Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1869-04-15

4 Wdo IN AcI tuo HcAe wv cdAo SAS .
looked for him right and left. / never
went over field, after a battle, but
what / searched for him among the
dying-God forgive mel At last my
opportunity came.
"I had been wounded, and was in
one of the Washington hospitals--al-
most well, yet still not fit for duty in
the saddle. / hate above all things to
be idle; so ! begged for light employ
ment as a hospital nurse; and they
gave it to me, and said l did my duty
we'll.
81 never felt for our poor, brave fel-
lows as did there. had been very
fortunate, and until that summer had
never been in hospital. Now / saw
such suffering and such heroism as /
had never seen on the battle field
Companionship helped to keep up the
spirits of those we could not save to
the last. Then it seems hard that each
brave boy must make his march down
the dark valley alone. But they all
went off gallantly. l would have
rather galloped forward on forlorn
charge any day, than have followed
any one of them over to the Soldiers
Rest though it is a pretty place to
camp in. In fact, my heart grew so
soft here, so Christianized, as it were,
that l forgot to look for my old enemy;
for so, you see, l still regarded the
surley straggler who refused me water
at the roadside spring.
'After the battles of the Wilderness,
a great number of the wounded were
poured in upon us; all our wards were
full to overfowing. 1t was hot, close
weather; most of the patients were fe-
vered by their wounds and exposure to
the sun, and up and down the long,
ghastly lines of white beds the great
cry was for water. l took large
pitcher ofice water and tumbler,
and started on the round of my ward,
as eager to give as the poor fellows
were to receive. The ice ratified in the
pitcher in the most inviting way, and
many heavy eyes opened at the sound,
and many a hot hand was stretched
out, when all at once, on one of the
farthest beds of the ward, saw man
start up, with his face flaming with
fever, and his eyes cleaning, as he al
most screamed out: Water! give me
water, for Gods sakeP
"Then, madam, / could see no other
face in the ward, for it was hei
81 made flew steps toward him, and
saw that he knew me as we'll as |
knew him, for he fell back on his pill
low and Just turned his face toward
the wall. Then the devil frightened his
grasp on me, till it seemed he had me
fast and sure, and he seemed to whis-
per in my ear: Rattle the ice in the
pitcher; and aggravate him! Go up
and down giving water to all the 9TH
ers, and not drop to him!
"Then something else whispered, a
little nearer, though not in such a
sharp, Kissing way-conscience sup
pose it was; good Methodists might call
it the Holy Spirit; other religious peo-
pie might say it was the spirit of my
mother; and perhaps we would all
mean about the same thing--anyhow,
it seemed to say: Now, my boy, is
your chance to return good for evil.
"'Go to him, give him to drink first
of all!' And that something walked
me right up to his bedside, made me
slip my hand under his shoulder and
raise him up, and put the tumbler to
his lips. How he drank 1 never can
forget--in long, deep draughts, almost
tumblerful at a swallow, looking at
me SO wistfully all the time. When
he was satisfied, he fell back, and again
turned his face to the wall, without a
word. But somehow l knew that fell
lows, heart was touched, as no chap
lain's sermon or tract had ever touched
it.
'1 asked the surgeon to let me have
sole care of this patient, and he con-
sented, though he said the man had 6
bad gun shot wound in the knee, and
would have to submit to an amputa-
ton, if he could stand it; and if not
would probably make me great deal
of trouble while be lasted.
"Well, 1 took charge of him--I had
to do it some how--but he kept up the
same silence with me for several days.
then, one morning, just as | was leav-
ing his bedside, he caught hold of my
coat and pulled me back. l bent down
to ask him what he wanted, and he
said, in hoarse whisper: You re-
member that canteen business in the
Shenandoah Valley?' Yes; but il
don't matter now, old fellow l an
swered.
"'But it does matter he said. q
don't know what made me SO surley
that day, only that an upstart young
lieutenant from our town had just been
swearing at me for struggling; and
wasn't to blame, for / was sick. ]
came down with the fever the next
day. AS for what l said to you, !
was ashamed of it before you got out
of sight; and, to tell the truth, I've
been looking for you these two years,
just to tell you SO. But when l met
you here, where was crying, almost
dying, for water, it seemed SO like the
carrying out of your course, 1 was
almost afraid of YOU
II tell you what, Madam, it gave
stranger feelings to think of him look.
ing for me, TO make up, and looking
for him, to be revenged all this time
and it was such little sin after ALL
I'm not ashamed to confess that the
tears came into my eyes as / said
Now, Eastman, THAT was his name
he was Mainesman J, don't fret about
that little matter any more; it's all
right, and you've been better fel-
low than l all along
"But he had taken it to heart, and
was too weak to throw it off 1t was
so mean,' he said, go unsoldier-like
and bearish;;' and was so good to for
i give IL . he insisfad