Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-09-07
kses had exploded it That was the vol

eano.
s.As lock back Tn not sure but the
chance explosion of my ammunition
wagon sased what was left Of me and
my battery. The smoke swept down and
covered Us up like fog. The Yankees
ceased firing on us They probably
thought we We're wiped OF the face Of
the earth in the explosion. As the smoke
drifted on. while it became clear about
the battery. ii hung like blanket be-
tween us and the enemy and acted the
part Of shield The Yankees couldn (
see us. so they dida't shoot.
1.-Two Of my men came along and
dragged me to the rear. out OF the way
Of immediate harm.
Are you hurt, captain asked enc.
"I told him couldn't tell That WAS
the extent Of my information.
Eo tore opea NY cost and vest. Ny
shirt was white, and save for powder
stains and the general grinic of battle it
was white still Not drop Of blood
Redeemed it. held up my left boot
:" Pull OF that boot, said
1.-THE boot, high cavalry sort, came
of. Not a twinge of pain, not colcr
of blood.
.'At this point broke into q perspi-
ration. A fear seized me, the like q
which. has never overcome me stree.
Had tainted away IN the midst Of bat
tie and in view Of two armies? felt no
wound, was torn by no pain. 1t ca,ac
over me like some dream Of horror that
| was unhGrt and had tainted, and that
in the sequel of the story l would be
branded a coward from enc end Of the
war to the other wherever soldiers built
a campfire.
II held up the right boot to he re
moved A eupfnl CT blood ran oTt.
was never SO glad TO see anything il my
life. would not have taken gold for I
single drop Of it, such was the relief it
brought. / had been pierced through the
ankle by rifle ball
when night fell, while VIC still held
our lines, we were whipped. 1t had be-
gun to rain, with sad, hopeless driz-
zle that took the heart cut Of a man. l
was lying ON some blankets in one cor
ner of negro cabin. Over i'll another
corner, under blanket, lay my dearest
friend, dead. All about wero wounded
men. The doctors had turned the place
into a hospital At last doctor whom
/ knew came in.
Never while I'm alive, replied.
I'm too young to talk about going
through life on che leg
tThen he told me the army would
have to retreat that night; that be had
no ambulances, no means of transporta-
ton. Tho wounded, including myself,
would have to be left behind. They
would be prisoners to the Yankees.
"All at once, like a landslide, !
thought of Butler and that newspaper
account of my firing ON the gunboat aft
err it had surrendered. made sure But
ler would hang me like dog, once he
got hands ON me. 1t was mt this juncture
when | determined he shouldn't get me-.
1 was as strenuously against hanging as
against amputation.
''We were on an old sugar plantation.
Before the fight I'd seen some rough,
two wheeled sugar carts. l made them
hustle about and get me a mule, negro
and sugar cart. They bandaged my
leg and put me in. The last thing the
doctor did was TO give me a two ounce
bottle of morphine and show me how to
take it. Then he said 'Goodby, and !
could sec that be thought twas forever.
He probably figured that if the Yankees
didn't kill me the morphine would
"All that night. all the next day, all
the next night that rough cart jolted ON
through the rain. For whole sc hours
lived on morphine. At last we got to
Shreveport When was lifted out Of
the cart, my ankle was swollen to Gle
phantine size. But escaped Butler, and
/ had not tainted away i'll battle, and
these two reliefs almost made the rest
easy i got back into Texas, and at last
was we'll again. Is soon as could SIT
in saddle | was back with my battery
again in time to take part in a campaign
against General Canby-who was after
ward killed by the Modoc Captain Jack
i'm New Mexico. We left Texas with
over 5000 men, and on our return eight
months later mustered fewer than
1000. "-Washington Star.