The Placer herald., 1863-06-06

more to open their eyes upon the light: they
were already passing through the valley of
the shadow | think still, with u shu oder. of the
faces OF those who were told merciiully that
they could not live-the unutterlble agony; the
plea Tor somebody on whom to call; the fearful
looking to the immortal, as if it were so far off,
so implacable that the dying appeal would be in
vain; the open lips through which one could
almost look at the quakng heart below; the
ghastlincss of the brow and tangled hair the
closing pangs, the awful rest at last. | rambled
in and out, learning to look at death, studying
the manifestations of pain, quivering and sick
enlng at times, but plying my vocation, and Jot-
ting names for my mortality list.
At eleven o'clock there was music along the
hlgh-road, and general rushing out OF camp
ensucd. The victorious regiments were returning
from Hanover, under escort, and all the bands
were pealing national airs AS they turned
down the fields toward their old encampments,
several brigades stood under arms to welcome
them, and the cheers were many and gorous,
But the solemn ambuances still followed after
and the red flag of the hospitals f.unted blood-
ly in the blue midnight.
Between midnig and morning. the wounded
were removed to White House, on the river Pa
munkey whence they were forwarded by steamers
to northern cities. | rode down with my dis
patches in an ambulance that contained six woun-
ded men besides. Ambullnces it may be said
incidentally, are either twowheeled or four
wheeled. Two-wheeled ambuances are common
ly called "hop, step and jumps They are so
constructed that the torepart lies either very
high or very low and may be both at intervals.
| The Wounded occupants may thus be compelled
to ride for hours with their heels elevated ABOVE
their heads, AMI may finally be shaken out. or
have their bones broken by the terrible jolting.
The four wheeled ambullnces are built in shelves
or compartments bu the wounded are in danger
of suttocation in them. 1t WAS in Of the lat
ter that rode sitting with the driver. We had
four horses, but were thrice "swampcd' on the
road. and had once to take out the wounded men
till we could start the wheels Two Of these were
wounded in the face, one Of them having an ear
severed, and the other having fragment of his
jaw knocked out A third had received a ball
among the thews and muscles behind his knee,
Two were wounded in the shoulder. and the sixth
was shot in the breast The last was believed
to be injured internally. rs he spat blood, and
suffered almost the pangs of death. The ride
with these men, over twenty miles OF hilly,
woody country was like Dante's excursion into
the Shades. In the awful stiffness of the dark
pines, their screams frightened the hooing owls,
and put to silence the whrring insects in the
leaves and tops. They heard the gurgle OF
the rills, and called aloud for water to qucnch
their incesslnt thirst. One Of them sang H.
fierce. tendi ballad, in an interval of relief but
plunged. on sudden relapse, into prayers and
curses. We heard them groanng to themselves
as we sat in front, and one man, ii seemed. was
quite out of his mind These were the outward
manifestations; but what chords trembled and
unfulfled; and remorse for years misspent made
hideouS those sore and painting hearts. The moon
| light p reed through the thick foliage of the
wood and streamnd into our faces like invitations
to Il better life. But the crippled and bleeding
could not see or feel it, buried in the shelves of
! the ambulance
| During the heat of the action at Gaines Mill. |
crossed Grape Vine Bridge, and remarked Incl
dents scarcely less terrible. AT every step of my
progress met wounded persons. A horscman
rode past me- leaning over the pomme of his
saddle, with blood streaming from his mouth,
and hanging in gouts from his saturated beard.
The day had been intensely hot and black boys
were besettng the wounded with buckets of cool
| lemonade. IL was a common occurrence for the
couples that carried the wounded in "sretch crs"
to stop on the way purchase Il glass OF the beve-
rage. and drink it with CORY hands. Sometimes
the blankets on the strctchers were closely folded,
and then knew that a man was dead. little
fellow who used his sword for Il cane, stopped me
on the road and said: See yer! this is the ball
that jest fell out o. my leg
He han led me lump of lead big as my
thumb, and pointed to rent in his pantaloons,
whence the drops of blood rolled down his boots.
Il wouldn't part with it for suthin' handsome"
he said. It'll be nice to hev to hum"
AS cantered away he shouted after me: "Be
sure you spell my name right It's Smith with
an e-S-m th-e."
In one place, met five drunken men escorting
a wounded sergeant. This man had been shot in
the jaw. and when he attempted to speak, the
blood choked his gcsticuation.
''YOu let go, pardner!' said one of the stag
gerng brutes-"he's not your sergeant. Go
waV."
"Now. sergeant!' said the other idotically; I'll
see you all right, sergeant! Come, Bill! fetch
him over to the corn crib, and we'll give him
drink.
Here the first speaker struck the second and
the sergeant in wrath knocked them both down
BY this time the enemy's cannon were DO oming
close at hand.
came to an officer of rank. whose shoulder
emblem could not distinguish, riding upon a
limping fed-horse. Four men held him to his
seat, and the fifth led the animal. The officer
was evidently wounded, though he did not seem
to be bleeding, and the dust Of battle had set
tied upon his blanched stilfening face like grave
mould upon corpse. He was swaying in the
saddle, and his hair--for he was bareheadcd -
shook across his white eyeballs. He reminded
me of the famous Cid, whose body was sent forth
TO scare the Saracens mile more from
Grape Vine Bridge, on u hilltop. lay a frame
fai m house with cherry trees encircling it, and
along the declivity were some cabins and corn
bins. The house was now a surgeon hradquar
ters, and the wounded lay in the yard and lane.
under the shade. waiting their turns to be hacked
and MANNED. Some curious people peep
ing through the windows at the operations, AS
professions Of freshly wounded went by, the poor
fellows, lying on their backs looked muely at
at me, and their great eyes smotc my heart.
After the carnage Of Fair Oaks, | visited the
field, and by the courtesy Of the Irish American.
General Meagher, shown the relics of the
battle. This engagement. it will be remembered,
occurred in what was called the Chickahominy
Swamp. and it WAS fought. mainly, in some thick
cts and fields, along the York River Railway.
visited first a cottage and some outlying barns
beside the track. The house was occupied by
some thirty wounded Federals; they lay in their
blankets upon the floors pale, helpless, hollow
eyed making low II oans ut every breath Two
or three were feverishly sleeping. and as the flies
revelled upon their g'shes, they stirred uneasy.
and moved their hands to and fro. By the fiat
ness of the covering over the extremities could
see that several had only stumps of legs. They
had lost the sweet enjoyment of walking a field,
and were but fragments of men, to limp forever
through painful life. Such wrecks OF power l