New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-01-02

| ton was critical Hs called ont to tho sur.
| econ - he passed to help him. "Where
| are you hurt 7" the latter careleesly asked
"I am hurt in three different places" was
| tho reply, and the sufferer mentioned them
| making an appropriate sign for each. The
surgeon instantly recognized oEotner Of
every land under the sun he stopped, gave
him the best attention and relief that the
time and place admitted of, had him con.
veyed to the rear at the first opportunity
and was unremitting in his attentions and
good offices from that time until he bad
procured his exchange.
In speaking of the Department of the
Gulf, am reminded of little story told
me there in 1868 by alientenant Of artillery
General Butler at home, and procuring q
strong surgeons certificate of disability, he
ventured, upon the strength of old acquaint
ance, to present it with his resiR n alton in
person to the commsnder-in chief. The
latter took it and carefully scrutlnized it,
and then the applicant.
| This paper states that you have the con
sumption" he said.
| Eyes, slr"
"And it appears from this that it will
| probably carry you off,"
''Yee, sir; the doctor thinks so.'
Then your resignation will not be &C
cepted. 1t you've got to die any way, il
won't make much difference to you whether
you die in Massachusetts, or Louisiana, and
| it may make some to the service"
The officer was profoundly disgusted
with this decision, but it seemed to be fully
| justified by the tact that he was alive and
undergo the fatigues of campaign.
The battle of Bisland occupies no very
prominent place in the history of the war,
| and yet it was an engagement of great i'm.
portance. 1t was the first collision of
Banks troops with the enemy west of the
Mississippi. and as the greater part of our
army had never before heard a hostile shot
fired, their good conduct on this occasion
stamped them as soldiers. The Zepulse OF
the rebels was tie commencement of our
movement on Port Hudson, and made the
investment of that stronghold practicable.
The battle commenced about sunset one
evening, continued an hour, was resumed
the next morning and lasted all day. Pre-
vious to it's first opening We were ignorant
of the precise position Of the enemy, and
had been moving forward cautiously in
line across the plantation country. The
effect of this movement was to fri2hten all
the vermin from their holes, and snakes,
rats, rabbits, etc., fed in terror bet ween
the line, causing q curious diversion of the
intense expectancy with which We were
looking out for the foe. On this first even.
ing, after the infantry had lain quiet under
q tremendous fire of artillery lasting about
an hour, we were ordered to retire, and
take position for the night about halt q
mile back. To the rear we went, slowly
and in good order, under an incessant
ire of shell and round shot. 1t could
hardly be supposed that men and
"green troops especially" under these
circumstances, would have eyes or
ears for anything else than the deadly mis-
siles of the enemy, yet saw hundreds of
hands stretched out to pluck the wild
blackberries that grew in ,profusion along
the way. At the biv0uac that night, one of
the commonest scenes of the war was
enacted, but one replete with dramatic in
terest A mail was brought up from the
rear, and distributed among the troops.
Some of the soldiers were on picket, and,
joining their regiments in the morning on
the march, were killed without receiving
their letters, and some read that night and
fell the next day with these missives from
home next their hearts. So mournful, so
tragical, is the bringing of the scenes and
the associations of home to the very verge
of the battlefield!
In June, 1868, while our army was invest
ing Port Hudson, Brashear City, our west
ern outpost in Louisiana, which would have
been abandoned had the dictates Of pru-
dence been consulted, was captured by Q
sudden dash of the rebels under General
Dick Taylor, and the small and inefficient
garrison made prisoners. Such another
"haul" of all kinds of military stores was
not made in this quarter during the war.
Here were all the surplus baggage of the
army. and large supply Of quartermsster,
Their value would not be overstated at
500 900. The scenes Immediately follow
ing the capture, as described to me by an
eyewitness, were riOtOus as we'll as ridicu
lcus in the extreme. The rebels were ill
supplied with army clothing, and strangers
to the luxuries with which our suit
lers' shops we're stocked. Rushing into
the Latter Ss9s;;. they g0rgesda Themselves
selves with liquor; and then ransackipg the
baggage, each man clothed himself in what
best suited his fancy. Here might be seen
a great ragged Texan, arraying himself in
q colonels double-buttoned, silver-eagled
coat; yonder was q dirty, unkempt fellow,
putting on clean starched linen shirt over
his own tsttered uniform; there was another
parading himself with an officers cloak
Cling at his heels. This confusion and dis
order lasted for several hours, until the
men wearied of it. The following Septem-
Der, after oul reOccupati0n of Brashear.
found written in charcoal on the inner
white washed wall of house which had
been filled with ordnance storee, this piece
of Confederate exuberan0e: Major Gen
eral Banke, late Commissary to onewall
Jackson in the Valley, and at present Chief
Ordnance Officer to the Confederate States
Army 10 ou;siana."
l believe no two good soldiers will widely
disagree as to their sensations during
battle. l take it to be piece of bravsdo
in any man to ASSERT that he had no tear
during the progress OF q long and severe |
engagement. A battle is veritable hell
upon earth; not to be in serious apprehen-
sion while it lasts is TO be either drunk, |
crazy or insensible. The highest type of |
bravery is that of the man who realizes the |
full extent of the peril, but sticks resOlutely |
to his duty. 1t was my experience, and |
that of all those about ms, repeated dozen |
times, that shell firing is not ordinarily
nearly 20 demoralizing as that of musketry. |
It is not often that shell are thrown so that |
their fragments scatter death and wounds, |
and their loud humming overhead does not |
cause that nervous tingling which always |
follows the sharp zip Of the rifle bullet. |
The peculiar cutting of the air made |
BY half q dozen Of these at once
Is apt to give the soldier the idea that |
The whole air is filed with them. and that |
ne is certain to be struck by one of them. |
All, l believe, will agree as to the sensation |
irst caused by the impact of a bullet. 1t |
g q stunning, numbing feeling, which for q |
opg time overpowers the local pain of the |
wound. In my own experience, Q single |