The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1886-04-14

NEcn Who Rear the NcMcntOcs OF
HHard-FOught Conflicts.


81 One of the most remarkable things to
me, said physician of prominence, ia
that the old soldiers of the war bear the
mementoes of hot conflicts, the remem-
brances of days or weeks or months of suf-
fering and misery, with such cheerful un-
concern. Most men who wear wooden legs
or cork legs do it in way to create the I'M
preston that the limbs lost in battle are still
part of themselves. The other night, at q
dance, one of the most graceful walters on
the floor was man who had lost his leg at
New Hope Church, and yet there was prob
ably not a lady in the room who thought
for moment that she danced with wood
en-legged man.
There are other remembmnces of vari-
GUS conflicts Tint cannot escape observation.
closed eye, an ugly scar n clipped nose,
II broken jaw or distorted chin are not the
sort of things to make any man cheerful,
and yet never heard any soldier thus dis
figured complain or grumble in public, and
have known cases in which the bearer OF
such Disagreement was accused of carrying
his mark through some disgraceful brawl,
rather than as memento of the struggle in
which he played the part of the hero.
There is one man in the city who, in
the second year of the war, had the tip of
his nose and his middle toe carried away by
one shot. He had thrown himself down for
rest on n side hill just inside the skirmish
line, when stray rebel bullet took him
lengthwise, as it were, went through his cap
brim, clipped an eighth of an inch off his
shapely nose, and went through the end of
his shoe, cutting off squarely his middle toe.
His nose is all right now except persist
emily pale speck on the end. but the missing
toe comes back like ghost to make him
nearly frantic at times.
g have seen him jump from his chair in
the office, inhibition his shoe, kick it Ms high
as the ceiling, and dance round like mad
man. People who did not know the story
Of the missing toe are very apt to jump to
the conclusion that my friend is erratic as
wen as eccentric, and it is not very often
that he makes an explanation. He says II is
bad enough to have finger or toe itch when
you can get at it, but to have a toe take an
itching spell and know that it isn't there and
that you can't get at it even If you could
reach 400 miles, and to have it keep up that
irritating, tantalizing, exasperating itching
for ten or fifteen minutes, and to have no
chance of getting at it is too much for hui
man nature
The funniest thing in the business said
D one-armed stalwart, is to see lot Of
one-legged fellows Oh march. Not long
ago at regimental reunion q squad of
veterans, eacli of whom had lost leg or
part of leg, determined to march in the
procession They had all sorts of appli-
ances, and each one WIS proud of his own
substitute for the leg TINT nature had given
him. When the band struck up one of the
old marching tunes we were on level ground,
and all these lamed veterans moved of with
as stately step as if they had never been
wounded rejoiced greatly in the thought
that they would demonstrate that cork legs
and wooden stubs answered all the purposes
of soldering
s'But there came change in the elevation
of the street. and my one-legged squad were
in disorder at once. In going up the incline
more than half the wooden or cork appli.
ances got out of order, and the spectacle OF
these old fellows trying to keep time was
.udicrous enough to make any man laugh
and pitiful enough 10 make most people cry
but they joked and laughed, dropped on
for n minute, adjusted their wooden leg
and were ngain in the ranks They reall.
believed that they could march as well q
anybody could. and I note that most of tn
Older boys now grayheaded and rheumatic
believe they can march fifteen or twent,
miles at stretch without fatigue At al
events, whenever occasion offers, they at
tempt an exploit of the kind and make be
lieve that the sickness that follows is caused
by the weather."