Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-03-27

And they watch the whrl from their breathles ranks
And the fingers work, on the sabre hand
Oh to bid them live and TO make them grand
Aud the bugie sounds to the charge atlast,
AAd away they plunge, and the front is passed.
And the jackets blue grow red as they ride,
And the scabbards too that clank by their side,
And the dead soldiers deaden the strokes iron shod,
As they gallcp right on DER the splashy red sod
Right into the cloud all spectral and dim,
Right up TO the guns black thrOated and grim,
Right down on the hedges bordered with Steel
Right through the dense columns, then right about
Murrah . new swath through the harvest again
| Hurrah for the fag. To the BATTLE amen
| SCENES ON A HOSPITAL BOAT.
Brick Pomeroy of the Lacrosse Democrat,
who is now ut or near Helena, Arkansas,
sends to his paper the following account of a
visit to a hospital steamer, just from the Ar
kansas Post
At dark last night, few miles above the
mouth of White River, we met hospital
boat aground on a bar. Two other steamers
were trying to pull he- off. A line was made
fast from this boat, an hour spent in the vain
attempt to get her off, but it could not be
done, so we reluctantly proceeded on our
way. 1t seemed the more hard to leave, as
the grounded boat had on board four hun
dred and sixty Of our men, including large
list of officers, who were wounded at Arkan-
sas Post, and most of them were suffering in
addition to their severe wounds with hospi-
tai gangrenc. The boat:left Napoleon fwen-
| ty hours previous to the time We met her,
and in the meantime fourteen of the wound
cd had died, and their corpses were on board
The night was sorrowful one-sad beyond
words. There was no more room, or more
would have been aboard. 1t was a crowd
of nisery-a gathering of sad and depressed
hearts-a boat load Of pain and agony. A
very large proportion of the wounds were
more than usually severe, principally from
shell and rife cannon. Men with arms lit
orally torn from their. body-w;th legs blown
or shattered into fragments-jaws, hands,
ears, noses. checks, breasts and shoulders
shot or blown away ..by bursting shells. 1t
was deathly feast of blood" Some of
the poor fellows were too much exhausted
to spcak--others bore their sufftring without
| a groan; though the nervous twitching of
the face, compressed lips, closed eyes and
hands, told how brave the heart which from
pride or sympathy would not annoy others
with its own troubles, great thoug ght they
were. How many homes and hearts this un-
holy and thrice and doubly accurscd war is
making-how many it must yet make
One officer in an Iowa regiment was on
board, both legs carried away by big shot
which struck him just below the knees -
According to scientific laws he should have
died at once, but he did not, and was going
home. AS he lay on his bloody cot, at times
he would talk with some around. Being
acquainted with the lieutenant who was with
and attending him, We approached the poor
fellow. He said he was glad to see us, and
though the grimmy hand that extended
slowly betokened great loss of blood, it told
Of will and heart which seemed to defy
death.
Poor fellow you have won the wreath" :"
eyes, tut am lucky-othcrs will never
get home, as l shall!"
| "God grant, Captain, that you may soon
reach the family circle and get WELL"
| Lower your head. Brick, have no fami-
ly, but there is one love, not yet my wife,
| 1t is her love which bears me up-it is the
hope offeeling her gentle hand and warm
kiss upon my brow and lips that keeps me
alive-that will carry me to her, for can.
not walk"
He spoke slowly, in whisper; and it was
surely no evidence of weakness that tears
| rolled over our checks. Who could help it
His name is Maitland, but his company we
did not have time to learn before being called
back to the "Wave."
There is one singular fact connected with
this war, as we learn on every side. The
strong, hardy, muscular soldiers, who at
home swung the axe or tended saw.inill, are
the first to sicken and die, while those who
have led an in door life or have lived in idle
ness escapes. The clerk, petted son, snd
hanger on around some saloon make the
hardest soldiers. The sloth and inactivity
kills off the rugged and hardy soldier who all
his life has lived by toll and activity, while
the others escape with comparatively little
sickness. The cavalry service is the most
healthy because the most active.
1t is heart sickning to 60 on board boat
just starting for northern hospital with
load of sick soldiers. The state rooms are
full-the cabin floor is covered 20 thickly
that one basin, spitoon or other vessel serves
for two men as they lie facing each other to
vomit in. By way Of change at times poor
| sick and listless, man musters strength to turn
over and vomit in the dish of his comrade-
no words being spoken except by the eye.
This war is horrible. They who die or
the battle field are indeed fortunate. There
is difference between the gay and happy
volunteer who leaves home amid the waving
of white handkerchiefs and cheers of assem-
bled crowds, and the emaciated skeleton
of once strong man, whose life has for
months been almost steadily and Utterly run
ming away from him. Who would think
that the dirty, suffering soldier who lies on
the hard cabin foor-or on the floor Of some
house with nothing under him but blanket,
was once the petted lover-the worshiped
husband-the prayed for sOn-the fond and
loving fatherf Who would say that the
hundreds of lips now fever paIched and
cracked as we have seen them SO often hung
in ecstatic bliss ON the lips of one who will
never know them more except in memory.
There is latent fire in the eye which moth.
ing but love and caresses will ever light
that can never be.
TaRss thousand men with dredging ma
chimes are at work on the canal, at Yazoo
Pass.
GRN Butler In sDOken of an Proy0st Mar.