Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1895-02-21

We uluu uhTc VcutuTc Out VI Callp UT
they would pick US off. They had o
strong picket line ahead Of us all the
time, and there was good deal Of
firing. Here Is note In the diary |
kept at the time" And he pointed to
the lines In faded pencil;
Rebels about eighty or hundred yards
kept up constant firing Bullet went through
my Gap"
Ibid you hear it?"
well, there were so many couldn't
pick out any one; but this was the
bullet ! did not hear. You may be
certain Of that When you can hear
bullet, Of course it has passed you,
and II is harmless as far as you arc
concerned. You won't hear the bullet
that hits you"
but this didn't hit you"
mo, 1t only went through my cap.
But II knocked me senscless-the con-
cussion, ! suppose. II left q queer
feeling oil day. made note OF it
here in the diary, because ii seemed u
me at the time quite On important
thing. But came TO look at 1t differ
emily at the end"
"Were you ever really woundei2"
'Once or twice"
'lIow was 1t, doctorp How did it
feel2"
"Oh, 1t hurt little. 1t hit me here,
just above the right hip and Travelled
clear across my back. lodging in the
right side. 1t was cut out afterwarl
and have it here See where it is
flatteuel by striking against the bone5
as II broke them on its way through
"When was that?"
"Oh, three months afterward, dur
ing the seven days fight. 1t was in
June. You know all about the PENN.
sular campaign, whom Mcclellan
moved his whole army up country in
the first great advance On Richmond.
Well, things didn't 90 very well with
us, you may remember And they
didn't 20 well at all with inc. When
! was hit OF course 1t ended nay fight
Ing. The enemy came rushing across
the field where ! lay with the rest Of
the wounded, and with the dead, for
the matter Of that And they were
fighting for ill there was in them, and
when they saw Yankee that seemed
TO be too much alive they ran him
through with the bayonet 1t may
have been cowarily and al that, but
they were young to real battle then,
and besides they we're terribly, fear.
fully in earnest.
"And 80 oue OF them rammcd me
right through the breast with his bay.
onet As he hurried on he gave the
gun twisting motion--it seemed then
TO be barbarism, but 1t may be II was
simply his haste-and the bayonet was
detached from the gun and remained
In me and threw me down
Into the sand"
His visitor shuddered.
"And you lived9"
Eyes, rather" replied the doctor,
aughing. Even that seems a small
hing now. OF course, my hands
we're al right and after the confeder.
ates had gone managed TO work out
that bayonct. But 1t pulled up some
'and with 1t, and that was stripped of
n the lungs and used 10 bother me q
rood deal, but guess 1t Is all gone
low.
I'VE laid there ten days without tho
highest attention from anyone. OF
course, there was no such perfect hos.
,ital arrangement then as there was
alter, and we simply had to look owl |
or ourselves. Some Of the boys whsse
egs were good managed to 20 to the
water and they brought drink No tho
est Of us. And they went through
he haversacks Of the dead lind found
ornethlng for US 10 eat, But 1t was
'rctty hard ten days Tor q man who
COULDN'T move, after all. 1t used 10
ain every night, and we used to scrape
little shallow place In the sands by
ur sides, and that would All with wa.
er and keep up most Of the day. I
vas afraid would bleed to death; 40
wo Of the fellows tore the lining out
4 blouse and ! plugged up my wound
nth that and got along"
The doctor was turning over the
caves OF his old diary. lie had for
often that wound on the battlefield.
"liow did you get out Of it?"
"0h, the Johnnies took ua II wasn't
very difficult thing to do. And thew
loved us to Richmond. We had thlnas
ret,y tough for time, and then they
ut us in Libby--one hundred and
hirty Of us. ! was one Of five 10 come
ut alive. But didn't walk a step.
hey paroled me. and | was taken
nth the rest, arst 10 Petersburg, and
nllIy around and up the Delaware
liver 10 Chester, Pa That was my
ome state anil ! got slong better
here There they cut out the bullet
after il had been in my back four
aonths The bayonet wound was en-.
rely healed up by that time, and
Without particle Of attention sslda
rom what could give 1t
u weighed two hundred and atty
fhen was wounded, and | weighed
inety pounds when reached Chss-
or Bat mother came 10 me there
nd got along haitian. dnn,t ba.