Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-11-05

A BAIILE-SCARRED VETERAN,
THE Terrible Experience of a Union
Soldier on the Gettysburg Battle
Field.
While few veterans of the late
war have been removed from their
places, there are number left. One
who is still employed in the treasury,
writes a Washington correspondent
to The Cleveland Leader, is Q. II.
Smith, better known among his
friends as Charlie" Smith. He has
been granted leave of absence. He
has tie distinction of being one of the
worst wounded men IN the late war.
So badly was he injured that no one
who saw him when first shot down ever
thought ne would survive, and his
case is recorded in the Medical and
Surgical History of the War" as one
OF the most remarkable of any there
described. Early on the morning of
the first day at Gettysburg he entered
the tight with his regiment, the 10th
New York, and was one of the first
shot down, S minnie ball passing clean
through his thigh close to the body.
He fell where the battle at the time
ragged 6crcest, and hardly was he down
before another bullet struck him in
the left groin and came out behind
the right hip joint, passing in it's
course very near to several important
blood vessels and nerves, and going
directly through the bladder; the
third missile passed right through
the abdominal cavity from front to
back, and emerged near the lower
part of the spine, the bones of which
were partially shattered. All these
wounds were received within a space
of fifteen minutes. Then, as the
wounded man lay prone on his face,
shell burst directly over him and
very close to his BODY, the explosion
raising him violently from the ground
while the ragged iron tore away mass
es of flesh from the lower part of the
body. He was rendered senseless, and
during the four days and nights he
lay upon the field without food, drink,
or shelter, exposed to the glaring sun
and chilling dews. He had very little
idea of time. Dozens of dead bodies
lying ali about him, while providers
and thieves Of the battle ground rob-
bed the wounded and the dead. He
was for great part of the time with
in the lines Of the enemy by reason of
the advance of the rebels, and as he
lay upon his face he found it neces~
sary TO call out whenever he heard
anyone approaching, for fear it might
be some marauder who was plumber
ing the slain. In such cases the Wis
ltor stuck his bayonet into the body
of the dead man TO turn him over, and
Smith called out for the purpose of in
dicating that he was alive. He was
not anxious for rebel bayonet in ad-
dition to the injury he had already
received; therefore, when some one
would risk, "Yank, are you alive?"
he invariably answered without de-
lay. They robbed him OF his canteen
of water and all the clothing they
could remove from him except that
which was clotted and stained with
blood from his wounds. He lay in
corn field, and he found that he had
strength enough to burrow little in
the earth SO as to bury his face in the
damper soil, and this somewhat re-
vived him, and enabled him to keep
alive. On the fifth day relief party
picked him up. rolled him in blank
ct, and laid him in a cow shed, the
only shelter near, where for two days
he was almost immersed In cow>ooze.
Then he was removed to an old house
where for seventeen days he lay up
on his back GA hard board plank.
AS the surgeons never expected him
to get well MS wounds where never
probed or dressed, nor was anything
in the shape Of medicine given him.
The urine passed out by way OF the
wound in the groin. While the con-
tents Of the bowels made their exit
through the fstuIcus wound through
the spine This condition of things
lasted for months. The wound near
the spine has never healed. When
ever their ale any signs Of it the suff.
erer becomes sick. 1t is necessary to
make three Or four dressings each
day. "Charlie" is TO- day one of the
healthiest looking men IL the treas
ury, Notwithstanding the terrible ex-
perienc9 he underwent, and the suff~
ering he undergoes daily, and though
not above medium height he weighs
175 pounds.