Centre Hall reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1868-1871, 1871-02-03
The Horrors Of War.

As the war il prolonged its horrors I'M
crease. The bitter weather undor which
we are shiyering in this country wouid
alone involve n terrible aggravahon oi
misery. In this respect Il Is long since
such horrible scenes MS were described
hy "a Military Correspondent are but
too probable in such operations aS the
Army of the Loire has lately been en-
gagged in. and il is to he feared they
have been many times multiplied within
the course of the present month. That
army has been executing "a continuous
"strategic movement . of retreat and
lighting almost continuous battles
during somo of the seyerest weather OF
the month. Both armies have been
strained to the uttermoSt, and have had
no time 20 look behind them. The hor-
rible consequence has been that the
wounded have practically been Lett a.
uncared for as the dead They have IN
some instances been gathered off the
field Of battle, though there must he
numbers who have been left TO perish of
cold ON the spot where they fell. But
even when carried under shelter they
hare simply been heaped together IN un'
inhabited houses, and have sometimes
lain there for days unattended, mled,
and almost uncovered. The scene at
at Beaugency. described by "A Military
correspondent" is one even more horri-
ble, because more prolonged scene oi
agony. In house which had once been
a PsaSi0a 10 JstmsS Files, every room
from cellar 20 roof was crowded with
dead and starving men, lying so thick
il was impossible % move among them.
Ii was Saturday, and many of them had
been there since the Wednesday, some
since the Tuesday. All that time mot
one drop OF water, not one atom of food
had passed their lips, nor had any COM
forting hand approached them. If "a
broken legged sergeant had been able to
throw his own coat over his more severe
IN wounded officer that Was the utmost
relief any of them had obtained. More
over, the windows OF the houses were
all broken, land all these days and
NIGHTS of almost Artic cold they had
been living on the bare floor with their
wounds undressed" All the agonies of
wounds, OF cold, of hunger, and thirst,
with all the horrors OF death, were en-
iured for days together by these help
less sufferers. The battle, in fact, had
been raging for three days around Beau
gency, neither side gaining such undis-
turbed possession of the town As TO be
able 10 think Of the wounded. Even ON
the second day, German shells burst IN
hospitals where French volunteers We're
tending German wounded. That night
there WAS only one doctor IN the town
capable OF performing amputations, and
there were 200 desperately wounded men
in one building alone. The dead lay
thick among the dying. and rs the for
mer were dragged out their places were
instantly filed. Miserable objects, with
broken jaws or faces half shot away,
wandered about pointing 10 their dread
ful wounds and making pitiOus signals
for water, which ii was impossible for
them 20 swallow. Officers and men, vet
erans and boys all lay in one undistn-
gnshable mass OF misery. Every moan
that the human voice can utter rose from
that heap OF agony" This was on the
Thursday. How many more scenes hke
the one we have just described might
there have been seen in Beaugency on
Saturday ? And how many more in the
numerous villages over which the storm
OF conflict has passed between Beaugency
and Nendome