South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1870-09-23
Let Not Your Heart be Troubled.

PUB. BY REQUEST.
A Christian soldier thus tells bis expe-
rience of the happiest hour of his life
at was when lost my arm at the battle
OF the Seven Pines, on the Peninsula We
made q charge about the middle Of the of
ternoon. The firing was very heavy, and
fell severely wounded | was shot tbro'
the groin, and received flesh wound be
sides this IN the arm. On coming to my
self the firing was reeediug, for our boys
were driving the enemy, and there were
none near me but the dead and wounded, ,
as helpless as myself. | began to be very
thirsty, and the pain Of my wounds, espe-
cially that through the body, was intense.
About twenty yards from me could hear
the cool, ripping sound Of little brock
running among some thick bushes. AS
tried to drag myself toward it. for the lower
part of my body was helpless, ] found my
arm was broken. Slowly and with great
pain ] reached it, only TO find the water
running in a channel some two feet below
the level Of the field, and utterly cut of my
reach. 1t had been hot day, and / was
parchod with thirst and fever Water was
there i'll my sight, almost in my reach, and
| was dying for The want Of It, ! dragged
myself farther, reached over, lost my bal.
auce, and fell into the stream BY Gods
good providence, | was able to save myself
little, so that my face did not 20 under
tainted with the pain and lay unconscious,
! know not how long.
When ! came TO myself found my bro
ken arm under me, the lower part of my
body in tho stream, which was about TWEEN
ty inches deep, and my head resting on the
bank. The cool water had stopped the flow
of blood Above the, on the field, were
the sound aud voices Of the stre'cher bear
crs, collecting the wounded and burying The
dead ! tried to shout so they should hear
me, but was too weak. / was down in tic
brook, and the dense, thick bushes com.
plctcly hid me from any one above. Hear.
ing the voices recoding, ] tried to lit N.Y.
selfa callwith all my might, and, in the
effort tainted again.
When | came TO, all were gone, and
the field was still. / was left alone to die.
10 was among the missing would be all
my friends would know Of me- / thought
Of my young wife and my little one in my
New England home 1t was hard, very
hard, to think of dying 500 loaely, so
very lonely. There was ooly one place |
could 60 for comfort. | went there, and
this sweet passage you have read to night
came into my mind. The dear Lord
seemed to say {: Let net your heart be
troubled neither let ii be afraid was
able to give myself, my wife, my child to
His care. The peace of God came down
into my soul, and filled it with JOY unutte-
rable. looked up into the deep blue sky,
which I could see here and there through
the leaves, and saw overhead the white,
feecy clouds sailing past, and the sun stoop-
ing towards the west. | thought before
that sun sets, shall be beyond the clouds,
beyond the sky, at home shat have one
ofthose many mansions. shall see jesus
and my Father, God. Ny peace ran like
river. | wanted to shout | tried to sing
There alone in those Virginia woods, burr
ed to the neck in water, and left, as |
thought to die, | spent the happicst hour of
my life and, as | sank once more into un-
consciousness, hoped TO awake with God.
Il was found just alive, and cared for by
the Confcdcratesa as they came on tie ground.
God gave me favor with them, and they
were kind to me hut thiok he comfort ]
got there had much to do with my getting
well, for they had few appliances for the
sick and wounded