Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1866-03-30

ID oteakipS alter many Gays.
A REMINIsENCE OF sToNEWALL JACKSON.
HIS WOUND AT THE BATTLE OF MANASSAS.
In the February number Of the Rich.
I'D Medical Journal, we find an able
:icle on 'gunshot wounds Of joint"
tfom the pen of DR.. Hunter Mcclure, Pro-
fessor of Surgery in the Virginia Medical
College, and, during the war, chief sur
geon on the staff Of General Stonewrll
Jackson. In the course of his remarks,
speaking of guushot wounds Of the hands
the doctor cites the case Of wound receiv.
ed by this renowned chief at the battle Of
Manassas: ...
When he made the celebrated charge
with bis brigade which turned the fortune
Of the day, he raised lis LETT hand above
his head to encourage the troops, and while
in this position the middle finger Of the
hand was strnck just below the articula.
tion between the first and second phalan-
ges, The ball struck the finger little on
one side, broke it, and carried away q
small piece of the bone. He remained
on the feld wounded as he was, till the
fight was over, and then wanted to take
passshs pursuit, but was psreuptorily
ofdsssd back to the hospital by the Gener-
al fcomtnanding. .' -.
On his way to the car the wound pain
ed him 80 much that lie stopped at tha
first hospital he came to, and the surgeon
there proposed to cut the finger of, but
while the doctor looked for his instruments,
and for moment turned his back, the
General silentiy mounted his horse, rode
of, and soon found me. was busily en-.
gagged with the wounded, but when I aaw
him coming left them and askedhim II he
was seriously hurt. "No," he answered,
"not half as badly as many here, and will
wait" And he forthwith sat down on
| the bank Of a little stream near by, aud
positively declined any assistance until
"bis turn came" We compromised, how.
overland he agreed to let me attend to him
after I had finished the case I was dressing
when he arrived. determined to save the
finger, If possible, and placed splint along
the palmsr surface to support tho frsg.
meDta, retained it in position by a strip or
two Of adheaive plaster, covered the wound
with lint, and told him to keep it wet with
cold water. He carefully followed this ad-
vice: I think he had fancy for this
kind of bydropathic treatment, and have
frequently seen him occupied for several
hours pouring cup after cup of water over
his hand, with that patience and psssevsr.
ance, for which be was 60 remarkable
Passive motion was instituted about the
twentieth day, and carefully continued.--
The motion of the joint improved for sew
eral months after the wound had healed,
and in the end the deformity was very
srifiug.
During the treatment the hand was
kept elevated and continued in sling, and
when the use of this was discontinued,
and the hand permitted to hang down.
Under the circumstances you would expect
this. In consequence Of it, however, the
hand was sometimes swollen and painful,
and to remedy this he often held it above
bis head for some moments. He did this
80 frequently that it became at length Q
habit and was continued, especially when
wss distracted, after oil necessity for it hsd
ssassd. I'hsve seen IL stated somewhere,
during q battle his hand was thus raised,
be was engaged " prayer; but I tbink hs
the explanation / bays given is the correct
one. ! believe ba was the .ruest and mos.
ifcontistens Christian / have ever known,
butt don't Bellows he prayed much 'whiis
hSsi vas e. fighting. e S1'"''' : = '".r"'p
Ths special Trsslary agents ia Re aossh