The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-09-21
THE HORRORS OF WAR.
The Slightly Wounded-.The Sus-
pense of Friends--Scenes in the
Hospitals. M ae4 s7s


4 The Slightly Wounded-.The Sus-
pense of Friends--Scenes in the
/ Hospitals. a,l aea esss
4 Correspondence of the N. Y. Tribune.]
/ FRANkFoRT, August 24-The In
habitants of this and other cities are
daily gaining experience of the horrors
of war. Close upon the heels of vic
tory follows the CHASTITY shadow of suf
fering One day telegram arrives
announcing a great. triumph. Next
morning a train arrives filled with
victims whose lives h:d indeed been
spared, but who So fate is hardly more
lenviable than that of their comrades
who are slair. 1t seems a hollow
mockery to call the human wrecks
which have been forwarded by rail the
"slightly wounded" The meaning is
that they had been shot through leg
or arm, have saber cuts on head or
shoulders, or bullets in their bodies.
By comparison they may be less seri-
ously hurt than the others who can
not bear the fatigue of removal, and
who will probably, linger for few
hours in agony before yielding up their
lives. Yet to all appearance the
wounds which the surgeons pronounce
slight are in reality very severe. Per
haps the tolls which these soldiers had
to undergo before engaging in the
army, or the exhaustion caused by the
long journey after the action may have
prostrated them more than these
among their comrades who fell at an
earlier period of the campaign, but
what ever the reason, there is no
doubt that the wounded who are
now arriving seem in much worse
plight than have yet seen Many
bear the impress of death on their
faces. They have that desponding and
worn look which indicates a want of
power to bear up and conquer their
woes by sheer force of will Another
symptom of the same kind is that the
deaths in hospital are becoming rela-
lively more numerous.
Next in sadness to the appearance
OF the wounded is the demeanor of the
lbystandars who come to witness the
arrival of every train. Women con-
stitute the larger proportion of the
spectators, 1t is neither idle curiosi-
ty nor morbid taste which leads them
to the station, and makes them eager
lly sean the features of the wounded
soldiers. They are anxious to see if
among the sufferers is any one who is
dear to them. When an army moves
as rapidly as that of Germany, the
troops have no lecture for writing let
ters. Hence there are few among
those remaining behind who know
what has been the lot of husband, son
or brother. They are condemned to
live in a state of horrible suspense. 1t
is q great relief when they find the
we'll remembered face among the
crowd of wounded soldiers. They are
glad to know the worst, even though
the knowledge they have acquired be
the reverse Of satisfactory. / can not
help thinking that if the sovereigns,
ministers and legislators who plan and
precipitate wars had personal expert
ence of military hospital after a bat
tie, the number of declared friends of
peace would be multiplied. The sight
of battle fed is not sight equally
impressive and frnnsht with eqrally
valuable lessons. When the cannon
roar and the troops charge, an excite
ment which Is contagious renders all
more or less forgetful of the mischief
which is wrought.
It is not strange then, that those
who have witnessed these spectacles
should speak of them with admiration,
and insensibly acquire morbid taste
for them. In the military hospital,
however, there is neither excitement
nor compensation. Rows of men ly-
ing disfgured by multilatIons and
groaning in cgony, present picture
in which nothing is glorious or attrac-
tive Yet this is what war really
means. Nor is it less illogical than
sad to see stalwart men, who have
been shot down in the most approved
scientific style. being the objets of all
the care which kindness can suggest, and
of all the skill which the highest med
ical training can afford. Indstead of
shooting men, and then striving to
heal their wounds, might it not be bet
ter to dispense with the shooting?I
Reflections like these may seem Who'll
ly misplaced, if not worse than super
fuous, to those who delight IN reading
the details of brave doings on the field
of battle, and rejoice at tue success of
piece of consummate strategy. Yet
if the amount of hideous suffering
which 1 have seen as the result of theee
bloody encounters of armed hosts
could be brought before the eyes of
the world as frequently and wildly as
the feats OF the combatants, the Peace
Society would make many converts,
and modern civilization would become
nobler in character, while its blessings
would be lasting and more genuine.