Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-02-28
[From.the Charlottesville Progress, Feb. END
GENERAL GORDON'S SCARS.
He Was Wounded Five Times in One
Battle.
Rallying His Men While Scarcely Able to
Stand Up-A Sublime Spectacular
Interesting Story From His
Own Lips.

Own Lips.
The following incident in the mill
tary career of. General Gordon, who
lectures at the University this evening,
will be read with interest =
At Sharpsburg, Nd, General Gordon,
then Colonel, furnished the sublimest
spectacle of endurance and courage
that think is furnished by the annals
of war. Before the battle General Lee
rode down the lines, and expressed
doubt as to General Gordon's being
able to hold his position, and conveyed
to him an idea of the Importance of
doing so. General Gordon, turning so
that his men could hear him said
General Lee, my men are determined
that they will stay here" Then the
battle opened. Line after line was
thrown upon General Gordon's front.
But from that dauntless front they
were thrown back as often as they
marched against it. The slaughter
| was terrible. The ground was literally
blue with the corpses of the enemy,
while only six men of the right wing OF
the regiment were left. But the line
never wavered. The men had come to
stay" and. dead or alive, they were
| determined to stay.
General Gordon was wounded early
in the fight. A minnie ball passed
through the calf of his leg, tearing the
| flesh in a most fearful manner. The
| flow of blood was incessant, but he had
no time to staunch the wound. In
about half an hour another ball plung
ed through the same leg about foot
above where the other had gone. The
loss of blood from these two wounds
weakened him, but he still kept his
feet, and gave his orders calm and cleal
to his men, who were lying on theil
faces An hour later he was sho1
again, the ball tearing through his left
arm, making hideous wound and cut
ting little artery. This disabled hi
arm, and helped to drain his weakened
system, but still, haggard and bloody
he staggered up and down the line en-
couraging his men. A fourth ball ther
entered his shoulder, knocking hin
from his feet. His men who saw thu
crimsoned uniform and pale face sc
down, thought their heroic leader wal
killed. With sublime courage, how
ever, he struggled to his feet, an(
though he had hardly strength t.
stand, waved his sword above hishead
Some one ran to him hastily, and sale
it was rumored up the line that he wal
dangerously wounded, and the mel
were wavering "1ell them I am no
hurt badly" he said. And so through
those dreadful hours of slaughter, will
four unstaunched wounds DRAWN.
blood from his body, he stood deter
mined to die with his men. and in de
fence of the pal that General Lee ha(
confided to his trust. Was knightlie
heroism ever displayed? All grea
heart of gold! All! splendid gentl
man All lustrous and shining soul
On that day didst thou win immorta
glory, even though all else of thy lif
were blotted out
At length fifth ball struck GordoI
full in the face, and. entering his cheek
knocked him senseless. He fell, an,
for some time his PROSTATE body wa
wrapped in the smoke of battle.
We hear from General Gordon's owl
lips a story that in a metaphysics
point is exceedingly interesting. Fl
says that when he fell he was utteri
!. incapable of moving. He gradual
began to think of his condition, an
this is the half dream and half soliloqu
that he carried on:
Il have been struck in the hea
: with a sixpound solid shot. 1t ha
. carried away my head. On the lef
side there is little piece of skull left
But the brain is gone entirely. There
fore, am dead. And yet am think
, ing. How can man think with hi
head shot off? l may have consciou:
ness while dead, but not motion. If
can lift my leg, then am alive. wi
try that. Can 1? Yes; there it is
lifted up I'm all right '
The General says that every stag
of this soliloquy is indelibly stampe
on his mind, and that in his exhauste
state the reasoning was carried on a
logically as ever man reasoned at hi
, desk. Doubt succeeded argument an
argument displaced doubt just as log
) cally as could be. He says he wi
never forget with what anxiety h
made the test of lifting his leg-wit
J what agony he waited to see whethe
or not it would move in response to hi
| effort, and how he hesitated befor
trying it, for fear that it might fail
and his death be thereby demonstrat