Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-07-25

in battle, ask some of those who have
been at Wilson's Greek, on one side or
the other" said Judge David Murphy,
of the Criminal Court.
IL was in Totten's battery, and I saw
them, wounded and dying, falling
thick and fast around me- You may
say that l saw not one man funk in the
face of death on that terrible day OF
fight and bloodshed. While l was
firing my gun frum Bloody Hill a
youngster, not more than twenty years
old, suddenly jerked his leg. He Ut
tered sharp, quick cry, and then bent
down and tore the trousers away from
the place on his shin where q minnie
had struck him. He looked uD with
smile, patted the wound with his hand,
pulled the torn trousers down, and
went on shooting. Five minutes later
he yelled again, and his hand went mp
the fleshy part of his left arm. Hit
again = he said, sat down behind the
battle ranks, and examined his arm.
The wound was only skin deep, and
that seem TO please him hugely, for he
tied his handkerchief around it, and
again went forward into The ranks
with his musket.
"'You're fighting in bad luck to-day,
Pete" said q comrade. The younster
turned his face to answer back, and by
the swapping Of his eyes it could be
seen that his mind framed saucy, de.
fant reply. Just then his jaw dropped.
4 ball powed its way through his
mouth, leaving nothing but bloody,
tonGueless cavity. With hoarse CUR
gle the fellow threw his gun on the
ground and fled back of the lines. He
was found in hospital afterward, but
never recovered.
Son the same day l encountered
three men under tree. Their faces
we're ashy gray, showing that they
were mortaliy wounded. L asked them
why they were not attended to, and
one OF them said that as it was all over
with them they wanted the surgeons to
attend first to those who could be
saved. One of the men was smoking
snort brierwood pipe.
What are you doing my friend?' |
asked.
"'Taking my last smoke he answer
ed, his CLASSY eyes looking steadily at
me. Another was reading letter. He
held 1t up to his face, but | could see
that he was not making any headway,
His eyes were growing dim and his
weak, trembling hands folded the mis-
sive and thrust into his breast pocket.
He was perfectly resigned to his
fate, and had not word 10
say. When 1 returned in the even
ing, after lull, | found three men
dead. Their faces were white and set
in the shadow Of the tree under which
they lay. BY the placidity of the
features, l knew that they had met
death without tiunking.
"That's all bosh about men raving
about mother, home anc heaven. Ali
the men I have seen die, or near death,
were quiet and perfectly rational. They
made no fuss. Those that did were
usually delirious, entirely out Of their
minds. The faces of these were fre-
ouently distorted, and gave every evil
dence of the mental and physical agony
they unconsciously had endured.
"One thing struck me as peculiar.
Nearly all the regulars exhibited an in
stsnt desire to examine their wounds
when they were hit, and the expression
of their faces Indicated in moment
whether they were slightly or mortaly
wounded. They seemed to know with
unfailing certainty. If the wound was
slight aad in place where they could
tie it up conveniently they did so, and
then went back into the Gghting lines.
II :: was mortal, their grave, pale faces
betray g their knowledge. The volun-
teers were not so we'll posted, but they
were brave as lions, and seldom gave
up unless seriously hurt. t."-[St. Louis
Republic.