The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-11-07
The Wounded Brigade.

The Wounded Brigade.
The Chicago Journal has letter giving
touching account Of the return of the
| wounded from Chattanooga to Nashville,
from which we extract the following. 1t
illustrates the horrors of war and shows
how these hardships and sufferings may be
and are alleviated by the Sanitary Com
mission.
But to come back from this strain on the
tether of my subject; it was to that brilliant
| Division drill that my mind swung back,
| when the Wounded Brigade hove in sight.
| They We're loaded upon the train; two plat
| form cars were paved with them, forty on
| a car. Seven boxes were so packed you
could not set your foot down among them
as they lay. The roofs Of the cars We're
tiled with them, and away we pounded, all
| day, all night. into the next morning, and
! then Nashville. Half of the boys had not
q shred of blanket, and it rained steadily,
| pitilessly. What do you think of platform
cars for triumphal procession wherein to
bear wounded heroes TO the tune OF the sol
dier's return from the war ?" Wei, what
1 would come at is this: the stores of the
Sanitary Commission and the gifts of such
ladies as are now, l believe, making your
city Bethel-a place of Angels-kept the
boys hearts up through all those weary
driZzling hours. 1t is midnight, and the
attendants are going through the train
with coffee gracea with milk and sugar
think of that two fresh, white, crisp
crackars apiece, and little taste of fruit.
Did your hands prepare it dear lady?' I
hope so for the little balance in your favor
set down in the ledger Of GOD. But here
they come with a canteen; will you go
with them? climb through that window
into car black as the Hole of Calcutta
But mind where you step; the floor is one
la NynnnIa1
swing the lantern round, bandages show
white and ghasly everywhere, bandages,
bandages, and now and then q rusty spot
of blood. What worn out faded faces look
up at you. They rouse like wounded crea-
lures hunted down to their lairs as you
come. The tin cups extended in all sorts
of hands but plump strong ones, tinlle all
around you. Your are fairly girdled with
tin cup horizon. How the dull, faintfaces
brighten as those cups are filled! On we
go, out at one window, in at another, step
ping gingerly among mangled limbs. We
reach the platform cars creaking with their
drenched, chilled ,}bruised burdens, and 1
must tell you-it's shame though-that
one poor fellow among them lay with tat
tered blanket pinned around him; ne was
literally sans culOtte, Chow is this
said, Haven't got my descriptive list, that's
what's the matter, was the reply. Double
allowance all around to the occupants of
the platforms, and We retraced our steps
to the rear of the train. You should have
| heard the ghost of a cheer that arose and
| tiuttered like a feeble bird as we went
back. 1t was the most touching vote OF
| thanks ever offered; there was little flash
| up of talk for minute and all subsided
| into silence and darkness again. Wearily
wore the hours and heavily hammered the
! train. AT intervals the guard trayersed
the roofs the cars and pulled in the worn
~ how hot b,l ~
pulled them in toward the middle of the
car wit hout waking them! Occasionally
one slips over the caves, l am told, and is
miserably crushed. What a homeward
march is all this to set tune to!
BY some error in apportionment there
was not quite coffee enough fora on deck,
and two slips of boys on the roof Of the
| car where l occupied corner, were left
without drop. Whenever we stopped.
and that was two hours here and three
hours there, waiting for this and for that
there was no hurry, you know-and the
side door was Sided back in it's groove,
l saw two hungry faces stretched down
over the cars edge and heard two feeble
voices crying, 1--WE have had nothing up
here since yesterday noon, we two-there
are only us two boys-pieusegiy US some
thlng. Haven't you got any hard tack?''
/ heard that pitiful appeal to the officers in
charge and saw those faces till they haunt
ed me, and to-day l remember those plain
tive tones as if l We're hearing dirge 1
felt in my pockets and haversack for a
cracker, but found nothing. / really ha-
ted myself for having eaten my dinner and
not saved it for them. a further search
was rewarded with six crackers from the
! Chicago Mechanical Bakery, and watch
ing my chance when Pete's back was
turned-the cook and smutty autocrat
was Pete in his way-I took a sly dip with
| al r..pt inf ~,
gave lurch III the right direction, called
from the window, ''boys!' II heard them
crawling to the edge, handed up the mid
night supper. "Buily for you,' they said,
and saw them no more. When the train
reached Nashville and | clambered down
70 solid ground again, I looked up at the
root; 1t was bare. God grant the boys are
with their mothers Tonight. And how do
yoa like the march OF the Wounded Brig
ade?