The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-11-04
A NOBLE FOEMAN.
HIS LAST MOMENT SPENT IN saw
ING A WOUNDED ENEMY.

1ng-oneNpected Aid from . Confederate
and the Sad Aftermath.
Among the numerous instances Of
remarkable endurance and wonderful
vitality of wounded soldiers that L
had knowledge of during the late
war" says a former hospital attend
ant, In the New York Sum-" IL recall
none SO remarkable as that Of John
Peters. At the battle of Balls Bluff
ne vas a member of the Forty-second
New FORK regiment. He was badly
wounded in the hip and he fell on the
held. While he lay there another ball
fractured his right knee joint. Ut
terly helpless, he was trampled be-
meath the feet of the contesting SOL
uiers until the close of the engagement
and was then taken prisoner to Rich
mond. He remained there four
months. when he was exchanged and
sent with other wounded to the Phil.
adelphia hospital. l was an attend
ant there. Peters's wounds had been
80 carelessly attended to that he was
worse off, il anything. than when he
was first wounded. We did the best
we could for him, but he was in such
shape when able to leave the hospital
that he was discharged from the SER
'iNo do PEI IlldHeHlly ulSaDleQ.
Some months afterward | was
transferred to a. hospital at Washing
ton. and was there when the battle of
Charlottesville was fought. Two
weeks after that engagement number
of soldiers who had been wounded
there were transferred from the
hospital at Acquia Creek to
the Washington Hospital. Among
the most desperately and ap-
pareatly hopelessly wounded of these
l was amazed to discover john Peters.
the soldier who had left the Philadel-
phia hospital to pass officially as n
lifelong cripple. When he Was at
last able to tell his story | Was still
more amazed. After being DISCHARGED
from the service as permanently dis
abled, he had placed himself in charge
OF a noted surgeon of that day. and
after some months was made almost
as sound rs he ever was. At any rate.
he was able to re-enlist, which he did
in the 115th Pennsylvania. and became
Orderly Sergeant of his company. At
Charlottesville he was shot in the
right thigh, the bullet causing a COM
pound fracture, and almost at the
same moment Il mimic ball struck
him in the left hip and lodged there
against the bone. He fell and at
tempted to rise. AS he raised his
head he was hit by flying piece of
shell, which fractured his skull and
knocked him senseless.
When Peters regained conscious
ness his regiment had taken another
position and he lay there between two
raking fires, bullets. cannon balls. and
shells whizzing over him for hours.
until at Lost ha rod TO ~
self few yards away to the bank of
stream where there were bushes
Grasping a bush, he pulled himself
over the the bank and let himself
down into the water, waist deep, which
relieved his pain. Our troops retreat
ed soon after that and the Confeder-
ate Army swept by where Peters hung
After 1t had passed Peters endeayored
to draw himself out OF the stream to
the bank, in hope that he might be
picked up, but he found that the bush
TO which he chung, while sufficient to
support him as he crouched in the
water, was not stiff enough to bear
his weight in efforts to pull himself I'D
on the bank. There was bush lust
below him evidently strong enough to
enable him to accomplish his purpose,
but 1t was out of his reach, and if he
released his hold on the bush that was
supporting him to make the attempt to
reach the stronger one. he knew he
would drop helpless in the stream and
drown.
While ho was thus facing death. he
saw movement on the bank. and the
next moment an emaciated face with
death-like pallor on it appeared over
the edge. 1t was the unmistakable
face Of badly wounded Confederate
soldier, who was dragging himself to
the water. The sunken eyes fell on
Peters, and the owner of them must
have comprehended instantly Peters's
peril. for he dragged his body forward,
and placing both hands on the bush
that Peters longed for, bent 1t down
toward his helpless foe and gasped:
Hugh, Yank! Grab it,
The bush dipped so close to Peters
that he summoned all the little
strength he had left, let go the bush
he was holding to and grabbed at the
other one. He caught It, 1t with
stood his weight, and. after a long
and painful struggle, he pulled himself
by 1t to the top of the bank, AS soon
turned to the wounded Confederate.
who lay quiet on the bank. to thank
him from his kindness. The man was
dead. His dying breath was spent in
saving the life of a foe.
Two days Peters dragged himself
about that bloody field of battle be-
fore succor reached him. He had
been reported dead in the list. He
was sent to the AcQuia Greek hospital,
but eleven days passed before his
wounds were dressed. His case being
decided to be hopeless. he was sent to
the hospital at Washington. He was
there 81 month, during which it was
expected hourly that he would die. so