The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-10
WAR INCIDENT EXPLAINED.
How DIR. John w. Sage Was Enabled
to See Oils Own Grnve.y

Dr. c. S. Arthur, of Portland, Ind, in
letter to DR.. Alenbert w. Brayton, of In
dianapolis editor of the Indiana Medical
Journal. explains an interesting incident of
the war, based-on the following, which was
recently printed in the Journal:
DR.. j. w. Sage, of Hartford City, one
of the members of the present Board of
Pension Examiners, has seen his own grave
and read mis- own epitaph. DR.. Sage has
just returned from visit TO Southern bat
tleheld3 over Whicn he once carried a
knapsack. and where the rebels added
few ounces to his weight in the shape of
mimic balls. He saw the old tree under
which he slept one night after terrific
engagement, in which he was badly
wounded. 1t was on this night that he
threw away his knapsack and canteen. An
unfortunate comrade who picked them up
died with them under his head. At day.
break Sage was able to continue on his way
back to mis- regiment The man who picked
up the knapsack and canteen was buried
as John W. Sage, who had died from in
juries received in the conflict. On his visit
to the battlefield Sage looked upon his
grave, and on the tombstone read his name
and that of his company-lndiana Volun-
teer Infantry Company +, 75."
Dr. Arthur's letter to Editor Brayton fol-
lows:
Dear Sir-I noticed in yodr journal of
this month an account of Dr. John W. Sage,
of Hartford City, seeing his own grave and
reading his own epitaph oil the occasion or
a recent visit to the battlefield of Chicka-
remarkable statement it would be but right
for me to explain:
ION Saturday, the 18th of September. 1868.
John w. Sage who, by the way, was
member of my own regiment and to me well
known, came to the hospital where / was
at the time on duty, wounded by gunsnot
through the right arm above the wrist, and
/ dressed his wound and directed him to
return to his regiment
ION Sunday afternoon a man was brought
to my hospital, near Crawfish Springs, Ca,
with a gunshot wound through the right
lung, mOrtally wounded, and, as he looked
like John w. Sage and was wounded IN the
right arm in the same manner that sage
was wounded, l unhesitatingly named him
John w. Sage, Company F, Seventy-hrth
Regiment, Indiana Volunteers, although ne
then had on caVairymanS suit, including
boots and spurs; but knowing that some OF
the members of the Seventy-ffth Regiment
were compelled to care for themselves as
best thew could, / very naturally concluded
that John w Sage had found a dead cav
aryman on the field and had appropriated
his clothes, as his own were used up, ana
thereby l made a great mistake, as AFTER
wards found out by meeting John WI Sage
at Winchester. Ind, on my return TIP
from prison. when he was returning, to his
command and | was on my way nome
From him / learned that on going into the
fight on Saturday, the 18th, all were Or
dered to stack knapSacks, and that ne, IKE
all good soldiers, had Testament and
diary. in which was written his name and
also some love letters from winchester
Ind, in his knapsack, all of which We're
taken. as i suppose, Dy TIE Ote1u
man. and was thus the cause or my 1ur-
Their mistaking him for John w. sage at
the time of burial.
This same soldier was allowed to remain
unburied for several days for many GOOD
reasons until it became necessary to DIS
nose of the body of the dead in some way
and Drs John McCurdy and c. w. Fowler.
of Youngstown o.; DR.. Frank Morris, or
the Thirtv-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry
a. Fl. Shaffer, of Huntington, Ind: Q. l.
Ferrick of the Thirty-fourth Illinois VOL
unteer Infantry and myself dug grave
with such tools as we could then command
in the hard red clay, and buried sixteen
dead soldiers and marked their bodles so
that they might be known IL ever taken
IN which / suppose was done
IT stated above that for good reasons the
dead were not buried as soon as they shouid
have been The reasons were that we had
been robbed by our captors, who, after I'LL,
ing up with commissary whisky, ordered
ali of our nurses and attendants TO the
rear: then ordered the surgeons INTO ilhe
and robbed them of their hat bands, tneh
their hats and overcoatS ana all extra
clothing. and even ordered me to get out OF
a nair of good boots ! then wore. AFTER
Knocking some of the cuticle of my Iore,
head with a loaded Colts revolver, ! SUN
nositively refused to shell out OF my poots'
and was told by the Confederate ohlcer 10
keen my boots. as | was nothing put =
no-account damned Yankee, anyhow, ana
that | could go TO hell and keep my ooots.
All of which I declined to do except 10 keep
20 on