Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1886-07-16
[''Maria Blunt" in the Century Magazine.l
IN THE WAKE OF BATTLE.

A wOMAN's RECoLLECTIoNs OF sHEP-
AS remember. the next morning
it was Sunday, September 1--we were
awakened by heavy firing at two points
on the mountains. We were expecting
the bombardment Of Harper's Ferry and
knew that Jackson was before it. Many
OF our friends were with him, and our
interest there was so intense that we
sat watching the believing and smok-
ing Heights, for long time, before we
became aware that the same phenomena
were to be noticed in the North. From
our windows both points could be OBJ
served, and we could not tell which to
watch most keenly. We knew almost
nothing except there was fighting, that
it must be very heavy, and that our
friends were surely in it somewhere,
but whether at South Mountain or Har-
per's Ferry we had no means of discov-
ering. l remember how the day wore
on, how we staid at the windows until
we could not endure the suspense; how
we walked about and came back to them; I;
and how finally, when night fell, it
seemed cruel and preposterous to 60 to
bed still ignorant.
believe there was more firing at
Harper's Ferry on Monday, but | retain
very indistinct impression of the
morning. In the afternoon, about two
or three o'clock, when we were sitting
about in disconsolate fashion, distracted
by the contradictory rumors that reach
ed us from town, our negro cook rushed
into the room with eyes shining and
face working with excitement. She
had been down in ode ten-acre lot to
pick few years Oh cawn," and she had
seen long train of wagons coming up
from the ford, and "dey is full OBJ
wounded men, and de blood runnin'
outen dem dat deep" measuring on her
outstretched arm to the shoulder. This
horrible picture sent us flying totown,
and we found the streets already crowd
ed, the people all astir, and the foremost
wagons, ,ofwhich there seemed an endless
line, discharging their piteous burdens.
The scene speedily became ghastly, but
fortunately we could not stay to look at
it. There were no preparations, no ac-
commodations-the men could not be
left in the streels-what was to be done! !!
A Federal soldier once said to me, 81
was always sorry for your wounded; /;
they never seemed TO get any care"
The remark was extreme, but there was
too much justice i'm it. There was little
mitigation of hardship to our unfortun-
ate armies. We were fond of calling
them Spartans, and they were but too
truly called upon to endure u Spartan
system of neglect and privation. They
were always ill-fed and ill-cared tor. 1t
would have been possible, at this time,
one would think, to send courier back
to inform the town and bespeak what
comforts it could provide for the APP
preaching wounded; but here they
were, unannounced, on the brick. pave
ments, and the first thing was to find
roofs to cover them. Men ran for keys
and opened the long empty shops and
unused rooms; other people got brooms
and stirred up the dust of ages; then
armies of children began to appear with
bundles of hay and straw, taken from
anybody's stable. These were hastily
disposed 10 heaps, and covered with
blankets-the soldiers own, or else one
begged or borrowed from anywhere.
On these improvised beds the sufferers
were placed, and the nextquestion was
OF the proper dressing of their wounds.
No surgeons were to be seen. A few
men, detailed as nurses, had come, but
they were incompetent Of course. Our
women set bravely to work and washed
away the blood, or stanched it as we'll
as they could, where the jolting Of the
long rough ride had disarranged the
hasty binding done upon the battle
field. But what did they know Of
wounds beyond cut finger, or a boil !
Yet they bandaged and bathed, with
devotion that went far to make up for
their inexperience. Then there WAS
the hunt for bandages. Every house
keeper ransacked her stores and brought
forth things new and old. | saw one
girl, in despair for strip of cloth, look
about helplessly, and then rip off the
hem of her white petticoat. The doc.
tors came up, by and by, or l suppose
they did, for some amputating Was
done. Rough surgery, you may be
sure. The women helped, holding the
| instruments and the basins, and trying
to soothe or strengthen. They stood to
their work very nobly; the emergency
brought out all their sire 9Th to meet
it.
Zone girl who had been working very
hard, helping the men on the sidewalks,
and dressing wounds afterwards In a
close, hot room, told me that at one
time the sights and smells (these last
were fearful) so overeame her that she
could only stagger to the staircase,
where she hung, half conscious, over
the banisters, saying to herself, "Oh, !
hope If faint some one will kisk me
| into corner and let me lie there" She