The National tribune., 1890-10-16

| were not sick enough to keep their beds, were
| left TO take care of themselves. All the atten-
| ton was given TO the wounded and the help
| lessly sick. All the news could get from
the field was from the wounded. and that was
| not satisfactory. as none of them could give a
| very good account of operations. The general
impression WIS that Milroys army was in q
] critical situation.
Sunday was like Saturday. only little more
| intensified. We could hear scattered firing,
| first in one direction then in another. There
seemed 10 be gloom hanging over everything.
! Wounded men were brought in continually.
! During the day ] went down stairs 10 see If /
could hear anything from my regiment |
stepped into kind of little curt and met q
man carrying something in a bloody cloth. Tho
! toes projecting beneath tho cloth told that it
was n human leg. Passing along narrow
| passage l looked into an open doaT, and there
! i'm the middle of the floor lay another leg, am
| putated near the body. Upon a table near one
corner lay the body of an officer, and along the
sides of the room lay several other bodies. All
/ the rooms were full of wounded men, and
/ Surgeons and nurses were busy attending to
! their wants All around were groans and
curses and suffering; some calling for water
some, in delrium, talking to dear ones Mt home; ;
| some CuTsng tho day they were induced TO
enlist The most, however, were bearing
their suffering patiently and heroically, ready.
! If their lives were spared and their health per-
mitted, TO try it all over again.
About sunset the rebs opened fire with artil-
leTy in a northerly direction, and our artillery
! Immediately replied. We could see the smoke
rising from both positions and occasional shells
bursting in the air, but could not see either
battery. The firing lasted 90 minutes perhaps
| but we knew nothing of its object nor its re-
suit.
! In the evening il was rumored in the hospi-
! tai that our forces were defeated, and that we
were likely to be captured During the night
all was quiet on the fed,-at least wo heard
| no firing of any kind.
Monday morning dawned bright and COOL
| Not a sound was heard in the streets. Every
thing was rs quiet and still as a Sunday morn
! ing. About dawn the Lieutenant stepped out
upon the piazza, but soon putting his head into
| the door said Boys come out and hear the
firing Those who were able To do SO went
/ out. of to the north we heard the boom
/ ing Of cannon and tho crash of musketry, and
saw the smoke rising above the trees A heavy
/ engagement was evidently going on. After
! listening till the last sound died away we went
! back into the room, and speculated upon tho
! situation. In half an hour or so a young man
| who had been acting as a kind of nurse stepped
out upon the piazza but directly bounded back
into the room, with a scared face, shutting the
door quickly behind him, saying, There's q
reb down there in the yard, and he was going to
shoot me-" Well, boys" said the Lieu tenant,
whatever has happened TO the army, the rebs
have the town and we are prisoners"
As soon as we fully believed that was the case,
we began 10 take measures TO save our personal
effects. We supposed that from what we bad
heard aud read that we would be robbed aud
insnlted, If not worse abused, as soon as our
captors fairly got possession Of us. The Lieu
tenant hardly knew what 10 do. lie wore
| private's blouse without straps, and be thought
st first he would pass a private, believing he
would fare better than an officer. lie con-
cluded, however, 10 20 for what he was. They
sha'n't have my sword, though be said, aud
he broke it across his knee aud hid the pieces
in the fireplace The young man previously
spoken Of had several shirts, aud desiring TO
save them, put them all on. ] saw him two
days alter as we started on the march TO Staun-
ton, and he was still wearing them.
About all had was the oyercuat took from
the hospital-tenf and s. bill. The latter ] hid
in my shirt-collar. IL being quiet outside. l
veniurod out onto the piazza. Stepping to the
farther end Of IT, and looking into some back
street, three or four blocks away, saw body
] OF rebels drawn mp in line with their backs
toward me. / think il was about a company.
/ An officer seemed 20 be talking TO them. and
/ after awhile they filed away. Very after
/ this ] heard distant roaring sound. and the
| town seemed suddenly waking into life.
/ suppose body OF troops came in, and should
~
when guard appeared. Every outside door
| h.ri a sentry, aud we were indeed prisoners
/ No insults nor violence Was offered. The guard
! seemed 10 take but little notice Of u.s. Those Of
I US who could get around were allowed the lib
/ erty o. the house and the yard. The only hard
I thing ] saw was when our wounded were taken
! from their cots, laid upon the floor. and the
I rebel wounded put in their places. The little
, yard below our rooms was filled with butternut
soldiers, and good deal Of good uaiuTed chat
was passing between them and their prisoners
! i went down into the yard to see aud learn
/ something. ] found these troops belonging TO
/ EweiPs Corps and 10 "A North Carolina rcgi-
/ ment. One Of the guard was sitting a log
! by the gate, aud sat down beside him 10 have
talk. lie was quite good -natUred fellow aud
| fairly intelligent. He had been in the war from
| the very first, and expected TO see il through.
| lie VAS in the first battle of Bull Rum aud said
be believed JEFF Davis was the best man that
ever Lived. While talking TO this man saw the
only instance OF robbery Of our men till We got
/ 20 Richmond.
Some Of our soldiers were standing along the
fence by the sidewalk. Three or four rebel
soldiers came along aud one OF them very cooiy,
aud without word, sBatched cap from the
| bead Of one Of the Yankees, and put his old
| white toadstool IN its place. After talking
| with this man some time / made my way up
stairs aud out 10 the front Of the hotel 10 the
~~'+''4'' D'N+9 F4f-$N" 0sblAOoA'bB hhS mann
! street
The streets were full Of soldiers, and many of
them were stroling about with ladies on their
! arms. Indeed, there seemed to be as many
| women Is men. aud all up and down the street
| ladies were out On the pOrches talking with
| the rebel soldiers. Brass bands were playing,
Aids and OTderies were galIoping this way and
tbNt, and several small bodies Of infantry went
by. The balcony was crowded with prisoners.
aud almost every body Of passing troops would
look up and whoop at the Yankees.
WAS about 70 turn away when the sound OF
the trampling Of feet attracted my attention,
and looking down the street the head Of a coli
gmn Of men appeared in sight round a bend in
the street. As they on ] saw they were
lot o. prisoners surrounded by their guards.
There were several hundred OF them | think,
and when they passed below Us ] saw among
them the Orderly Sergeant and Others Of my
company, besides several others Of my regi-
nent. When they had gone by went bacl.
into the building but had been there but few
minutes when heard the rattle Of drums and
the steady. regular tread Of marching men out
in the street. got out upon tho piazza again
just as large drum corps, heading column Of
troops, was passing. Down the street south
ward 10 the bend the road was full Of troops
marching by fours at right-shoulder-sh shift
Their heads and shoulders were swaying in
regular cadence step, and their eyes were fixed
10 the front, giving them grim aud deter
mined air.
The head OF column went out of sight
around the northern bend, and still they poured