Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-12-04

4AdA pei
seemed to justify the surgeons in putting
him off for a time.
His wound did not do we'll, AMI later he
was sent to general hospital in Memphis,
when gangrene attacked the foot and death
was the result.
All the afternoon and till late at night
on May % did the surgeons work with the
wounded; amputating limbs, removing
balls, cleaning and washing wounds, rid
ding them of broken pieces Of bone, band
aging them up and putting in the best
shape, possible. A few were bruised from
stroke of spent balls or piece of shell and
recovered in a few days. Long lines of
wounded now occupied the shaded places
in the yard, and to attend to the wants of
these kept all busy. Carbotic acid and 9TH
er disinfectants were at that time not in
use and all wounds were at first treated
with simple water dressings. Old muslin
cloth or lint was saturated with cold water
and applied to all fresh wounds. AS soon
as these began to matter, simple cerate, a
mild soothing ointment consisting of two
parts of fresh lard and one of white wax,
waA applied. In most bullet wounds, the
ball in entering the body carried before it
little pieces of the clothing, leather of the
belt or cartridge box, tin of the canteens
or any such substance first struck by the
missile. In nearly all in tances these for
form of little dark colored bits of debris.
Every day the wounds were washed and
freshly dressed. But as the weather was
warm many wounds became infested with
maggots. This looked horrible but was
not specially detr mental.
Two or three days. extra work was mado
by the large number of wounded resulting
from the assault Of May %.
Aften this then was a constant accession
Of wounded men at the hospital, but only a
few at time.
One man received wound from some
sort Of large missile that made an extern
sive opening at the place Of entrance. the
fleshy part of the thigh, in which it buried
itself deeply and could not be reached. In
day or two the limb all about the wound
began to assume greenish- yellow hue and
later the man died.
Cutting into the wound after death, re-
vcaled the presence Of a copper-tap more
than an inch across, from shell.
About week after the sci began a
young man from an Ohio regiment died
from wound resulting from his own inn
prudence. The first day OF the investment,
while his regiment was drawn up in line
three or four miles from the enemy's
works, there being some delay in the adj
vance, the young man got some loose pow
der, ran it along in little trail covered
this with dust and tried to fire it. AS it did
not ignite he was STOPPING over with his
face close to the ground when the charge
took fire. His face was badly burned, and
later was attacked with erysipelas, from
which death resulted. This seemed an in
glorious way ofyIelding up ones life when
the opportunities for dying for ones coun.
try were SO plentiful.
AS soon as communication by the Yazoc
was opened up with the North, supplies
in great abundance came in for the sick
EIn the way Of eatables were delicacies o.
various kinds, fruits, mild, home-mad.
wines, etc. Clothing for the sick and
wounded was furnished in full quantities.
This, for the most part, consisted of cotton
garments for underwear-shirts, night
shirts, drawers, gowns, etc. Most all Of
bleached muslin.
Cotton goods were at the time expensive
in the market, from the fact that the sup.