The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1862-04-18

lay strewn in every direction, and pieces of
exploded missiles were scattered all around.
The carcasses of dead horses and the wrecks
of wagons strewed all the woods, and other
evidences of similar character marked every
step of the way.
Half mile further on, and the more i'm
portant feature of the struggle was brought
to view. Dead bodies in the woods, the
dead and dying in the fields, lying in every
conceivable shape, met the gaze on either
hand. Some lay on their back, with their
clenched hands raised at arms length upright
in the air. Others had fallen with their
guns fast in their grasp, as if they were in
the act of loading them when the fatal shaft
struck them dead. Others still had received
the winged messenger of death, and with
their remaining strength had crawled away
from further danger, and shetering them
selves behind old logs, had laid down to die
Here were the bodies of those who had fall
en- in the fight Of yesterday, and mingled
with them were those from whose wounds
the blood was trickling away. The scene
beggars all description, and do not wish to
attempt to depict its horrors. The fatality
on the open space have referred to as the
open "Battaion Drill Ground" was the
greatest which came under my observation.
The canister which had swept it over
during the morning had been terrible in its
results. Strong contested as its possession
had been by both sides, yet the dead were as
five to one on the side of the rebels. One
man here was in bent position, resting on
his hands and feet, with his face downward,
yet cold and rigid as marble. One had
crawled away to the border of the woods,
and ensconsing himself between two logs,
had spread his blanket above him to shield
him, perhaps, from the rain of the previous
night He was wounded rebel, and he pit
fully asked "if we could do anything for
him ?" AT his feet lay the body of one of
those Union boys | have spoken of as hav-
ing his hair burned from his head. On in
terrogating the rebel as to the cause of his
being in such condition, his only reply was,
81 do not know; | did not do it." We as
sured him that an ambulance would soon be
at hand to take him to better quarters, and
We left him.
The larger guns had done some strange
work. One case saw where the entire low
err portion of mans foot had been carried
away, leaving two toes and the upper portion
remaining. Another had been struck by a
bullet Oh the forehead, and the missile had
followed the curve of the head entirely
around to the termination of the hair on
the back portion Of his cranium
The case of the celebrated Kansas scout,
Carson mot Kit.) was horrifying. His face
and the entire lower portion of his head were
entirely gone, his brain dabbling into the
little pool of blood which had gathered in
the cavity below. l could fill pages with
such cases, but it is useless to particularize.
Suffice it to say that the slaughter is i'm
menSe.
The rumors tonight, as to who are killed.
wounded and missing, are so numerous that
do not think i: proper to chronicle any
statement hear as to the victims in either
case, except such as have come under my
own personal observation. | 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. | will say, however, that it has
been battle, the equal of which has never
been known in this country.
An old surgeon, Who has been long in the
service, and who has Just returned from the
held for the first time since the battle began,
said to me, as he sat down to- night on the
river bank d have been present at both
Bull Run and Fort Douelson, but they were
skrmishes to what have seen since yester-
day morning." Such it seems, is the testl-
mony of all with whom have conyersed in
relation to this great contest.
The battle has now been over for at least
ten hours, yet so accustomed have become,
since yesterday, to the rattle of musketrv,
that there is constant "crack," "crack,"
"crack, ringing through my ears as | sit
down 20 write.
THE REBELS AMONG THE HOSPITALS.
In my previous letters | have mentioned
that the diarrh9a had prevailed most extern
slvey among our troops. none of whom were
accustomed to the soil, climate or water of
this section Of Tennessee, This had weaken
ed some of the reg iments so far as the num-
bers were concerned, the hospitals having
been tolerably we'll filled with the sick preyi,
Gus to the attack.
! Though the health of the men was improv-
ing, yet there were many who had not vet
been discharged as fit for duty. These were
on the sick list at the time the enemy so
suddenly made their appearance within the
camps on the front lines. Many of them
left for the river, an order being issued for
the immediate evacuation of the hospitals.
and it was pitiful sight to see the poor in
vallds, scarcely able to drag one foot after
another, vending their way to some place of
safety. The fire of the enemy was severe
from behind them, but some of them looked
as though they would welcome friendly
bullet, or at least receive it with indiffere nee.
Those who were unable to walk remained
and awaited their fate. They saw their
healthy comrades driven back amid show
err of balls, some of which pierced the tents
wherein they lay helpless as though they
were dead.
The tide of battle rolled on, and they were
lett to such treatment as the rebels might
choose to bestow upon them. In some cas-
es the hospital tents were burned, with the
sick still within them. These, l believe,
were insulated cases, for in others all the
kindness which could be afforded in the ex-
element of such an hour was awarded them.
Ia some cases | found that they had even
filled the canteens of the sick with water.
and left them by their touches for future use.
In others they had been roughly treated,
cursed as Yankees, but yet not outraged as
they had been on former occasions, where
the fortunes of war had made our men SUBJ
ject to their mercy.
One singular feature was remarkable after
the battle, which, as it may have some con-
nectlon with this department, may mention
here. Numbers of our men were found, with
the hair on the top of their head, their whis-