Milford chronicle., 1895-07-19
CHARLIE C0ULSON,
A DRuMMER-BoY IN THE AMERICAN
WAR

Two or three times in my life God
in His mercy touched my heart, and
twice before my conversion / was
under deep conviction.
During the American war, ! was
surgeon in the United States army
and after the battle of Gettysburg,
there were many hundred wounded
soldiers in my hospital, amongst
whom there were twenty-eight who
had been wounded so severely that
they required my services at once,
some whose legs had to be am
putated-some, their arms and OF
hers, both their arm and leg. One
of the later was a boy who had been
three months in the service and be-
ing too young for a soldier, he had en-
listed as a drummer. When my assist
ant surgeon and one of my stewards
wished TO administer chlOrofOTm pre-
vious to the amputation, he turned
his head aside and positively refused
to receive it. When the steward told
him that it was the doctors orders,
he said "Send the doctor to me"
When l came to his bedside, / said
"Young man, why do you refuse CHI
oroform? When found you on
the battlefield, YOU were so far gone
that / thought it hardly worth while
to pick you up but when you opened
those large blue eyes, | thought you
had mother somewhere who at
that moment might be thinking Of
her boy. l did not want you to die on
the field so ordered youto be brought
here but you have now lost so
much blood that you are too weak
to endurean operation without chlOr
oform, therefore you had better
let me give you some" He laid his
hand on mine, and looking me in
the lace, said,-
"DoctOr one Sunday afternoon, in
the Sabbath-school, when / was nine
and half years old, l gave my
heart to Christ. | learned to trust
Him then / have been trusting Him
ever since, and | can trust Him now;
He is my strength and my stimulant
He will support me while you am
putate my arm and leg
/ then asked him ifhe would allow
me to give him little brandy. but
this he also refused.
The look that boy gave me ] shall
never forget. At that time l hated
Jesus, but | respected that boys
loyalty to his Saviour, and when ]
saw how he loved and trusted Him
to the last, there was something that
touched my heart, and l did for
that boy what had never done for
any other sOldier-I asked him if he
wished to see his chaplain.
ooh, yes, sir !" was the answer,
When Chaplain R-came, he at
once knew the boy from having Of
ten met him at the tent prayer-meet
ing and taking his hand said,--
swell, Charlie, | am sorry to see
You in this sad condition"
ooh, l am all right, sir" he an
swered. 1.-The doctor offered me
chloroform, but declined it; then
he wished to give me brandy, which
I also declined, and now, if my Saw
Jour calls me, l can go to him in my
right mind"
You may not die, Charlie" said
the chaplain "but if the Lord should
call you away, is there any thing |
can do for you after you are gomez
"Chaplain, please put your hand
under my pillow and take my little
Bible. In you will find mothers
address; please send it to her, and
write a letter, and tell her that since
the day left home l have never let
a day pass without reading a por-
ton Of Gods Word and daily pray
ing that God would bless my dear
MOTHER no matter whether on the
march, or the battlefield or in the
hospital"
as there any thing else that l can
do for you, my lad ?" asked the chap
lain.
"Yes; please write a letter TO the
superintendent of the Sands Street
Sunday School, Brooklyn, N. Y.
and tell him that the kind words,
many prayers. and good advice he
gave me I have never forgotten
they have followed me through all
the dangers of battle, and now, in
my dying hour, l ask my dear Saw
Jour to bless my dear old superin-
tendent that is all"
Turning toward me, he said, "Now,
doctor, am ready, and ] promise
you that will not even groan while
you take off my arm and leg, if you
will not offer me chlorOform,
/ promised, but l had not the
courage to take the knife in my hand
to perform the operation without first
going into the next room and taking
a little stimulent to nerve myself to
perform my duty.
While cutting through the flesh,
Charley Coulson never grOaned, but
when / took the saw to seperate the
bone, the lad took the corner of his
pillow in his mouth, and all that
could hear him utter was, ooh Jesus,
blessed Jesus, stand by me now"
He kept his promise, and never
groaned
That night could not Sleep, for
whichever way / turned saw those
soft blue eyes, and when / closed.
mine, the words, "Blessed Jesus,
stand by me now !" kept ringing in
my ears. Between twelve and one
o'clock / left my bed and visited the
hospital, thing had never done
before unless specially called; but
such was my desire to see that boy.
Upon my arrival there, l was in
~ s.l.a - t~,u,,.l tl,ot