The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-03-31

tary confinement In Belle Isie for 10
days, but would have got longer SEN
tence had he not provoked considerable
mirth when court-martialed by insisting
that he drew the tobacco After a
prison residence of forty days in which
he had fallen away in weight from $50 To
ll6 pounds, Yodcr was exchanged and
sent Ia Chester hospital near Philadel-
phia, where the surgeons pronounced his
c Use hopeless and told him that he could
No. live forty eight hours. lie did not
die, how ever, and his case was consider
ed so remarkable that the surgeon-in-
chief of the armies at Washington was
made acquainted with some of the facts
and experts from the capital city went to
Chester where complete history of the
cise was taken down, the entrance and
exit of the bullets noted, with the cir
clmstances of his capture and subsequent
treatment. In January, 1858 Yoder was
allowed to go TO his home in Somerset,
where he remained until March when
hearing tnat his regiment was in Wash
ington recruiting. he went to that place.
He asked to go on duty but was refused.
but undaunted he went with his company
when the regiment started TO the front
again. He fought at the battle of Gettys-
burg and when his enlistment expired
offered his services, but was told that his
wounds would bar him from again enter
ing the army. after / had stripped for
examination l kicked up my heels
and executed a little dance on my way
out of the room to show them how lively
was" said Yoder and this with his
earnest pleading not to be left behind
secured his acceptance. He remained in
the army until the close of the war and
was present at Lees surrender at Apo
mattox.
The official records of the rebellion
show that Yoder's regiment, the 10th Pa,
Reserves, was roughly handled by the
enemy during the 7-days' battles, from
June 26th to July 2, 1852, losing office
and 80 enlisted men killed, officers and
lS7 enlisted men wounded, l officer and
81 enlisted men captured.
After the battle in which Yoder received
his wounds he was reported dead, his COM
rades reporting that they had left him
alive, but that with the blood streaming
from his mouth and dozen holes i'm his
body he could not live an hour.
His wife donned widows weeds. An
application had been made out asking
that the pay due him from the govern
ment be sent to her, when one day a copy
of a Richmond paper containing list of
arrivals at Libby found its way TO Som
erset and as Mrs. Yoder was passing up
the street one afternoon, a friend came
rushing out of his house with the paper
in his hand, but the two words, mortal
ly wounded which appeared after her
husbands name robbed the news of what
little cheer it contained, for she supposed
that in his condition, in hostile hands, he
would endure living death until the
real came to his relief.
One of the strangest features of this re-
markable mans experience is that ne
felt no pain whatever during the time
that he received the wounds and their
subsequent healing, and was able to eat
any food that he could secure. lie seem
ed literally man devoid of nerves or the
sense of feeling.
At the time of his death, although 20
years of age, he was hale and hearty, had
never lost tooth and every tooth in his
head was as sound as a dollar. The bull
let which lodged near his kidneys gave
him some trouble a few years ago and he
TO a surgical examination with
a view of having it extracted. The sur
geons informed him that an operation
would be attended with great danger so
he concluded to carry the memento of
'62 with another ounce of lead which
lodged few inches from it to the grave.
The brave old soldier has listened to
the last reyeille aud answered the final
roll call. 1t can truly be said that he
shed his share of blood in defense of his
country's honor and his name is entitled
TO high place in the list of the nations
departed heroes.