The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-01
SOME WARTIME ECHOES.
The Story Of a Young southern Private so'-
dlsr--Ihs Hsroism Of the "onndeo
Men Inspired Others.
Correspondence OF the Charleston Mer-
cury)


In place OF items which are scarce
this morning. suppose ! bring your read
era bodily into this city, and let them
see and feel something OF the aihictions
we have endured. The night IS very peau-
tiful. for the moon is shining win IN
tense brilliancy out OF cioudiess shy
II is so warm that we find 1t more com
Portable 10 bring our chairs out upon the
Pavement An old lady and her daughter
are seated near us. at the open windo"
NOT far OF. another daughter. conVaIes-
cent after a long sickness, is seated. Inc
house. you see, IS a small. one. TWO stoiies
high. with a basement. and only '"o
rooms on a floor. IL is the home OF one
of the most distinguished writers III ,iie
Confederacy--a man once wealthy, ou'
now a clerk in one OF the Departments
An artillery train is tolling UP the o"e,
one of the drivers singing merrny' ana
two Young girls are walking up ana do"il
the Pavement. with arms around each
others waists las is the wont OF youns
girls, and enjoying the moonlight. Iheil
merry laughter mingles with the sohs
of the cannon driver ...,oa
One warm day, just before the patties
IN front of Richmond. there came 10 'n~
door of this house a young soiuiei'
IDENTIFY sick who asked 10 De leu W wy
fire. He was an entire strahsei, ""C,
overcome by q chill had seized the pen
Of the first house he came w. o
to tho Kitchen. where the only fire was,
be soon became deirious, and was put
70 he'd in the back parlor. very smali
room but the only spare one In the mouse
A few DAYS afterwards. the week OF pat
files begun. and on the fourth or min
day of that week an ambulance uro'e UP
TO the house. II was known thAt heai
relative of the family had been seseIey
wounded, and left TO die on the heio' ioi
his recovery was deemed hopeiess' one
of the young ladies ran down 10 the am
bulance lifted the curtains, anu scdrce
tnouing what she said, so frightened was
She exclaimed: "Oh, Henry. Henry. are
Won dead?" The occupants burst into
laugh. Dead, not a bit of 1t, SAID ne.
'sHenry. you are real hero replied
his cousin. Hero, indeed; l am nodhero.
I'm a leg-ero:" and with that henry
kicked out gaiiy with the only leg he
had left: for the other had been cut
off close 10 the hip. A hero he was III
the highest sense. A lieutenant or an
artillery company, he was shot through
the calf Of the leg by mimic ball, IN
the first days fight; and though entreated
TO leave the field, kept his post until the
fight ended. The next day he was wound
ed in the knee Of the same leg, ana per-
sisted in keeping his place In spite or the
protestations Of all who knew MIN. On
the third day a fragment of shell. as large
as a mans hand. shattered his thigh bone
and lodged there. He was carried 10 the
nearest house. amputation was performed,
and there he was left after all the other
wounded had been carried away, for no
one thought he could live. The house was
between the contending armies, and shell
after shell poured through ii, while the
poor fellow lay there all alone, but for
tunately none exploded. Finally, he was
taken 10 his uncle's house, the wound
reopened. for ii had been Improperly sew
ed up, and handful of vermin taken out
of il. The ablest surgeon in the city |
was called In. directed his friends 10
give him all the brandy and morphine |
they could get down him, and left him, |
as he thought 10 die. He was placed in |
the little back parlor. with the other |
sick soldier. A terrible supDuration en- |
sued poisoning the atmosphere of almost /
the whole square. Imagine the condition |
Of the occupants OF the house itself, |
when the terrible Odor could actually be
tasted In every article Of food, in every |
drop Of water. and inhaled at every
breath for weeks at a time.
Henry knew the doctor had given him
up. but he determined to live, as he
said, TO spite the Yankees. His spirits
never tagged; he never uttered a groan;
lis appetite never failed him. His hero
SIN wac known in the city; he was piled
With deiicacies; ladies sent him messages
md flowers; gentlemen came TO see him
~ the hundred. He laughed and Joked
With his friends. and replied to the mes
ages Of the young ladies by threatening
O marry all of them. Meantime. the SER
ANTS Of the family were taken sick, and
he care OF Henry devolved entirely upon
he ladies. They did their duty, so TO
peak, manfully: and now Henry is able
o sit up In bed and speaks confidently
If the time when he will strut about on
4 wooden leg, and again do battle against
the inveder.
Such is the story Of a single house In
Richmond. Let us go the very next door
In the parlor you may see an emaciated
young man, propped up by pillows, and
always cheerful. in spite of distressing
cough and the nervous twitching OF his
face. He, too, is a hero. every inch. The
adjutant of a regiment under Loring's
command. he had come home on a FUR
ough, and knowing the great battle
was to come off, obtained permission TO
take part in IL. At Cold Harbor the reg
iment he had joined went into the thick
est OF the fight and man after man OF
the color guard was stricken down, until
eleven had been killed or wounded. Our
adjutant then seized the flag and pressed
to the front. A ball passed through his
right arm. He grasped the colors with
the left hand and pressed on. Another
ball went through the upper part OF his
light lung, and still he pressed on. AT
asst a third ball passed through his
him by the violence of the blow. As he
Tell he stuck the staff into the ground
and called to his comrades to rally to
their coiors. They did so. and he was
borne from the field. He was the only
son OF his father, who is one of our most
eminent lawyers. Full Of life and spirit,
ne has kept up in spite Of all his wounds,
and now. thanks TO his heroic will and
assiduous nursing, he Is In a fair way OF
recovery, though II is doubtful whether
he will ever be able to take the field
again. But he declares he will always be
glad he Joined In the great fight. even
though he should yet die of his wounds.
These two houses show the suffering
entailed by war. Another house on the
corner OF the same square shows what is
suffered here by disease. On this corner
the most popular physician in the city is
lingering under severe attack OF
typhoid-pneumonia, while his wife, his
daughter. his son-in-law. two young chill
dren. and nearly all his servants. are
down with typhoid fever. Here. then, is
a picture OF one side of a single square
In Richmond during the second year of
the war. OF course few. IL any, squares
are so afflicted as this: but there is
scarcely house in which one or more
sick or wounded may not be found: and
II we take into consideration the immense