
which could be afforded IN the excitement o
such an hour was afforded them. In som
, cases I found that they had even filed tha
canteens Of the sick with water, and left then
; | by their couches for future use. In others
they had been roughly treated, cursed a
| been on former occasions, where the fortune
.. / Of war had made cur men subject to thei
mercy.
One singular feature WIS remarkable afte
the battle, which, as it may have some cor
t neetion with this department, I may mentio
: here. Numbers of our 5pen we're found, wit
0 the hair on the top Of their heads, thei
: whiskers, and sometimes portion Of thei
8 upper clothing, burned away. They presente
S strange and ghastly appearance. Whethe
the enemy, or whether the victims were thos
0 who Ind been inmates Of come Of the burne
+ hospital tents, I cannot say. It the latte1
= they had made an attempt to escape, and h.
!. woods, and there, from sheer exhaustion, ha
/ laid them down to die.
. TIE FORCE ENGAGED, AND TILE KILLED AN
woUSDBD.
- As near as can estimate, OF the entire fort
= engaged in this conflict, have set it down
the opening of the battle as being about ski
d thousand on the rebel side, with q somewhs
l v
~ ours. This morning Witnessed an addition I
- Our troops Of about twelve thousand me-
n while, from testimony of the rebel prisone
4 taken to.day, the reinforcements to the en-
~ than half Of whom had been left at CORN,
e. when the troops moved from that point {
N Saturday evening.
~ ~ The Intricate Knowledge possessed by IL
~ enemy Of every foot OF the contested soil c
y which the battle was fought, gaze them
- | Tor oar fhor 1a5 hu+
II trifing increase in number; but on either sit
II the battle was fought with desperation whit
e could not have believed to exist in the mir
Of men, unless in cases Of strong person
he grievance. The determination appeared, eVt
y. under the most calling fire, to be victory
II death. The Mississippiaus, On the side Of tt
IS enemy, were the ruling spirits, and they "
Ia deserve to be set down as among the be
m fighting men Of the day.
6t A. Tor our oTn troops. 3!, shall not refer
70 ~ nous at Donelson, fought Ike devils to st
ne tain their well-eazned reputation- The sa1
r. may be said of Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsi
Sd and some Of the Iowa regiments.
~ In regard to those troops raised in our oE
- vicinity, I must say. that all acquitted the1
at BelEes most yaliantly. The 48th, under G.
81 Sullivan, Has the very first whose camp "
H. invaded, and even after the regiments I
n either side had fallen back, they retired
IL gooa orde9, fighting every step of the way
r..
r. remembered that this is the first time tn
~. were ever brought into battle, ard from t
n suddenness of the attack your readers III
~ Judge that the Introduction was not one ca1c
N1' lated to steady the nerves Of raw troops.
one time during the contest it was rumor
that every field officer of the 48th was kilIe
te, but they turned up in time to gntl1er their IN
re to the number Of $50 and after biyonac up
ire the vet ground last night, theF led tht
in again to the field to-day.
ur The 9Th Ohio, under Lieut., Col. Anderst
ire occupied dangerous position from the til
Ill of their arrival to the close Of the battle,
ef- could see no difference in their manner a
mode of bearing to that of the famous Il
Illinois, who had borne the onslaughts on
a. left wing the day pirious. Every man did
~, | duty well.
- - The 1st and ID Kentucky, In the fight
- day, were the men for the position they oc,
~ pied They, as well as the 9Th, were nudel
~ CALLING fire for no less than five hours,
M when the enemy thought proper to turn tn
~ faces toward the " nost sacred soil Of Miss
~ ~ sippi," they were ready and eager to folIc
~. which they did with great alacrity.
W W The 54th Zouaye regiment were st th
~ post in the thickest of the fight. Also
57th, and remembered that Ohio wished
~ her sons to do their duty.
e ase In regard to the killed and wounded, I st
-. ~ refrain from mentioning my thing further tt
"a. ~ have In former parts Of this epistIe. 7
,Iu ~ various rmnors Rdoat, without shadow
Gal foundation, justify me in this determinati
,. As a total, would set down our killed, dur
10y ] the two days fight at near one thousand,
N N our wounded at about thirty five hundred
~ ~. find but few who have an equal oppcrtun