Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-26

| carried out and laid by the side Of their COM
| rades in the long deep trench which finally
contained more than n hundred victims.
One night when the epidemic was at its
height nearly 100 men. including some of the
| most trusted of the non-commissioned
officers, deserted in body. They took
with them a supply Of provisions, cook
ing utensils and few musketa They
| could NOT get of the island. however, as a gov
| eminent cutter had recently arrived and was
patrolling all the supposed avenues of escape.
| so they went regularly into camp by them
selves, and when discovered were easily
persuaded to return to their duty.
| stores were brought down from Savannah by
| q small steamer, which landed them at some
little distance from the camp in order to avoid
| as much as possible all danger from infection.
| fatigue party had to receive the car 60, how
ever, and on one occasion while they were en-
gagged In this duty Lieut. Mays confided to his
| comrade the fact that his wedding day had
| been liked for the first of the ensuing month.
GLOOMY OUTLOOK FOR WEDDING.
| sand now" said he. gloomily, Il am more
likely to attend my own funeral" The officer
with him endeavored to dispel these forebod-
ings and the conversation finally drifted to the
| incidents that had transpired on their voyag 9
down, before they had really found out what
the dread disease was
| 'Ah!' said Mays. mo one can ever again
| deceive me in regard to cholera All shall
want to do to convince me will be to look at
the persons hands. II they are clammy,
| shriveled up and look like the hands of 9
laundress who has done q big washing
shall bid that patient good-bye.for there will be
no more hope of his recovery than there would
| be If he had been struck by a cannon ball"
That night Mays seemed to have recovered
| officers until long after midnight with humor-
Gus accounts Of his experiences in the ranks OF
| the regular army, where he had served previous
to the rebellion. At daylight the next morning
| he was taken ill, and at O'Clock the attend
| ants came to remove him to the hospital. As
| they were about to start the officer who had
been at the landing with him the day before
stepped up and asked if there was any thing he
could do for him. The poor fellow held up his
hands. all shriveled, clammy and wrinkled, as
he had said, ''like washer womans," and then
replied:
mo, thank you; but I will say goodbye for
shall not see you again"
Less than eight hours later he was dead. His
was one OF the most violent cases in the gloomy
record.
Perhaps the most onerous task the men we're
required to perform, because Of its known
danger, was that of the burial of the dead.
Zach morning the doctor sent q notice of the
number requiring this sad rite. The number
varied from five to fifteen a day, and. 1 think,
one day it may have reached the high-water
mark of a score-s fearful mortality for SO
small q command.
AN IRISH BoY's DISCIPLINE.
Among the recruits was tall, fne-looking
Irish boy, who Icould hardly have been q day
more than the minimum age required by the
regulations for the recruiting service. His
life had evidently been spent with the horses,
stables and paddocks OF the race tracks of Ire
land. He knew very little else except what
pertained to races and race horses, and yet he
had learned there, or somewhere else, the great
lesson of scipline-obedience to orders. A
burial party happening to fail to his charge, one
of the men engaged in the disaSreeable task
suddenly dropped the portion Of the
corpse he was carrying and attempted
to escape. In q moment Mike was upon
him with drawn bayonet and would
certainly have run him through had the man
not begged SO hard to be permitted to resume
his duty. After this Mike always had charge of
the burial of the dead. The captain gave him
for duty and to use summary measures upon
any who faltered.
There were no more open mutinies among
the burial parties, but the poor Irish boy came
to be the worst hated of any one in the camp.
After the command re-embarked for st.
Augustine, on the way down one night some
cowardiy assassin sneaked up on him while he
lay asleep and struck him on the head with
what the doctors decided had been a stone in o
stocking. He never recovered from the blow,
and died of brain fever as the result.
MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.
The first dawn of light which came to this
stricken command was when young doctor of
the regular medical corps of the army. arrived
and took charge OF the hospital Several other
doctors not long after reported to him
assistants, and the change that was soon
wrought in the condition of the hospitals and
patients was almost magical A large number
of spacious tents were ordered down, and as
soon as they came were pitched on the ocean
beach. These We're supplied with comfortable
beds and all the appliances OF regular
general hospital. Then the sick were removed
from the dismal tower. and its gloomy earthwork
surroundings, to the new, cleanly and cheerful
location. The man who wrought this change
was Assistant Surgeon Charles X. Winnie. U. S. A.
He had seen much service in the war that hal
SO recently closed and brought to this. probably
the most important and onerous duty Of his
life, not only many scientific and profess
sional attainments but also q courage that is
born of the field of battle.
THIS WAS BATTLE OF MANY DAYS
and nights duration. In a sense it was a smoke
less powder engagement; the enemy was an
invisible one, but death was in the very air.
The death-dealing shafts came from no one
knew whence, and when they had done their
work they sped no one knew whittier. The
young surgeon faced the danger with the cool
ness and courage Of q true soldier. He met
the grim specter at the bedside of every
new patient, grappled with him and fought
him routrance. One of his assistants died
after an illness almost as brief as that which
had carried off Lieut.. Mays. Another was
stricken nigh unto death, and in the extreme
cases all science. medicine and care could not
avert the fated end; and yet until the last
breath was gone the last throb had ceased, the
doctor would not surrendered such stuff are
our heroes made.
Encouraged by this magnificent example
there were no more assertions from the hospi-
tai. Men no longer concealed the incipient
stages of the disease, but reported them
promptly and went to the hospital, and in
these cases the doctor was generally able to
save them.
For period Of about fifteen days the pesti-
lence ragged; then it began to flag and suddenly
1t ceased and wholly disappeared. But in the
meantime two of the officers and III men Of
this small command had died.
BRAVE SOLDIER OF THE CROSS
This sketch would be incomplete if it failed
to mention ore other soldier who fought on
this field. Victor Hugo has truthfully said tina.
where both are equally sincere and good no
men amalgamate more easily than an old priest
and an old soldier, for they the same men
at the bottom. One devotes himself to his
country down here and the other to his couu-
try up there; that is the sole difference
With the first news of the epidemic on Tybee
Roman Catholic priest was Immediately dis
patched to the scene. Father Ryans arrival
was most opportune and during the entire
time in those intimate relations which sub
sist between the priest and the penitent he
never faltered, day or night. in the solemn
lutv ASSIGNED tn him And what n cop,forx IL