The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1867-01-31
Of ladies who had obtained permission

tei, reached lHe DdllleHelu. LII was one
| of those marvellous nights Of July, 1861
when the heavens seemed all ablaze
with the glory of the full orbed moon.
The field, covered with dead and dying,
/ slept in the light OF this great moon
their painful duty OF amputating limbs,
probing and binding up wounds, depos-
| ting the sufferers in ambulanees and
attending as far as possible to the pain
ful calls Of each. 4 battlefield after a
hard fight is q spectacle so sad that he
who has looked upon it ence, never
wishes to behold it again; and the sad
dest OF ali the terrible features Of such
scenes, perhaps, is the impossibility of
! promptly attending to the wants of all.
Your arm may be shattered by a bullet,
but your neighbours leg is torn to pieces
by a shell and he is bleeding to death.
before your arm can be bound up, his
leg must be amputated-it is pitiful you
think, to leave you writhing here, but
each in his turn, friend-the leg before
the arm!
1t was real assistance when the Win
| chester ladies came to the aid ofthe Fed
eral Surgeons, thus relieving the latter
in a large measure from the care Of the
Confederate wounded. They assidu-
ously applied themselves to the painful
task before them, and were ministers of
mercy once more, to their Southern
brethren as they had been before af-
ter so many hard fought battles in that
country of hard battles, the valley of
| the Shenandoah.
Among the young ladies was Miss
we do not feel at liberty to present her
| full name to the world; and to this fair
daughter of the Valley belongs the cred
it Of the beautiful action which we pro-
coed to record. In passing amid the
dead and wounded now dimly discerni-
BILE only by the Surgeons lanthorns the
moonlight and the last beams o day,
Miss, came all at once upon youth
who seemed 10 be suffering extreme ag-
ony. He was moaning tearfuIly and
bending over him, the young lady saw
that he was frightfnlly wounded. The
blood had Delayed his person and al
| though his wound had been hastily
bound up by one of the Surgeons, he
was evidently suffering horribly, his
features were contracted by his anguish,
and lying ina Very constrained position,
he seemed the most piteous object which
had yet attracted her attention.
| TO see his suffering was to attempt its
relief. The young lady stopped down,
and finding that the poor boy was al
most unconscious from the extent of his
agony, she raised his head in order to
afford him ifpossible some ease, il Oily
from the change of position. She had
scarcely done so when u painful sigh
issued from the lips OF the wounded
youth, his head sank Oh the young la
dy's shoulder, and his measured breath
ing told that he had almost instantly
fallen asleep. This result was so unex-
| pected that Miss, was for some mo-
ments completely at a loss what course
to pursue. 1t seemed am unnecessary
and excessive act of attention to remain
thus holding the youths head-her po-
sition was becoming d very painful one
her companions had passed to other
| portions OF the extensive battlefield l.
She was alone in the midst of great
waste OF fields and woods, at night, UNI
protected from insult, and holding in
her arms, wounded soldier, who would
in all probability soon be a corpse!
Under these trying circumstances. she
once or twice essayed to move, and
| place the boy in an easy position upon
the grass; but whenever she attempted
to do so, his features contracted painful
ly; he moaned uneasily, and it was
only when she resumed her position,
holding his dropping head, as before
upon her shoulder, that he sunk once
more to calm and painless sumber. She
was still supporting thus the form OF the
wounded youth, when one OF the F'ede-
raj Surge ons approached, and looked
with some surprise at the touching
group. Then his gaze was directed to
the face of the youth, whom he evident
ly recognized. IN a few words addressed
to Miss -, the Surgeon explained
how he had himself dressed and bali
daged the youths w)unds-his case was
Il most critical Observation-Disclosures if he
could sleep for some hours, he might
live. He had not slept since the battle;
was dying for sleep; the crisis OF his
fever had arrived; if the slumber con-
tinued until morning he might then be
out OF danger, il it was broken his death
was a certainty. Having made this am
nouncement in that terribly matter OF
fact tone which characterizes persons
familiar with suffering and death, the
Surgeon psssed on, leaving Miss -
alone among the dead ana wounded, and
still holding the bleeding young man in
her arms.
If Ais slaiaa6er contiaued until morning,
he might Tie" be oM Of danQer-if 4! acoS
droke,s, his death acos a ceotaitiy!