The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-10-14
A BUCKTAIL :.
VETERAN.
Joshua I'll. Pusey Of Del
aware Tells sof His ~
Experience.

Amang the interesting persons attend
ing the reunion at Kenneth Square. Pa,
OF the 1st Bucktall Rifle Regiment, Penna
Vols. Reserve Corps says tho West Ches-
ter Local News Isl Joshua H. Pussy, q
prominent patent lawyer Of Philadelphia,
and private Of the Bucktails whose dos.
perate wounds at the battle Of Frederioks-
burg robbed tho Union ola brave soldier.
during tho remainder Of the war. Mr.. Pu-
sey Is sun Of the late Jacob Pussy. of vii.
mington, and the only living brother Of
Mrs. Sarah w. Wayne, Of West Chester,
Pa. He was born at Yorklyn "Auburn'D
in 1S42 and his life has been colored with
many adventures At eighteen, prompted
by an immense desire to travel, rs ho says.
and his spirit famed into the proper ardor
from reading Bayard Tayior's "Viewsa
Foot" he slipped of from home, took steer.
ago passage upon an Iri,h packet ship
bound for Londonderry and made tour Of
Europe alone and ungulded crossing the
Alps and walking as Bayari Taylor had
DONE through many parts Of Scotland,
England, France, Germany and into ItalY.
reaching that land aftor about eighteen
months of adventurous travel, just when
Victor Emmanuel was about to be CROWN
cd ''first King Of Italy,. Here no learned
of the outbreak OF the Rebellion at homo.
md took passage at once for his native
land, arriving thence, and going ct once
toWashinyton with the notion Of enlisting
In q cavalry company. Tho idea was aban.
doned. however, and after visiting his homo
people in Wilmington, and applying him
self to farming for short period With
Milton Conard at West Grove, he enlisted
during the recruiting Of the Bucktail Reg"
ment, in 1869, with Alexander MGClnrg,of
West Grove who was shot nnd killed be-
side him In the battle of Fredericksburg,
the first and almost immediate engage
ment after their enlistment. -
Mr.. Pussy was terribly wounded in the
Same battle, a ball piercing his throat, es-
Gaping the carotid artery, rs by hair, and
coming out at the opposite side tearlng
away the Jaw He fell in ditch halt fill
ed with water and his comrades, thinking
him dead, charged over his body.
When consciousness returned, tho
groans Of the dying were on every hand
about bin and the Confederate oolors
floated over the field. He crept on his
hands and knees for Il long distance, was
gathered up by IL Union ambulance and
carried to hospital in an unfinished
building on the Potomac Inflammation
and grievous swelling Of his jaw prevents
ed the bones from being set and for two
weeks the pitlablo youth lay, face down.
ward his hin resting on u block, and
taking only such nourishment as he could
through q rubber tube. Word had been
sent to Kenuett Square that he was dead,
hut as soon as no reached the hospital he
wrote to his brother In Wilmington,
through whose adroit manoeuvres the lad
was discharged and brought to his homo
in Wilmington. Pussy had wilton thae
he lay In an unfinished brick building on
tho Potomac" His bro: her, Edward,
could learn of no such building, though he
searched far and near. He wa' about to
give up the hunt when q youth driving o
mulo team of supplies appeared. MT.
Pussy asked the boy II there was man
wounded in the jaw al the hospital from
which no came. The boy replied that
there was and that tho man WAS alwaystn
q good humor and wrote with pencil
and paper constantly. This Was Il sure
clue to the anxious brother and going
speedily to the place he found tho object
of HE search in q pitiable plight with his
unset Jaw and 'unsatisned stomach FOR
1t was to Joshua Pussy that the anecdote
related in "Bygones" of tho Local Nows
some time ago referred, Mr.. Pusoy do.
clarInx the letters U. s. u@on his army
belt stood for that unhappy condition.
Once safely home, seven physicians, DR..
Kane brother of the Colonel, who formed
the Bucktail Regiment, being 90, were
summoned and the difficult task OF set
ting the JEW undertaken. A tin plate was
fitted over tho dlslocated parts and after
six months the bones had properly knit.
Bit lit, 10 evidence OF tho fracture can
now be noticed as Mr.. Pussy wears an
iron grey beard.
The invalid was born wit and he got of
many joke with his pencil during the
weary months OF his healing. His broth
ors who were in the habit of gathering
about the family hearth on the first day Of
tho week, relating jokes and making
merry, pu. tho wounded man TO awful
straits to ropress his mirth. The torI ana
imtamed muscles could not respond to
the emotion and Jacob Pussy cautioned
his sons TO consider the painful position OK
their brother. Quickly Joshua seized his
peucil and wrote, 20 | can laugh In my
sleeve" and then held his bandaged face
with both hands in Il wise like grip. while
his companions roarea the louder.
1t might throw light upon the lnischicv'
Gus character of Mr. Pussy to relate an
incident which occurred during his stay in
West Grove, where he piled his jokes and
puns to poor effect upon certain estima'
Bile ycung lady, who could not or would
pot sec the point. Tho lady loved flowers
md spent much time and labor upon them.
Pussy procured the tai! Of q rat, planted
the appendago Of the departed rodent IN q
neat flower pot and informed his Victim
that DO had obtained for her new variety
of plant known as rat-tail cactus. The
youth then departed for the war and tho
lady guarded and watered her specimen
uutil-,wsll until an unholy odor arose.
The Weather.
nms -. M =, Ia In Ia narilu clnlldY.