The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-07-06

which had interveneu between ooi
selves and the cleared field beyond.
When about half the distance OF
the ridge had been traversed, one OF
the men nearest to me fell; and +
though going, at double quick, !
noticed as | hastily glanced down
at him. that he had fallenln dead
furrow,n which the reg aent was
lust crossing.
| might here observe that, while
living in the timber, it, the field, the
ridge. everything in fact seemed IA
miliar. and so did the dead fur
row !" but yet the eyentof the night
previous did not reeur to me. |
was thinking Of something else
about that time.
We charged ahead and reached
the hill. The enemy's gunners fled.
The crest was almost gained, as
we (for at least, II thought, whom
suddenly was enveloped in total
darkness. A pressure upon my
/ throat, ringing in my ears as
though my head was plunged in a
stream of running water sensa-
i ton of dizziness, numbness, suifo-
cation, and Of falling, and then q
shock as | struck the ground; how
well | remember it all now.
The conclusion of the fall seemed
to restore my sight consciousness
had never left me- and to this day
the incidents then transpiring are
as fresh as though they had occur
red within the year
For instance: While | was mo-
mentarily reeling, just at the time
of being hit, preparatory to fall
over backward, heard Il comrade
remark There GOES" (men-
tioning my name,) and remember
thinking, even on my down to kiss
Mother Eearth with the back of my
head, that | was gone" instead Of
going.
But to continue: So soon after fall
ing as possible, ! constituted my
self board of survey - assess the
damages sustained, ;ul,. forthwith
entered upon the investigation.
! found that, as n personal mat
ter, the injuries were quite serious
a minnie ball having penetrated my
throat, passed between the jugular
and windpipe, and found an exit at
the back OF my neck, quite low
down, and close by the spine which
it slightly fractured.
After making up and sending in
this report, and doing what could
to stop the flow of blood by forcing
into the wound some lint, and
handkerchief l fortunately had with
me, 1 crawled, as best l could, in
my paralyzed condition, to a more
sheltered position, which however,
was exceedingly difficult to find.
1t was the hottest place | was
ever in, and hotter than | hope for
in the future. The losses were ter
rible, more than half my comrades
being either killed or wounded, the
other regiments of the brigade suffer
ing in proportion.
Speaking of hot places in a battle,
one does Observation-Disclosures
fully what they are until he is struck
down on the field, there to lie, ut
terly helpless, while bullets are
humming and singing like ten hun
dred thousand swarms of bees, pat
tering upon the ground and casting
up little puffs of dust and dirt, rs
the rain-drops during a heavy show
er do the waters of q lake, or crush
ing into the bone or striking with a
dull thud the quivering flesh-while
grape and canister shot and shell
are bowling, kissing, screaming over
and about his PROSTATE form /
say one must need experience all
these things in orde; to fully under
stand the meaning of the term "a
hot place"
Then, if he thinks at al, he viii
incline to the belief that the caul-
dron of hell, with the cover off, is
but an ice cavern compared with
the particular locality fate has fated
him to occupy. The fighting con-
tinued only short time after | fell I;
but before it was fairly over, still
in search of a place of safety, | drag
\ ged myself into the cut of an aban-
doned railroad, which ran along the
hillside almost at its summit, and
where the Confederate army had
lain. As / did this / caught sight of a
small cabin standing just beyond
the batteries we had so vainly at
tempted to capture.
| could perceive the roof, and as
low down as the caves. The gable
stood facing me, and in it was a
small window.
At this moment | remembered
my visions Of the previous night.
Instinctively turned and looked in
the direction of my comrades. They
were in full retreat, followed up by
the vicious foe. The sun was low
down in the heavens, just as | had
seen it in my sleep.
Soon afterward the confederates
carried me back to the cabin. Hun
dreds of our wounded were there
as well as the enemy's, besides a
large number of men who had died.
Everything corresponded with what
/ had gazed upon hours before.
The vision was verified. Now
comes the curious feature of the
case. The nearest / had ever been
to the locality described, previous
to the day on which was wounded,
was upon the old Bull Run battle
field, some two miles distant, and
from which it was absolutely inn
possible to get even limited view
of the field upon which | lay. |
had never seen a sketch or photo
graph of the country. These are
facts beyond controversy. How,
then, is the matter to be explained i?
Was it simply,a coincidence, or is
the circumstance to be proper s
classed among those strange cas- ;
of second sights of which We
read?
/ can understand an ordinary
dream, for the visions which it
brings to view are almost invariable
based upon some incident of the
! ,nac+ Tho visions ynav ba orrotaco,,a