The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1898-04-30
HOW THE DEAD LOOK on THE BAf-
r-. THE.FIELD.
AJbevlb Medaun.


Anything about war is read with
interest these days and when one re-
counts incidents that came under bis
own observation the interest Is in
creased. We have heen told that our
recent article entitled "Whatl I Know
about Soldering" was much appre-
ciated by old soldiers and also by the
younger people. Something more on
the same line may not be out Of place
at this juncture. It fell to our lot dur
ing the late war to serve in 40 infaatry
command which always had "a place
in the picture near the flashing OF the
guns" at Gaines's Mill and at Second
Manassas we were On the detail to
bury the dead. So We had two nne
opportunities to look upon the battle
field when the Joy of the conflict was
over. The slaughter at Gaines's Mill
was terrific. Orr's Rifles lost ninety
men killed and more than three hun.
dred wounded in the short space of ten
minutes. Il wss melsncholy sight
when We began our task next morn
ing. From away in the distance the
sound of cannon in pursuit of tho
enemy fell upon our ears, but 8 solemn
stiffness rested upon the field where
all was noise and tumult the da~ be-
fore. Oar comr2des lay as they fell.
stiff in death. Nearly every man had
one hand or finger pointing upward to
the sky. In nearly every case their
eyes were open, but there was no lustre
in them. The marks were plain where,
in the agony of death, their fingers
had torn up tae earth and their heels
had dug into the ground. One body
lay across q pine bush, the face turned
up to the sky, with great furroW
plowed through the forehead by q
minnie ball, and the blood hardened
on bis pale facs. Farther on another
young man lay upon his back, his
hands peacefully crossed upon his
breast, and the top of his skull bio ~n
off. His brains were near by and
when we buried him we picked up his
brains With our bloody hands and re-
plased them in the sknll. We buried
five in one grave, wrapping their blan-
kets around them aud layits them
away without cere ony. When we
carried a body to the grave sTo men
would take hold of he shoulders, two
would have charge Of rail supporting
The hips, AMI one wou;d grab the feet.
We made quick work of it.
At Second Manassas we held aposl-
ton for more THAI two days. We
filed q railroad cut with dead Yam
KEGS and along the lire Of tho railroad
beyond the cut it was possible to step
from one corpse te another for mile.
During the fight large red. headed
man from Pickens County died to our
| left within FIVE ieet Of lis, in great
agony. His gasping for breath was
painful 10 witness, but there was no
lime for sympathy or help. The
bodies Of the enemy lay before rs dur
ing 'te two days fight, and as it wss
in August the stencil was almost anen'
durable. The bodies we're swollen to
slmos; twice their natural sizs Al !
when we lifted them up for burial It
set med as if they would fall to pieces.
The woods were full of biow-fics
which were SO pestifsrous that the de-
tail could scarcely keep them off their
faces and out of their mouths.
The scene at Charlottesville was
horrible beyond the conception of any
civilian. On the 3rd Of May, 1868,
we pressed the enemy in such hot puT-
suit that they set fire to the woods to
delay our advance. 1t was Of no avail
and az our line still went forward tho
pitifal spectacle was presented Of the
l:woundsd enemy enclrcled in flames
and helpless 10 escape their fate. The
grosas Of the wounde. Pc. ! smell laf
ftfss stisss.:Sssu do1r ad
Yanci5g line which rose high above the
| t1mult Eade up an appalling scene
that would overcome many man Of the
present day.