Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-02-21
REAL WAR RENINIsCENCES.
The scenes oftbe Mar OF the RebeIIio,

IT. following are some extracts from Walt
VIII tmsn's forthcoming MEMORANDA of the
| War" Il commenced" says Whitman at
| the close OF 1882, and continued steadily
! through 63, 64 and '65, TO visit the sick AMI
wounded OF the army, both on the ield and
| IN the hospitals In aud around Washington
| City. From the frst kept little note books,
| Just sheet or two OF paper, folded small
and fastened with pin, TO carry In the
| pocket for tmpromptu jottings in pencil to
| refresh my memory of names and circum.
| staI ces, and what was specially wanted, sc.
In these briefd cases, persons, ghts, Oc-
| curTences In camp, by the bedside, and not
| seldom by the corpses OF the dead. SO me
| were scratch'd down from narratives heard
| and itemiZd while watching or waiting or
| tending somebody amid those scenes have
| perhaps forty such little note books left,
| forming special history OF those years for
| myself alone, full of associations never 10 De
| pos IDLY said or sung. / leave them just as
| threw them by during the war olotch'd here
and there with more tins one blood stain,
| hurIiedly written, sometimes at the clinique
| rot seldom amid the excitement of uucer-
| tsinty, or defeat OF action, or getting ready
| for IL, or a march" With the above for
| Introduction, We will now 60 or with our ex
| tracts:
| UNwRITTEN HISTORY OF TIE WAR.
| Future years Will never know tue seething
| hell and the black Internal background OF
! cCuD tleSs minor scenes ana interiors mot the
| few great batteSD OF the secession war; and
| 1t Is best they should not. In the mushy in
| fuences of current times the fervid atmoS-
| phere and typical events OF those years are
| in danger OF being totally forgotten. I have
| at night watched by the side OF a sick man
! IN the hospital, one who could net live many
| hours. have seen his eyes flash and burn
| as he REQUIRED TO the cruelties on his surren-
| dered tTother. and nut ilations OF the corpSe
| atterward. See following the incident at
| UpperVille-tbe seventeen, killed as in the
| des cription, were left there on the ground.
| After they dropt dead, ne one touched them
| all Were made sure of however The carcaS-
| ses were all left for the citizens to bury or
| not, as they chose.
Such was the war, 1t was not a quadr'ne
| in bail room. Its interior history will not
| only never be written. its practicality, mi
| nutia of deeds and passions. will never be
| even suggested. The actual soldier of 1862
| rs, North ard South. with all his WAYS his
| incredible dauntlessness, habits, practices.
| tastes, language, his appetite, rankness, his
| superb strength and animality, lawless gait,
| and a hundred unnamed lights aud shades of
| camp-I say, will never be written-perhaps
| must not and should not be.
| The hospital part of the drama, from 1851
| to- 1865, deserves perhaps to be specially
| recorded. OF that many threaded drama.
| with its sudden and strange surprises, its
| confounding of prophecies, its moments OF
| despair the dread or foreign interference, the
| interminable campaigns, the bloody battles,
| tie mighty and cumbrous and green armies,
! the drafts and bountieg-the immense money
| expenditure, like a heavy pouring constant
| rain-wiih. over the whole Land, the last
| three years OF the struggle, an unending, uni
| versal mourning-w wall of women, parents,
| orphans-the marrow of the tragedy concen-
| trated in these hospitals-Qt seemed some
| times as If the whole interest of the land
| North and South, was one vast central hos
| pital, and all the rest of the affair but
| hanges)-those forming the Untold and I'm
| written History OF the War-infnitely
greater Clike Life's) than the few scraps and
| distortions that are ever told or written.
| Think how much, and of importance, will
| be-bow much, civic and military, mas
already eeen-buried in the grave, In eternal
| A NIGHT BATTLE.
