The Irish standard., 1893-06-10

near the jugular vein. When he tried to
eat a piece Of ginger bread it partly came
out through the hole made by the ball.
Strange to say, he recovered. This fact
is recorded for the benefit of medical
science. just as the remnant Of our bri-
gade came out of action, Capt. Sullivan
and were talking in street OF Fred
|er1cksburg, and congratulating each
other that few escaped even Without
wound. He left me to pass ACROSS the
street, and as he reached the center ten
3feot from where we had been talking
cannon ball came down the street and
struck him about four inches above the
knee, and cut away his leg. Iheard his
confession at once, as / knew he could
not live. He was carried to the rear, and
ali that could be done by the faithful
surgeons was done; but he died that tina
night, This was the experience Of hum
1dreds.
.s CAMP LIFE AT FREDERICKsBURG.
\: The battle of fredericksburg took
place, as we have seen, on Saturday, De-
Gerber is. That night Gen. Burnside
withdrew and recroS ID the Rappahan-
nocek. This left most Of our wounded on
the bloody battlehs ! whore they fell,
and whore they lay all night with un-
dressed wounds and no food or drink.
Col. st. Clair Mulholland, since breveted
Major General, was ono Of the number.
Next day, Sunday, both armies were en-
gagged in collecting the wounded and
.bufying the dead. After returning from
tho battlefield we found temporary
shelter on the north side of the river,
where we spent some time in caring for
such of the wounded as had been saved
from the battlefield; then we tried to rest
d few hours. When said mass in the
morning, ] had very small congrega-
tion compared with former ones. After
mass The day was given to visiting. the
wounded, who were transferred as soon
as possible to the rear, where the Sani-
tary Com mission did good, noble, eharit-
ablework. attending to the waats Of the
sufffe eriiing, feeding them luxuriously and
binding mp their wounds. AHof us we're
sad,i |yssry sad. After = few DAYS we were
settled down II the same quarters which
We Ind occupied before going into the
battle Of fredericksburg. Now, for, GER
tain, wa thought we were=in winter guar
ters 10 stay. To our sl1rprise, we were
soon called to enter another campaign.
The mud was so deep that the lmpossi-
hiiitYof moving an army at that season
was soon demonstrated. After the heavy
rains, cannons went down so deep, it was
said, that "ths spots were marked where
they had disappeared, 90 that they could
be dug out in dry weather" Other tales,
illustrating the situation, were told. One
OF them remember: "a man wac going
along on the edge of forest, when, look
ing out into the so-called road where
troops had passed. he saw a hat ina
great mud hole. He reached out for it,
and discovered'a head under it. 'Why,
what are you doing there? he cried out.
The man in the mud answered: Il am
looking for my horse; he is somewhere
below"
We spent the winter in that very camp.
Gen. Meagher went to New York to re-
cruit the brigade. While he was there 9
solemn Requiem mass was celebrated for
those Of the brigade who fell during the
campaign Of 1862, and especially for
those slaughtered at Fredericksburg.
The mass was celebrated in st. Patrick's
Cathedral, and Rev. Father Ouellet, ST.,
who had resigned the service, was the
celebrant. During the winter, the regular
routine work ofs camp life occupied the
soldiers. Mass was celebrated daily,
confessions heard, and the sick admins
tered to. Cue day an orderly came for
me to 60 about six miles, to attend an
officer Of q Michigan regiment. His name
was Lieut. John o 'Callighan. Frequent
|HI was called in this way to distant
parts of the army, where there were no
Catholic chaplains, and my life, in this
respect. much resembled that Of q priest
in charge of parish. Gen.. Meagher,
having returned from New York, spent
some Of his time riding around among
the soldiers' camps, accompanied by his
Istaff While returHing one day from one
OF these rides, our brave Capt Jack"
Gasson thought it proper to do something
to break the monotony. So. dashing of
in his usual style. his horse slipped, fell,
and threw "Jack" violently on the hard,
frozen ground where he lay senseless.
Cen. Meagher sent for me, and I Ihastened
to eco Jack, !" !" - the officer who came for.
me assured me that "Jackv. was finished
at lest. When. / reached him = .JJssk" had
so fer recovered as4to give evident signs
that he wss not going to die Just then
Ha had received no vital injury, but his
collar-bone was broken, ard be had sev-s
eraf painful wounds. Ny great surprise
was tof1nd him lamenting, not his wounds