The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1863-02-06

e. A. T..
| Hs --1l-------.s--.-------4-
From the Cleveland Herald.
Night on the Battle Field Of Stones
River.---Ths Old Year Out. The New
Years Ride.
Carefully driver, carefully. Let tho hard
| iron of tho wheels roll slowly over tho
pounded stone Of tho pike. Tho young
soldier still lives. His breath is short, but
We may yet reach the hospital ero be dies
Guide steadily past the shattered wagons
round the heaps Of dead horses Through
( the long rows Of corpses; watch that no
| foot Of horse jars against the fallun dcad--
the heroes OF tho last day of ls62--rosting
now, whore thoy fell, or whore friends bave
/ laid them. Hore they lio 10 rows of miles.
sleeping out the old year. On tho last day
of SxIy-two they stood for lbeir country
and for Freedom. At its midnight hour
I they sleep, no more to awake to wars ring
ing buglo call. Como with tho old yoar, till
ihy trump of God shall call them.
Well might thoughts Of tho old year aud
Of eternity crowd upon tho mind of the
soldier whose duty to tho wounded living
brought him across that vast fold Of tho
ghastly dead--this night 80 clear and frosty
Tho last OF Dccombcr. rt @
The story, as he told it---he, a private, true
to duty as the hero Gcaerai Of that day
I let po toll it.
That arrTnt night Words viii not paint
II, yet may give some faint idea Of what sad
experiouco day of carnage brings. The
moon shone out--traveliDg towards mid.
night in all tho epieudor of her mojes '
through clear sky. Tho stars look in the
6 ~. f.o IL Ins
as If to. mock man and the dark, blood
stained oarib.
AT 9 o'clock Of tho evening OF Dec Sist
an ambulance left one of the hospitals o.
( Rosecfaus' army, moving In tho direction
Of Nashville. Two soldiers lay upon the
mattresses of the carriages Tho liGo blood
of one, following tho passage of a minnie
ball through the breast, was oozing oui
from the right lung, staining tho blankets
beneath. The other,suffering from a crush.
| ing shot through the left leg below the
| thigh, lay beside his fellow, scarcely con-
scious. Along with tho carriage walked a
private solder--going to caro- for bis
| wounded companions.
! Three miles along Tho stony pike, literally
i guarded with tho dead. lay their route.
Here an artillery wagon had been swept by
bursting shell-its gun dsmopnted. It's
wboels shattered, the horses and men fallen
together, lay mixed as they had gone down
The neck of horse lay across tho body ol
his rider, and the hub of a heavy wheel
broken from tho axle lay crushing upon the
breast of tho gunner. Still tangled in The
! harness hitched to the caissoDs. lay tho
! hind parts of horse, bis breast and fore
! legs swept away, while tho lifeless body OF
an artilerist rested with On arm over the
dismouuted gun.
Slowly passed tho ambulance BY the do.
struction nj this spot, tho hard breath OF
i the mon inside telling of suffering. Yopder
a cavalry man had fallen, his drawn saher
/ rejecting in tho moonlight against tho dark
Garth whcre he lay; and beside him bis
! comrado and bis horse, all keeping tho
same silent watch of death. Here head
less body gave no face 10 tho moonlight
aud near by was alfthat remained of one.
, the entire breast boing swept away.
n Just out of tho rut of tho wheels. Ia,
, rows of dead men, friend and foe together
, hastily thrown aside in tho haste Of the day
!. to save them from tho crash of rolling
wheels and tramp of flying horses rushing
over the field cf battle.
Il The sharp frost OF a clear night spread
!, its white drapery over the clothes of the
dea1--en the locks Of many vettram bydr,
! gathered lis icy breath, offering alike to al
, a common shroud while the moonbes ms
T robbed of their paleness, gave CHASTITY stare
to tho faces of these sleepers Of the las
day of eightoen sixty-two, save where these
beams fell on the faces of the fallen robe
foe---to go out in gloom; for Invariably thu
faces of the rebels had turned black, The
J effect of gnn-powdered whiskey, given io
, iuspiris them 10 rush with the fury o.
demons in the mad charge 20 Death.
t. All along tho road for moro than twt
/ miles were these scenes Of horror met BY
tho weary soldier Still on rolled tho am
buiance--past broken wagons-by strevr
r baggage aud wasted stores-lost musketi
: and dismounted artillery, TO the great gen
! ernl hospital of tho fourth division.
| Here, at midnight, lay the wounded ant
| dying covering an acre Of ground around
tho groat building, of which every room
was filled, every outhouse crowded, ever,
! floor wet with blood Close by lay maj
with an arm gone--next to him one with
leg smashed-there part of face wa
shot away--another bad his scalp torn opel
from ear to car BY bali glancing over tn
skull---aud on, one had his back carries
away by a shot, leaving cut IN which yo'
/, mlght iaV your arm-One snOt in tuo cuoeh
the bali passing into tho mouth through
the throat and down the neck. lodging be
) tween she shoulders. Yet oil those hun
: drcds living, many waiting the dressing oi
I their wounds with patience.
Our two soldier boys we're taken from
r the ambulance into the building, and will
hundreds Of others closed no eyes to sleeI
, that last December night.
J How widely different came tho New Ycn
to those Of our friends in the far North
Z who sat by the bright fireside in merr.
circle, counting the moments, aAd, with tn
last ring of the old clock, ss the dying yea
} went back to eternity, shouting the "Wisl
you happy New Year" An. remember
! 'lis for the grand old country. for the gtc
rioas UAisR that gave these bright bomeb--
+ These happy iresides-thst our brave boy
fight and die
0l The morning sun Of JAN lst, 1868, ros
upon q day as clear as ever dawned. Fa
, beyond this Division Hospital where ou
3 soldier boys lay, broke again the roar
baltic. Surgeons came that morning ant
0 looked upon the one wounded 10 the breast
!, and turned away, whispering to the priyat
0 that HE will die"
> Another soldier boy, having his foot aha
= away, had oonhcatod horse that he foun