The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1866-01-06
Faces on q Battle Field.

Ih0 celebrated report OF Dr. Cneuu on
the mortality caused By war contains some
interesting information concerning the ap-
pearances presented by some who die vi.
olent death on the field Of battle One
surgeon says that, wandering oyer the bat
tie Geld Of the Alma, on the third day at
ter the fight, he observed with astOnish.
men, q number of Russian corpses, whose
attitude and expression of countenance
we're precisely those Of life Some did GER
tain!y present an aspect which showed that
they had suffered severely just previous TO
dissolution, but these were few 10 number
comparedSwith those who wore q calm and
resigned expression, as though they had
passed away in the act OF prayer
| Others had smile on their faces, and
| looked ae If they were in the act Of speak
ing; one in particular attracted his special
attention he was lying partly on his side,
his knees were bent under him, his hands
we're clasped together aud pointing upwards
his head was thrown back, aud he was ap-
parently still praying. Evidently he was
in the act OF doing SO when death laid his
! hand upon him. Another medical man re-
| lstes that after the battle Of Inkerman, the
| faces Of many Of the dead still wore q smile
while others still had threatening express
sion. Some lay stretched on their backs
as if friendly hands had prepared them for
burial.
Some were still resting on one knee, their
hands grasping their muskets. In some in
| stances the cartridge remained between the
teeth. or the musket was held in one hand,
and the other was uplifted as though to
ward OF blow, or appealing to Heaven.
| The faces Of ali were pale, as though cut
| in marble. As the wind swept across the
battlefield it waved the hair, and gave the
bodies such an appearance OF life that a
| spectator could hardly help thinking they
| were about TO rise to continue the fight.
Another surgeon, describing the appear
ance Of the corpses on the field Of Magen-
ia, says that they furnish ndnbita5le proof
| that man may cease TO exist without suffer
ing the least pain. Those struck on the
head generally lay with their faces on the
| ground, the limbs retaining the position
| they were in at the instant they were struck
and most of those still held their rifles,
| sh owing that when a ball entered the brain
| il causes such sudden contraction of the
| muscles that there is not time for the hand
to lose its hold Of the weapon before DEATH
Another popularity observed in the case
Of those who were wounded in the brain
was; the suddenness with which they died,
even when suspected to be out Of danger
| During the battle of Solferino, riAeman
was wounded in the head by ball which
passed through the skull aud buried itself
| in the brain.
/ His wound was dressed, aud he was
stretched on straw, with his head resting
| on his knapsack like his wounded comrades
He retained the full use of his faculties
aud chstted about his wound, almost with
indifference, as he filed his pipe and lay
| smoking it. Nevertheless, before he had
| finished it, death came upon him, and he
was found lying in the same attitude, with
his pipe still between his teeth. He had
never uttered q cry, or given any sign that
lie was suffering pain.
| In cases where the ball had entered the
| heart, neaslythe same appearances were
| presented as in the case of those who had
been struck in the brain death was what
We term instantaneous, butt was not quite
so swift as in the former case; there was
generally time for movement in the act OF
| dying. There was Zouave who had been
struck full in the breast; he was lying on
his rife, the bayonet was fixed. and point
/ ing in such way as showed that he was in
the act Of charging when struck.
His head was uplifted, and his counte.
nance still bore threatening appearance
as if be had merely stumbled and fallen,
and was in the act of rising again. Close
by him lay an Austrian. foot soldier, with
clasped hands and upturned eyes. who had
died in the act of praying. Another foot
soldier had fallen dead as he was in the act
Of fighting; his 6sts were closed, one arm
was in the act of wsrding off blow, and
the other was drawn back in the act Of
striking.
On another battlefield, several French
soldiers lay in line with their bayonets
pointing in the direction of the foe they
were advancing against when storm of
grape moved them down. On the left bank
| Of The river Tesss, several Austrian off,
GERS ley dead. Some of them we're remark
able for the noble expression of their fa-
ces, the extreme neatness Of their dress,
and the cleanliness Of their persons. =
Most of them had fair hands. and their
countenances bore the stamp Of calm res
ignation. The best opportunity of seeing
the aspect OF the masses who died on the
field was when they lay stretched beside
the trenches which were destined to be
their final resting place: So far were their
faces from presenting the livid appearance
and the expression of despair which pain
ters are in the habit of producing in pic
! lures of the battle.felds, that 8 spectator
could hardly help calling TO the burying
/ parties to wait little before covering them
| up. They we're 80 life like. 31a1l. s5f