The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-04-22
CHASTITY GLIMPSES.
Different Phases Of Human Ma
fure in Death.
SCENES ON 4 BATTLE FIELD.
How Msa Die 81 Their Wounds- Most
Soldiers YufIy Conscious Of Their
Yate-Cryfsg Or Swearing



AZ Grov~sf,n. where the gallant Phi
Kearuey Was killed ~ We were trying 70
k.~p Jackson back. was struck in the
right Lex By bullet which seraped she
bone. Had been in health and vigof !
could have erswsed away of the fsid OF
battle. bat had been ont OF the hospital
only few days and really had TO business
in the ranks. | got out bsndase and
checked the flow os blood as well ~ could.
and then got into the most comfortable
position to wait the turn OF events. The
knowledge that nv wound was not a fatal
one. aud the belief that would not even
lose my lex. kept me in pretty good spirits.
and saw and heard all that went on
around me.
Near BY we're three men who we're NOR
tally wounded The one at Dy feet was q
strong and robust man, and had his ieff
hip shattered by piece OF she'll He had
been unconscious from the shock for q
long time. but when he came 10 be began
10 swear in the most vigorous manner. He
had wife and children at home. but be
did not seem 10 give them a thought He
swore At his wound, at the enemy, at the
battery behind us, nj himself for eniisting,
and at me when asked If / could help
him. lie died while INDUCING in strain
OF profanity, and he mad scarcely fallen
back when one OF the others reused up
and went through the same proceeding
and died exactly the same way.
When joe Hooker flung us at the terrible
stone wall 81 the foot OF Mayre's bill in the
streets of Fredericksburg. my cap was
struck of by q bullet Then second
struck my mnsket, and third tore the
cloth on my left shoulder. / knew / had
been hit. but did not feel the bullet which
plowed into my right shoulder. The first
| knew ! begas 10 grow dizzy. and all AT
once sank down in heap am sure
tainted away. for things had changed when
/ once more opened my eyes. Our lines
had been driven back and the Confeder-
ates were cheering. The first thing was
TO reach my canteen. which was fortu-
naieIy full of wafer. The next was To feel
for bandage and stuff the soft cloth into
The wound "a we'll "a | could. Dead
snd dying men wore lying all about me,
and here saw two different phases Of hu-
man nature under suffering. A young
man who laid on the broad OF bis back close
TO me, and who had been shot In the
stomach. swore like a pirate for about five
minutes before he died. Another soldier,
who was older aud far heavier man. sat
up at my right hand. A piece OF shell had
struck him In the side. Instead OF swear
ing he fell to weeping. He hadn't a word
about home or friends, but muttered that
IL wasn't fair TO shoot him down that way,
and that he was always in bad luck. and
there were tears on his cheeks when he
breathed his last.
Ii touches the heart to read of a burial
party finding dead soldier with his Bible
or some loved ones photograph in his
hand, but never came across anything of
the sort ! helped bury the cead on thir-
teen different fields OF battle. but never
found anything OF the sort A man
wounded unto death will either swear or
cry. Where he does neither he will crawl
away by himself 10 die and hold his peace
What he thinks OF no one can tell. but I
have found plenty of them who have evil
IDENTIFY lived for an hour after being hit.
and who had Bibles or photographs with
them and could have got them out but did
not.
have always believed that the men who
were mortally wounded and had only a
short time 10 live fully realized the situa-
y
pititul way knew three brothers TO be
nortally wounded by the same shell at
Antietam. They were very affectionate
toward each other. so much so that IL was
sabect OF remark The sentimentalist
would picture them dying in each others
arms and bidding each other good-by, but
this was far from the case. One of them,
rs wounded man told me. swore' i'm an
awful way. a second wept, while the third
kept his peace. Each crept away in a
different direction to die. aud there was a
distance of 100 feet between their dead
bodies when We found them.
In assisting to bury the dead at Gettys-
burg our party came across q soldier from
New York regiment whose dead face was
almost laughing He had been wounded
In the breast. and could not have lived over
fifteen minutes. lie must have suffered
terribly while diving, but AZ the last mo
ment the pain left him aud he was free
This was, no doubt. what brought the smile
10 bis face-a smile OF rejoicing and relief
After the fight at Williamsburg we found a
soldier who had died from a shot in the
groin. lie had taken $50 from his pocket
and placed IL under his body, torn up two
letters, and had spread handkerchief over
his face. and had passed away so quietly
that his countenance betrayed none OF the
pain which must have been his.
At Winchester, as the Confederates were
driven hack across the Berryyille pike aud
through the town. portion OF them made
a stand Ia the graveyard. | helped % col
leei and bury their bodies One OF them
had been shot through the right lung. aud
he Tell across the grave OF a woman who
had been buried ears before. Her tomb
stone was time-stane,i aud rusty, and he
dipped bis finger in his blood and traced
the initials m. Z. C." on the inside sur.
Face et the stone. Then, as II frightened
ST the prospect OF diving on a grave. lie
dragged himself over the grass 20 vacant
los aud hreaihed his last nnder q tree. The
distance was fully Gifts feet and he left
bloody trad to mark hts way. Another
dead Confederate in the same enclosure
who had hesn shot in the side. walked a
distance II ten reds, as We could see hv the
hlaesiy trail, and then ereps under a thick
tres and died. When we pulled the BODY
cat he held large stone tightly cluschsd
IA the right haad as II intending 10 use il