| May II, 1SG3.-We already talk OF histories
| OF the war presently TO accumulate)-yes,
| technical histories OF some things, statistics,
| official reports, and so on, but shall we ever
| get histories OF the real things? There was
| part OF the late battle at Charlottesville
| second fredericksburg little over a week
| ago, Saturday, Saturday night aud Sunday,
| under General Joe Hooker, would Ii ke to
| give glimpse of-jGst a moments look in q
terrible storm at sea, of which few sGgges-
| lions are enough, and full details impossible
| The lighting had been very hot during the
| day, and after an intermissiOu the latter
| part was resumed at night and kept up with
| furious energy till o'clock in the morning
| That afternoon Saturday an attack, sud
| den and strong, by Stonewall Jackson, had
| gained great advantage to the Southern
| army, and broken our lines, entering us like
| wedge, ard leaving things in that position
| at dark. But Hooker at IL at night made a
| desperate push, drove the secesh forces back
restored his original lines, and resu mel his
| plans. This night scrlmmage was very ex-
| citing. and afforded countless strange and
fearful pictures. The lighting had been gen
| eral, both at Charlottesville aud nor heat
| at Fredericksburg. I'VE hear Of some poo-
| nehtlng, episodes, skedaidling on our part.
| / think not oft. think OF the fierce bravery,
| the general rule.) One corps, the Sixth, Sedg.
wick's, fights four dashing and bloody bat
| ties in thirty-siX hours, retreating In great
| jeopardy, losing largely and maintaining
itself, fighting with the sternest desperation
| under all circumstances, getting over the
| Rappahannock only by the skin of its teeth,
| yet getting over. 1t lost many, many brave
| men, yet 1t took vengeance, ample ven
| geance.
But it was the tug of Saturday evening,
IL,
| l wanted 10 make a special note of. 1t was
largely in the woods, and quite a general en-
| gagement. The night was very pleasant, at
| times the moon shining out full and clear,
| all nature SO calm in ITSELF the early sum-
| mer grass so rich, and foliage of the trees
yet there the battle raging, and many good
| fellows lying helpless, with new accessions
| to them, and every minute amid the rattle
OF muskets and crash of cannon, (for there
was an artillery contest, too,) the red life
blood OOzing out from heads or trunks or
| limbs upon that green and dew-cool grass.
| The woods take fire, and many of the wound
| ed, unable 10 move, especially some OF the
| quite large spaces are swept over, burning
| the dead also; some OF the men have their
| hair and boards singed; some, splatches of
| burns on their faces and hands-others holes
| burnt in their clothing. The flashes OF fire
| from the cannon, the quick fiaring flames
and smoke. and the immense roar
the musketry so general, the light near
| ly bright enough for each side 10 see one
| another-the crashing, tramping OF men
| tne yelllng-cloSe QuarterS-we hear the
| Secesh yelis-our men cheer loudly back,
| especially If Hooker is in sight-hand TO
| hand conflicts, each side stands up 10 il,
| brave, determined as demons, they often
| charge upon us-a Thousand deeds are done
| worth to write newer greater poems on-and
| still the woods on fre-still many are not
| only scorched-too many, unable to move,
| are burned to death. Then the camp of the
| wounded-O heavens, what q scene is this?
| is this. indeed, humanity-these butchers
| shambles? There are several Of them. There
| they lie, in the largest, in an open space in
| the woods, from FIVE TO six hundred poor fell
| lows-the groans and screams-the odor OF
| blood, mixed with the fresh scent OF the
| night, the grass, the trees-that slaughter
| house!-O, well is it their mothers, their sis
| tiers cannot see them-can0ot conceive, and
| never conceived these things. One man Is
| shot by a shell, both in the arm and leg
| both are mputated-there lie the rejected
| members. Some have their legs blown
| Of-some bullets through the breast
| some indescribably horrid woands in the
| face or head, all .mutIlated, sickneing,
| torn, gouged out-some in the abdo-
| men-some mere boys-here is one, his face
| as colorless as chalk, lying perfectly still, a
| bullet has perforated the aodomen-life is
| ebbiBg fast; there is no help for him. In the
| camp of the wounded are many rebels, badly
| hurt-tbey take their regu lar turns with the