Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1891-05-02
"TRANK YOU, JOHNNY"
How Confederate saved a Union Soldier

How Confederate Saved a Union Soldiers
Life.
Our brigade was changing positions
at Stone river so as to cover the exposed
flank of another brigade, when l sud
denly sank down in heap. i can re-
member of falling, and it seemed to me
as If ] fell distance of fifty feet. l
also heard far-away voice saying:
Forward, men-forward! Steady on
the right!'
If the missiles which struck me had
reached vital spot death would have
come without pain or consciousness. l
sank away like one going to sleep, and
the roar of battle lulled rather than dis
turbed me. think it was as much as
twenty minutes before came to, and
the fight had then gone down the line
to the left, and it was comparatively
quiet where / lay. / had been hit
The thought gave me sudden shock
and cleared my mind. Where had the
bullet struck me? 1 felt no pain, and
for a few seconds hoped that had only
been stunned. Then l located the
wounds. One of Bragg's shells had ex-
ploded near by. 1t must have been
charged with special reference to my
case, for three of the bullets it con-
tanned struck me in the right leg, the
left shoulder and the right hand re-
spectively.
By and by / sat up. l was weak and
thirsty, but felt no pain. There We're
four dead men in front of me and TWO
on the left and one on the right. Of the
seven, four were federals and men OF
my regiment, who had been killed by
the same shell which had wounded me.
! could not see behind me, of course,
but heard two or three wounded men
groaning Fortunately, 1 had can
teen of water and my wounded hand
gave me no pain as l lifted it up an6
drank my fill had just worked along
into a hollow spot, where | had u rest
for my back, when fierce-loolling fel
low, whose dress showed him to be {
teamsters or a camp-follower of some
sort, came ont of n clump of bushes
about ten rods away. His object, as
suspected at first glance, was to rob the
dead.
1t was very seldom that even tn,
worst of the army bummers had tn,
cheek to play the ghoul in broad day
light, and that with fighting still goini
on, but this fellow went about it a
coolly as you please. He went through
the pockets of every dead man in from
of me, getting considerable plunde
from EACH and when he had finishe
with the last he came over to me, re
garded me with evil eyes moment, an
then asked:
What have you got?"
about ten dollars in money!" rt
piled.
"Shell out and be mighty quick abor
it, too"
81 can't. I'm hit in three places, an
the money is in pocket under me-"
Hand it over, l say"
MY friend, don't be rough on
wounded man. If you'll raise me u
III try to get it for you"
"Raise blazes!" he growled. 81 kno,
of way to get it without so niue
troubled"
He hadn't far to look to find loade
muslSet, and he picked it up, raised
10 his shoulder, and stepped forward
put the muzzle to my head before h
pulled the trigger. The internal gho,
meant to blow my head off and the
rob me at his leisure. / saw it in h
eyes as plain as day. ! believe h
finger was on the trigger when he SUE
denly staggered back and fell to til
earth, the muslset being discharged
the air us he fell. 1 also saw the bullt
as IL struck him, 1t hit him in the Gel
ter of the forehead, and seemed to
enveloped in smoke as it struck.
"1'hat's what l think of him, no ma
ter what side he belongs to!' called
voice behind nae.
knew by that voice that he was
confederate, and called:
''Is that you, Johnny?,'
eyes, that's me, YankH'
"Djd you shoot that fellow?"
"Thar amt nobody else around yel
as could have done It'll"
"Thank you, Johnny What reg
meIt do you"
But couldn't finish. / tainted dei
away, and when came to was beir
picked up by the ambulance corps al
ERs suffering such pain chat forg