Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-07-02
a IreT DAY IN THE RANKS.

We rested for half an hour about
noon in a shady nook, and when we
agafEI took the road, emerging from the
pleasant shelter of the wood, the sun
poured down upon us, and upon the
P0rched earth around us, with an ef-
feet that was terrible to witness. The
men dropped under that terrific flood
of heat and light as 1 have seen plants
wilt down when exposed to a like in
fiuence. What they felt, I, of course,
felt with them and to me it almost
seemed that the heat had transfixed
me, had smitten me as with sharp ar
rows, and drained me of nay strength.
Hotter and hotter glared the sun; slow
er and still more slowly the column
reeled along the road and often, as its
sufferings grew more exquisite, a sob,
a sigh. a groan, or an ejaculation was
forced fEom between clenched teeth,
and still we labored on.
= Ny God can't stand this; my
head is burning upl''
The exclamation was from q man in
the company ahead of mine; and, as
we passed, / saw that two of his COM
rades had laid him by the road side,
and were trying to revive him. He
was entirely unconscious. In ten min
utes the same scene was repeated a
dozen times within sight. The COM
pany officers begged, entreated and
commanded their men by turns to
keep on LuGAE EE5Gbs anu lAAdLGl WIN Eue
column; but the poor fellows were be-
yond any such appeals. The water in
their canteens was exhausted, and no
more was to be had their thrOats were
parched, their heads aching and burn
ing, and they moved on only because
the motion was mechanical. Never, in
all my long experience, never have 1
known such solstitial heat, or such suf-
fering to be occasiOned by such a cause.
1t seemed to seize hold upon the
breath, the blood, the vitality, and inn
prison them, while the sultry atmos-
phere weighed US down. Presently.
groans and cries of irrepressible
anguish resounded through the entire
column men fell their length in the
dust, fiinging their arms over their
heads in gasping unconsciOusness, as
thickly and as instantly as / have seen
them fall in battle, smitten down by
the hostile bullet. Down they went,
right and left, like beeves stricken in
the shambles, and they lay thick on
our line of march, while the ambu-
lances were busted in taking them up.
had not realized up to this time,
that these men were the victims of
sICHStrOke, and I think I did not quite
realize the fact until I heard, on the
following day, the startling figures of
the Medical Director, showing that
upon this one day, in this one COM
mand, seventeen were killed and dis
abled by this dreadful visitation.
The sublime and the ridiculous, the
pathetic and the grOtesque, are pro-
Verbally neighbors and an illustra-
ton was not wanting in this situation.
Our halt was on the outskirts of Fred
erick. A small ice-hOuse near by had
been discovered and broken open by
some of the soldiers, frantic with
thirst; and for the next ten minutes
our miseries were lightened by the
Z gn M ftF aF All ID
men sitting by the roadside, each
grasping a great splinter Of ice and
sucking il with that keen relish which
child derives from its stick of candy
The scene presented ridiculous as
pect, which would have made any per
| son laugh in whom the springs OF
mirth were not all dried up, and We
| laughed and forgot our woes for the
moment.
knew something before of the pow
| er of music to inspirit weary Douy OF
! troops, but was nevertheless astonlsi-
! ed to see this poor column Ialnt, Wesah,
! roOt-sore and sick, take the Qulek-step
! promptly at the tap Of the drum close
mn in good order and march through
! Frederick like veterans, as they We're,
! with shouldered arms, banners lying
! and feet stepping nimbly to the mar
! tinl music OF 't When Johnny comes
! Marching Home again. Good and
/ loyal old Frederick the spirit Of Bar
! bara Freitchie WAS there, II the old
dame herself was not. Flags and
handkerchiefs flew thickly from win.
dows and doorways shouts and cheers
of welcome greeted us on every side
and girls came out from the houses e
| give us pure, cold spring water fro
/ those blessed Maryland rocks. 1t was
a welcome not TO be forgotten.-P0ok'
ards Monthly, for July.