The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-08-05
BEHAVIOR OF MEN WOUNDED IN BAfrL1
Varied Expressions Of Soldiers Slightly or Mortany Shot In the Flight
Of the Wilderness.

squarely about four feet from the
force to tear through the thick wood.
The soldier fell dead. There was not
a scratch on him. He was killed by
conclusion.
While we were fighting savagely over
these entertainments the woods in our
front caught fire, and ] saw many Of
our wounded burn to death.
The smoke rolled heavily and slowly
before the flames curled around the
victims. The spectacle "a u
swapping and pitiful, but I do not be-
lieve that the wounded soldiers, who
were being burned, suffered greatly, if
they suffered at all.
Wounded soldiers. it mattered not
how slight the wounds. generally has
tened away from the battle lines. A
wound entitled a man to go to the
there were many exceptions to this
rule, as there would necessarily be in
battles where from 10000 to 10000 men
were wounded.
I frequently saw slightly wounded
men who were marching with their
colors. I remember seeing two men
wounded who continued to fight. Dur
ing the first days fighting in the Will
derness I saw a youth of about 20 years
SKIP dklu yCll, SIuAA6 W q OuAASS AA
the thigh.
He turned to limp to the rear. After
he had gone a few steps he stopped,
then he kicked out his leg once or
twice to see if it would work. Then
he tore the clothing way from the
leg so as to see the wound. He looked
at it attentively for an instant, then
kicked out his leg again, then turned
and took his place in the ranks and re-
sumed firing.
There was considerable disorder In
the lines, and the soldiers moved to
and fro-nOw a few feet to the left,
nov a few feet to the right. One Of
these movements brought me directly
behind the wounded youth. I could
see plainly from that position, and I
pushed into the gaping line and began
firing.
/ In a minute or two the wounded SOL
der dropped his rifle, and. claspine
his left arm, exclaimed: II am hit
again." He sat down behind the battle
ranks and tore off the sleeve of his
shirt. The wound was very slight.
not much more than skin deep. He tied
his handkerchief around it, picked up
his rifle and took position alongside
of me.
I said "You had better get away from
here" He turned his head to answer
me. His head jerked, he staggered,
fell and then regained his feet. A tiny
fountain Of blood and teeth n bone
burst out Of his mouth. He had been
shot through the jaw; the lower
was broker and hung down. I looked
directly into his open mouth, which
was ragged and bloody and tongueless.
He cast his rifle furiously on the
ground and staggered off.
The next day, just before Long
streets soldiers made their first charge
on the Second corps, I heard the pc
culiar cry a stricken man utters as a
bullet tears through his flesh. I turn
ed my head as I loaded my rifle to see
Who was hit.
I saw a bearded Irishman pull up
his shirt. He hadIeen wounded in
the left side just below the floating
ribs. His face was gray with fear.
The wound looked as though it was
mortal. He looked at it for an instant
and then poked it gently with his in
dex finger. His face flushed and he
smiled with satisfaction. He tucked
his shirt into his trousers and was
fighting in the ranks again before I
had capped my rifle.