The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-10-15
The INJURED In BATTLE,
EXPERIENCE OF A SURGEON OUS-
ING THE CIVIL VAR.
How Some Patients Behaved Under
the Knife-Differcnt Degrees OF
Nerve Displayed by Soldiers.

How Some Patients Behaved Under
the Knife-Difercnt Degrees OF
Nerve Displayed by Soldiers.
x N old army surgeon says IN
n the Detroit Free Press: Il
NJ we'll remember tho first bat
tie J. witnessed and the first
operation I performed. I do net hes
.tete to say that felt little diff
dent, nor 10 hesitate TO say that tbs
sold chilIs gan up and down my haak
when the mimic balls waist!ed close 70
where she field hospital wss ests'''
lished. This was at the battle Of the
first Bull Run, when the Union forces
had over 400 killed and more than
1000 wounded. One soldier in partic.
ular 7 remember, for he was my first
patient. he was perfect specimen
of manhood, broad chested, muscular
and we'll developed. a shell hal
struck him on the right arm just be-
low the elbow, SCATTERING the bones
and necessitatins amputation. He was
laid on the bare earth-we had no op-
Grating table-and sponge saturated
with ether placed at his nostrils; but
he objected very energetically: NO,
DOCTOR sold he, I won't be made in
sensible. Cut of the arm, if You
must, but want TO see you do it. lie
had his way, aud during the operation
lie never uttered a murmur or scarcely
moved muscle. When all was over
he cooily thanked me and said he
would 60 to the front again, with the
LETT arm, if he recovered, if the Coz.
ernmcnL needed him.
''It was an interesting study for me
to observe the difference IN soldiers
when suffering from wounds before
being treated by the surgeon, and
while on the operating table. Some
were cool and seemingly Indifferent
to pain. while others would beg to be
made insensible, and often those who
we're slightly hurt made more noise
than those that we're fatally injured.
Two serious cases out Of the many J.
dealt with occur to me. I remember
them more readily, perhaps; because
they were Michigan men, with the
rank Of Captain l believe. You re-
member the battle of Winchester,
September 19, 1861? Yes? Well, on
the morning Of tic fight the cavalry
brigade to which | was attached made
an attempt to effect crossing Mt
Burns's Ford, some miles below Win
chester. Tie hospital had been cs.
tablished in little piece OF woods Ga
the cast side Of the Ope1uau, near the
ford. Three times did the brisa;3e trJ
to cross before success crowned their
efforts, the sharpshooters Oh the bluff
opposite being very hard. to dislodSe.
In a short time the wounl led began 10
come in, some slightly and others Sc
verely hurt. Among the latter was
one of the officers I have mentioned.
\ sharpshoo:er's bullet had struck
him OIL the point Of the clboT, pass
ing up anl emerging aDoat three
inches from the shoulder, slatterln5
the bone in its passage. It was bad
wound. an.t difficult one to deal
with, the arm having to be cut of So
near tic shoulder. However, l. dc.
termined 10 do the best | could, aad
soon the patient was ready for the
knife. | wanted to give him clloEo'
form, but he would have none ol 1t.
lie assured me that Lis nerves were
good, and that he ue9Aed nothing to
help him bear tho pain. l was AFRAID
Of him, but at last concludcd to let
him have bis way. He was true to his
word. During the entire operation
he never uttered u grOan nor made
any intimat;on that he suffered IL thu
least. This was the best exhibition Of
nerve J. had ever seen in my army
practice, not excepting the one [ have
previously mentioned.
"The other officer alirded to was -f
q different type, bat not whit less
brave than his companion in arms.
He was brought in later on with n
gunshot wound in his arm, which had
shattered the bone AMI necessltated
amputation. When he arrived at the
hosrital he was STRUGGLING like mad
man to release himself from the at
tendsnts who had placed him III the
ambulance. I saw at once that the
pain Of his wound had made him
crazy, and. directing tue attendant to
lny him on the operating table, l soon
bal him under the influence Of an an
estLetic. Hc WAS very stubborn and
it required n good deal OF chloroform
to quiet him, bat finally be succumbed
ani I cut off his arm. When he came
to bis senses he scarcely seemed to
reulizc what had happened. He
looked at me, then at his arm. and
finally it came to him that his arm,
hal been amputated and he could
fight no more for many day. With
= sudden bound he leapcd from The
table, and seizine carbine that was
lying on the ground near by, he start
ed on run in the direction Of the
firing in front. He ran like a deer
for q short distance, when the pre-
vious loss of blood told on him anl ne.
suddenly collapsed AMI fell to the
Garth. He was picked up by the at
tenlauts. brought back, placed ID an
ambulance and started on the way to
the rear. There's the difference be-
tween two wounded men.