Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1869-09-03
BELLOWS FALLS, VT, FRIDAY,

I OF his duty as soldier. Neither was he
lion in action. On the contrary, the
paleness Of his face had often been no
ticed when forming for an assault; but
his pale face always went with us, and
We knew he was all the braver, in this
that he well comprehended the danger,
and comprohending, dared face, while he
feared, it.
As soon as possible, on the occasion in
question, our dead were Inferred, and the
wognded removed 10 the rear, for the
purpose of receiving medical treatment.
Our assistant surgeon, DIR. Fitch, had,
at this time, quartered himself with the
field hospital attendants in the belt of
woods behind us and thither Russell
went.
The doctor soon examined the wound,
washed the sand off his check, probed it
as gently as possible with his little finger,
and found it to be of no great depth.
The finger could detect no cavity beyond
the external laceration; The cheek bone
was intact; and the wound looked as
though inflicted by the blow of a sharp
stone, or "jab" from a walking stick
The doctor was of opinion that the
wound must have been inflicted by
stone struck up by ball +; and, indeed,
the sand adhering around the orifce
seemed to corroborate this view of The
case.
Russell never was much Of a grumbler;
but he said the wound was worse than
DIR. Fitch imagined it to be, and told
him so.
After applying some lint to it, the doc
tor directed him to 60 back to his regi-
ment but Russell made some demur,
and the surgeon looked somewhat con-
tempestously at him.
Shortly afterward he again reminded
DIR. Fitch that L" the wound was worse
than it looked" He appeared to have
lost his ordinary quiet manner, and be-
come nervous and fidgety.
The doctor finally gave him pass to
the division field hospital, that was situ-
ated more than a mile to the rear; and
Russell started off for it.
He had to walk all the way, as there
were enough severely wounded men
to occupy all the ambulances.
When he arrived upon the ground, the
surgeons were up to their elbows in
blood, cutting and saving like butchers,
with shirt sleeves rolled back so that it
was near night before he had an oppor-
tunity of getting his wound attended to.
To my own knowledge, three of the
most skillful and careful Of the score Of
surgeons at the division hospital examin
ed the wound They endeavored, seve-
rally and cautiously to probe it with
their fingers and with instruments, but
could not and the sum Of their united
Judgment was similar to that of DR.. F. !;
it was an abrasion, or laceration, by a
piece of stone, which had fallen back
from the mans cheek after inficting the
injury.
It's only scratch" they said keep
little wet lint to it, and it will be all
right in a couple of days"
Again Russell doubted their judgment,
and complained of the painfulness of his
wound but he was again snubbed.
When night came on, he expected to
be allowed to sleep in one of the large
"wall " tents, as drizzling rain was
setting in: but he was told to 60 into
the woods, with the Slightly wounded" F"
as the tents were already uncomfortably
crowded.
Next day train of wounded was dis
patched to White House Landing, on the
York river, about fifteen miles distant, to
be transported to Northern hospitals
: Russell asked to be sent along with it
but his request was refused. Orders had
: been issued from army headquarters, di.
recting that such men as were only
slightly wounded should be retained at
the rear, until they could be returned fol
| duty to their regiments.
This order was issued. in consequence
of the heavy losses sustained by the Un.
ion army during the engagements of the
previous month.
: On the next day another train o.
t wounded went off, Russell again begged
e to be sent with them, but to no purpose
He became nervous, looked haggard
and proved such an annoyance to the
surgeons, that two days afterward he wai
permitted to go on to the Landing.
The doctors had come to the conclu
sion, that he was suffering more from two
> moral disorders nostalgia and coward
: ice-than from the scratch on hi.
: face.
: When his comrades in the regimen