Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1862-12-12
A SINGULAR CASE OF ANEsTHEsIA,
The War Spirit In an Iowa Soldier.
e Cincinnati Commercial.

SINGULAR CASE OF ANESTHESIA,
The War Spirit In an Iowa Soldier.
Correspondence Of the Cincinnati, Commercial
1t was Immediately after the battle of the
Hatchie. The dead In that terrible conflict
had been laid beneath the mold, while the
wounded had been brought to the church
buildings, or placed in the spacious apart
ments of the wealthy disloyalists of Bolivar
Among the number Of unfortunatcs was viii
liam G. Newton, a sergeant in company G.,
Of the 3rd Iowa Infantry. His leg had been
SO badly shattered and torn by musket shot
50 as to render an amputaton unavoidable
He was informed Of such necessity; but not
a murmur or word of complaint escaped his
hps; nor did the intelligence seem to cast
over his face the least perceptible shade of
seriousness. The table was prepared-the
instruments were placed conveniently, and
everything put in readiness for the operation.
He was brought out upon the verandah and
placed upon the table-hi> poor, shattered,
torn and half leshless leg dangling around,
| as ii only an cxtraneOus and scnseless appen-
dage. There was no signing, no fiinching,
no drawing back OF holding in. There was
not a simple feeling of dumb resignation :;
nor yet of brute Indifference; but soldierly
question or sigh. He INDUCED freely in
conversation respecting the operation, until
the chloroform was applied. From the wa
king and rational state he glided into the an
aesthetic without the convulsive motion of a
single muscle, and without the utterance of
single incoherent sentence; but glided into
1t as the innocent and weary child gdes into
the sweet embrace of a healthful and restor-
ing sleep. The operationwas performed
The arteries all ligated; the stump cleansed :;
and the last suture just in that instance ap-
piled. During the operation he had scarcely
moved muscle. just at this time the large
body prisoners taken in the engagement
were marcked up the street, and We're near
ing the house where the manned aad bleed
ing soldier lay. The streets were all throng-
ed 10y soldiery, and hundreds of them rushed
to get nearer sight Of the vanquished,
while they rent the heavens with their loud
huzzas. A full regiment preceded the col.
umn of prisoners; and when just opposite,
the band struck up in full force, the inspir-
ing air of Hail Columbia" Ina moment
upon the very instant, the color mounted to
his face! He opened his eyes half wonder
ingly, and raised his head from the pillow
with the steadincss and dignity of a God -
The scenes of the conflict came back to him,
and he thought that his noble regiment was
again brcasting towards the enemy. through
shower OF shot and shells. His brave CON-
trad,s, he deemed, were falling one by one
around him, just as they had done in that
dreadful hour Of frar,cide and carnage. The
spirit OF the time came over him, and his fea-
lures assumed an air of bold, fierce, fiery,
and unylelding determination and he broke
forth into eXclamations, the most terrible and
| appalling | had ever listened to in all my
| life
Louder with the music louder! louder !
louder Bursts the heavens with your
strains! Swectcr! softer! sweetcr! charm
the blessed angels from the very courts OF
Heaven! Victory victory! Onward on.
ward! No tagging no hinching No fall
trrinS! Fll' up the vacancies! close up =
Fill up! fill up! Step forward press for
ward! Your comrades graves! The fresh
graves of your slain! Remember the graves
OF your comrades! Blue Mills. Blue Mills
Shelhina Shclhina Hager Wood! Shiloh
Shiloh ! Shiloh! For Gods sake onward
Onward, IN heavens name onward on
ward! onward! See the devils waver See
them runl See ! see see them fly fly
Ry!"
During this outburst Of passion, his coun.
tenance kindled and grew purple, till his look
seemed that of diabolism Such fury
marked his lineaments that I instinctively
drew back. But there was method in his
Madness He only erred in mistaking time,
and in misp'acing himself and in miSplacing
his position; facts which TIE martial music
and the ''pomp and circumstance of war; in
the public streets would have a natural ten.
dency toward producing. In the very mid
die OF his fury he seemed suddenly to com
prehend his mistake. He ceased abruptly,
his whole frame in 4 tremor Of emotion -
lie looked around upon the faces present
and without word quietly laid down his
head. lie grew meditative as he seemed to
realize a full sense of his unhappy situation
At,lensth his eyes gradually filled with tears,
and his lips grew slightly tremulous. He
quietly remarked well boys, good bye,
good bye; should do but sorry fighting on
a wooden leg He again relapsed into 81.
lence, and was shortly afterwards carried
| W. NJ r. 18th Ou,o