Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1891-10-20
NOW usA OFF IN aAI1lI.

How NO men dF w usti"' tus' "
q difficult question Ia answer. Almos,
every death I. different. And the man
per ~ the death depends on the wound
and on the man. whether he IL chicken
hear,s>i or brave, whether hls vitality !.
large or small, whether he Ia q man 81
ac,I,. lima gination or Ia dull ~ intellect,
whether he 4. 10 nervous az lymphstlc
Temperament. ! Will Instance some 81
the deaths and wounds that ] saw In
Grants last campaign.
Iva. light srtillcryman, bat fought
q. an infantry soldier during the nrst
two day. ~ Nh. battle ~ the Wilderness.
ON the second dsy 10 that battle J .sw
more men killed and wounded than did
before or after In the same space ~ time.
I knew but frw ~ the men II the
regiment In whose rank. ] stood, bat
l~s rnc,i ~. Christian names 81 some 81
them.
A man named VIII stood newt to me
on nv right. lie WAS brave, cool, lie
t.rnlne,i. Ia th. morning when the Ss,-
oni Corn. "a. advancing and driving
mr.. soldier. slowly back, I ~ss dur
RED. VIII noiic-d II aud stesdi.si my
nerve. by saving Kindly; "Don't IRE so
fast. Thl. hight will last all day. Don't
hurry. Cover yoar man b.fot. you pull
your trigger. Take Il easy, mtboy, take
u easy. ani your cartridge. viii la'' III"
long-r."
During the DAY had learned io look
up a. thl. man aud H. lean on him. To-
ward e,.ning, as we we're being slowly
driven hack "a the BroCk road by Long
street. soldiers, ". made determined
stand. Iva. b-hlni q tire firing, NV
ride harrrl r-.ilng on stub oi . limb
q. took aim. viii va. standing by NV
.iie, hut In III. op-n. suddrnly With q
rroan he doubled up aud fell on the
ground NJ my feet. lie looked up.
III. fac. va. pale. lie gtsped Tor
b,,.;h a few tlme.. and then .sh falui-
Iy THAT end. me. am shot through
the bowsl.." SAIL; "Cpsl OF Ia the
rear We are ne, fsr FROM the inir-ncl'-
ment. along the Brock rad"
Law VIII sit up, snd indisiincily sav
him r-ach for h. rifle, which hid
fallen from hIs hani when h. fell. Again
.pok. a. him, urglng him Ia go 10 ih"
rear. lie looked az me aud aid, imps-
tIrntIy," tell you I am ss good q. lead.
There 4. no W. la icollng With mc.
4 .haIl .tay here" Then b. pitched
fot~ari dad, .ho, sgsin aud through
the head. We wer- driven hack hy
Iong.trcct's men, and VIII was left ly-
ing In a " ind row ~ dead men.
late In the aft.fnoop of the nr.t DAYS
lighting IN the wildrrnc-. ! sa~ battle
exhausted private ota Maln- regiment
.tanding bshlni = lafg" oak tr-". lie
held hI. ride lOo.sly Ia hl. hands, the
butt resting on M. groand. w. back
leaned heavily against the tire. The
.oldI.r va. not .hltking. III. ,onfcder-
ate. wrr. directly In our front. The
Maine volunteer Wa apparently resting Ia
peri,ct safety. 4 .olld shot from Con-
irdrra,- gun struck the oak tire .quaf.ly
ai,out four i-,t from the ground. " I'LL
not hAy. sufficient fore" Ia tear Through
the tough wood. The soldier, who had
sought the protection II IA. ircc, "a f--i,
In.,.ntly pitched forward dead, kill-'i
by ~. concus.ion - the tree. He skin
was unbroksn.
When the second Carp. got inio
the Iirock Rad Entertainments, on
IA. afternoon of the second day'
n,h,lng. mana few de a. my lett,
fell dead. .hu, ju.t above the right eve.
N. dld not gfuan or Sigh or make ih"
least phy.i,sl movement, eNcrpt that
hl. cheat h~aVc,i few times. The Ilir
wcut oui 10 his iscr Instantly, leaving "
wlthout particle ~ expression.
II ~as plastic. and az III. facial muscles
contracted II took many shapes. When
thi. man. body became cold aud hi.
face had hardened II wa. horribly de
,or,e,l, a. though he had suffered Intense
~.
4 few minutes after b. fell, another
soldier, q little farther Ia the left, Tell ~lth
apparently precisely similar ~oand.
Iie WAS stralghisned out sni ll'-i for
over an hour. IIe did not .Ieak, simply
Law on Ill. back. aud hi. broad chest ros-
aud fell, slowly at dr., ani then faster aud
faster, aud morr AMI more fr.bly until hs
va. dead. WHEN hl. face hardened u
VA. almo., terrifying IN u. painiul dis
tortion. have SEEN dead nous fscc.
wreathed la smiles. and heard soldier.
.sy that they had evidently dic,i happy.
DO no, believe that the face 81 dead
man ever show. the mental or phy.lcsl
anguish be suffered ~ the serenity be ln-
Ioyei before his death.
In the Wilderness, In front OF the
Brock rad intrrnchm-nt., ! .aw many
~ our wounded burned Ia death. Must
they not have suffered horribly ! am
not at all sure 10 that. The smoke rolled
heavily and lowly before the nrc. U,
enyelopei the wounded men, aud think
that by far IN. larger portion ~ the
stricken soldier. who were roi-tei werr
suiiots,ed before th. danes cufl.d
around them. The spectacle "a. courage
sapplng aud pliiful. and u apPeale.i
strongly "a the Imagination OF the sol
der. who saw Il, bat do not belic'. tia'
the burned men suffered greatly.
saw near spo,t.ylyaui,, a. my bat
terry was going Into action. q group oil
wounded men lying In the .h,l. ca.i by
some large oak trees, near which a Held
hospital .tood. All 10 these men'- faces
were gray. They silently looked at "a.
a. h.. - laaa.a