St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1898-07-16
THE PATHOS OF WAR
Bv CHARLES B. LEWIS.


ooooOooooooeoooooeoee eoeeo o0oo0o0
the flank out of Fredericksburg and
struck Hooker at Charlottesville the
blow came as swift as fash of light
ming and with awful force. Jackson's
march had been concealed by the for
est; it was in the dense woods that he
swung to the right and formed his bat
tie lines; it was under the trees that
they fell upon the unsuspicious and un-
prepared federals. There was no skir-
mishing-no alarm from the pickets
posted in that direction. OF sudden
the battle lines in gray came sweeping
through the forest, and it was only a
minute after the first gun was fired be-
fore the darkness was lighted up with
the flames of volieys. Hundreds of
federals were ekilled-hundreds wound
ed-ihousands driven back. In ten
minutes there were a hundred little
bonfires in the woods; in half an hour
the conflagration was driving the con-
federates out.
When reenforcements had come up
and Jackson's advance had been
checked, details of men were sent into
the blazing forest to rescue the wound
ed. A thousand federals stacked their
muskets, stripped themselves OF KNAPP
sacks and haversacks, and retaining
only can;eens rushed forward on the
mission of mercy. Here and there a
dead tree was blazing fiercely. but most
of the fire was among the leaves and
underbrush. The smoke was thick and
suffocating, sparks and brands were
flying and whirling aud the shrieks and
cries OF the wounded made it a hell
spot. 1t was easy here to separate the
wounded from the dead. The peril Of
fire had brought them out Of the be-
numbed condition which follows the
shock of bullet and sometimes lasts
for two or three hours, and they were
creeping about and cursing or wailing.
1t was a horror within Z horror
There was but one way to rescue them.
As soon as reached, each was picked up
by two men in the handiest way posi-
BILE and carried out of the woods. The
rough treatment tortured them till.
they cried out like madmen and cursed
their rescuers. Where a wounded man
had fallen among the leaves and brush
the flames were licking at him; where
he lay in the open he was shrieking
like terrified child. The thousand
men had been sent in too late to save
all. They met wall of fire which they
could not pass. They dashed at it only
to be scorched and singed and blistered
and driven back. Beyond that wall they
could hear the cries oS the wounded.
but there was no getting at them.
Darkness had come on without air
enOugh stirring to fare a candle. and
outside of the forest the stiffness con-
tinued. Under the treetops, however,
as soon as the flames got fairly started
there were gusts of wind which picked
up the blazing leaves and limbs and
carried them into the treetops or far
away. At one spot, where the bushes
had caught and held great bed of
leaves, lay five or six federals as they
had been shot down. Three at least
were only wounded, for we heard them
crying for help, and as the flames
leaped up and the smoke whirled away
for an instant. we saw them waving
their caps and struggling to get up.
We shouted to encourage them, and
were hurrying towards them, almost on
hands and knees. TO keep below the
suffocating smoke, when a great ball
Of fire sailed down in front of us and
fell upon them. In an instant the bed
of leaves and bushes was ablaze and
they were cut off.
saw but one wounded man come
out Of that hell unassisted. We had
done our best and been forced back to
the open field by the flames, when a
soldier came hobbling out. His cloth
ing was on fire in a dozen places, his
hair singed and his face and hands
blistered. When he was clear of the
flames by hundred feet he stopped
and threw up his arms and fell dead.
A surgeon examined the body and his
face was as white as snow as he rose up
and said:
MY God, but this man was shot
through the heart an hour ago. and
you nave seen the dead walk!"
Night ON q Battle Field.
You did not know when you were
hit. The command was advancing, and
you were cheering with the rest when
something like a black veil futtered
before your eyes and you felt that you
were falling from a great height. Your
senses came back very slowly. There
was q turning Of wheels-a confusion
in the ears-a striving to grasp some
thing passing swiftly by. BY and by.
without realizing that you had opened
your eyes, you saw stars in the heavens
above. You wondered and speculated
about them. Little by little you began
to remember, and i, seemed an hour
before memory cleared and you realized
that you had been in battle. Then
came the throbbing of the wound to
stir you up. You recalled that you
had waited in baitle-line-that you
had bee4 ordered to advance-that
blanknesA had suddenly come. Then
you began laughing. like one in the
dentists chair, or crying like a child
who has lost toy.
''Say, old man, what you making all
that fuss for? Don't ge. it into your
head tina: !ou are the only man hi. by
Johnny's bullet to-day!"
I, is wounded man sitting up on
your left. He belongs to your own
company, and got a bullet in the leg
At the same time you go, one in the
shoulder. The shock did not las. him
So long, and he opened his eyes to
curse and growl and sit up and rudely
bandage his wound. A soldier getting
q bullet in the shoulder ought to be
able to struggle up and stagger to the
rear. 1t was seldom the case. however.
The shock benumbed and weakened
him and took away his courage. Itwas
four o'clock when you were tumbled
over; il is evening now. You awake
Just in tune to hear the sullen mutter-
ings of the last guns. It is a drawn
fghs, and you are lying on the neutral
ground between the lines. By and by
the last gun il fired. and such stiffness