Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-03-14

dies. who had obtained permission to
perform their pious duties from the Fede-
raj officer in command at Winchester,
reached the battlefield. II was one Of
those marvellous nights of July, lS6i'
when the heavens seemed all ablaze
with the glory Of the full-orbed moon.
The field. covered with dead and dying,
slept in the light Of this great moon. and
the Federal surgeons were busy at their
painful duty Of amputating limbs,
probing and binding up wounds. deposit
ing the sufferers in ambuiances, and at
tending. as far as possible, TO the plain
ful calls Of each. A battlefield after
hard fight is a spectacle so sad that ne
who has looked upon it once never wishes
TO behold It again: and the saddesu or
all the terrible features of such scenes,
nerhaps. is the impossibility Of promptly
attending 10 the wants OF all. Your
arm may be shattered by bullet, but
your neighbours leg is torn to pieces by
n she'll and he IS bleeding to death. Be
fore your arm can be bound up, his leg
must be amputated. it Is PAINFUL you
think TO leave you writing there, but
each in his turn, friend; the leg before
the arm! -, W..
n was a real assistance when the Win
chester ladies came to the aid OF the
Eedera1 surgeons, thus relieving the lat
ter IN a large measure from the care or
the Confederate wounded. They assidu-
ouslv applied themselves to the painful
task before them. and were ministers or
mercy once more to their southern breth-
ron as they had been before, after so
many hard-fought battles in that country
of hard battles-the Valley OF the Shen-
andoah. ,,
Among the young ladies was Miss -
81 nTpSpnt
mn name to the world, and to this fair
daughter of the Valley belongs the credit
of the beautiful action which we proceed
10 record. In passing amid the dead ana
wounded. now dimly dscernable only by
the surgeons lanterns, the moonlight,
and the last beams Of day, Miss -
came all at once upon youth who
seemed 10 be suffering extreme agony.
He was moaning fearfully and bending
over him the young lady saw that ne
was frightfully wounded. The blood had
deluged his person, ana altnough MS
wound had been hastily bound up by one
of the surgeons, he was evidently suffer-
ing horribly; his features were contracted
bv his anguish. and, lying in very
constrained position, he seemed the most
piteous object which yet had attracted
her attention.
To see his suffering was to attempt It's
relief The young lady sat down on the
ground, and, finding that the poor boy
was almost unconscious from the extent
of his agony. she raised his head, In
order to afford him, if possible, some
ease, If only from the change OF posi-
ton. She had scarcely done so, when
a painful sigh issued from the lips OF
the wounded youth; his head sank in the
young lady's arms, and his measured
breathing told that he had almost in
stantly fallen asleep. This result was
so unexpected that Miss - was for
some moments at a loss what course 10
pursue 1t seemed an unnecessary and
excessive act Of attention to remain
thus, holding the youths head. Her po-
sition was becoming very painful one;
her companions had passed TO other por-
lions OF the extensive batue-heldi she
was alone in the midst of great waste
of fields and woods, at night, unpro-
tected from insult, and holding in her
arms a wounded soldier, who would, IN
all probability, soon be a corpse!
Under these trying circumstances she
once or twice essayed to move and place
the boy in an easy position upon the
grass. but whenever she attempted 10 do
so mis- features contracted painfully, he
moaned uneasfy and 1t was only when
she resumed her position-holding MS
drooping head, as before, In her arms
that he sank once more to calm and pain
less slumber. She was still supporting
thus the form of the wounded youth,
when one OF the Federal surgeons APP
preached and looked with some surprise at
the touching group. Then his gaze was
directed to the face OF the youth, wnon
ne evidently recognized. In few words
addressed to Miss -, the surgeon eX-
L \ IraCGQH
bandaged the youths wounds. His case
was a most critical one nevertheless. If
he could only sleep for some hours, he
might live. He had not slept since the
battle, and was dying for sleep. The
crisis of his fever had arrived. If this
sluuber continued until morning he
might then be out of danger; If 1t was
broken, his death was certainty
Having made this announcement In that
terribly matter-of-fact tone, which char
acterizes persons familiar with suffer
ing and death, the surgeon passed on,
leaving Miss - alone, among the dead
and wounded, holding the bleeding young
man in her arms.
If his slumber continued until morn
| ing, he might then be out Of dangeri
If II was broken his death was GER
tainty That was the plain, clear. and
/ terribly logical statement VI lic ouA
geon. To live he must sleep, and those
two or three attempts to deposit bel
/ burden on the grass, with the sudden
wakefulness OF the patient, proved to
| the young lady that to sleep his head
must continue to rest in her arms. When
! this fact was clear, and patent TO heI
| intelligence, her resolution was taken
| No movement OF hers should disturb
| the deep siumber Of the boy, no act
OF her own arrest the subtle spirit OF
| life which. like a blessed balm, was
even then infusing itself into his shat
tered frame. The place might be darh
/ and lonely-the night cold. terrible. fear
full there among the dead-her position
| might be. so II. indeed. soon became
unutterably painful, weighed down, as
her arm was. by the poor youths
weight: but there was something worse
/ than night, cold, pain, loneliness. and
/ the presence OF death-it was not &c
save that boys life when she could
| save II.
And she determined TO save IL
| Throughout the long hours OF the dreary
night sho remained as motionless as q
statue OF mercy. holding the boys head
/ In her arms. All others had returned
TO Winchester. Around her was the
vast mooniit field, over whose surface
the wind sighed mournfully; on every
hand were the wounded. the dying, the
dead. and yet this brave. kind grl-let
us say this good, true girl--did not