Smyrna times., 1898-01-05
AMAZING VITALITY.
BULLETS AND SHELLS COULDN'T KILL
JOHN PETERS.
Discharged From the Service as a Hope
less Cripple. He Recovered and Re-en-
listed - Saved by Noble Foe on the
Field at ChanoeIlorsviIle.

less Cripple, He Recovered and Re-en-
listed - Saved by u Noble Foe on the
Field at Charlottesville.
Among the numerous instances of
remarkable endurance and wonderful
vitality of wounded soldiers that had
knowledge Of during the late war, " said
a former hospital attendant, 81 recall
none so remarkable as that of John Pc
ters. At the battle of Balls Bluff he
was a member of the Forty-second New
York regiment. He was badly wounded
III the hip, and he fell on the field.
While he lay there another ball frac-
tured his right knee joint Utterly help
less, he was trampled beneath the feet
of the cOntesting soldiers until the close
OF the engagement and was then taken
prisoner tC Richmond He remained
there four months, when he was ex-
changed and sent with other wounded
to the Philadelphia hospital | was an
attendant there. Peters wounds had
been so carolossly attended to that he
was worse off, if anything, than when
he was first wounded We did the best
we could for him, but he was i'll such
shape when able to leave the hospital
that he was discharged from the service
as permanently disabled
Some months afterward was trans
ferred to hospital at Washington and
was there VIXEN the battle of Chancel-
lorsville was fought Two weeks after
that engagement Il number Of soldiers
who had been wounded there were
transferred from the hospital at Acuuia
Greek to the Washington hospital.
Among the MOTT desperately and appar-
emily hopelossly wounded of these |
was amazed to discover John Peters,
the soldier who had left the Philadel-
phla hospital to pass officially us a life
long cripple. When he was at last able
to tell his story, l was still more
amazed. After being discharged from
the service as permanently disabled he
had placed himself i'll charge of a noted
surgeon Of that day and after some
months was made almost as sound as he
ever was. At any rate he was able to
re-enllst, which he did in the One Hun
dred and Fifteenth Pennsylvania and
became orderly sergeant of his COM
pany. At Charlottesville he was shot
Ill the right thigh, the bullet causing
compound fracture, and almost at the
same moment Il mimic ball struck him
i'll the left hip and lodged there against
the bone lie fell and attempted torise.
AS he raised his head he was hit bv
flying piece Of SHE'LL which fractured
his skull and knocked him senseless.
When Peters regained consciousness.
his regiment had taken another posi-
tlon, and he lay there between two rak-
ing fires, bullets, cannon balls and shells
whizzing over him for hours until at
last he managed to drag himself few
yards away to the bank of a stream
where there were bushes. Grasping a
bush, he pulled himself over the bank
and let himself down into the water.
waist deep, which relieved his pain.
Our troops retreated soon after that.
and the Confederate army swept bv
where Peters hung. After it had passed
Peters endeavored to draw himself out
OF the stream to the bank, in hope that
he might be picked up, but he found
that the bush to which he clung, while
sufficient to support him as he crouched
III the water was not stiff enough to
bear his weight i'll efforts to pull him
self up on the bank There was a bush
just below him evidently strong enough
to enable him to accomplish his pur-
pose, but it was out of his reach, and if
he released his hold on the bush that
was supporting him to make the at
tempt to reach the stronger one he knew
he would drop helpless in the stream
and drown.
While he was thus facing death he
saw movement on the bank, and the
next moment an emaciated face with
deathlike pallor on it appeared over the
edge. 1t was the unmistakable face of
badly wounded Confederate soldier who
was dragging himself to the water The
sunken eyes fell ON Peters, and the
owner Of them must have comprehend
ed instantly Peters peril, for he dragged
his body forward and, placing both
hands on the bush that Peters longed
for, bent it down toward his helpless
foe and gasped:
Hugh, Yank, grab it'
1.-THE bush dipped so close to Peters
that he summoned all the little strength
he had left, let go the bush he was hold
ing to and grabbed at the other one. He
caught it 1t withstood his weight, and
after long and painful struggle he
pulled himself by it to the top of the
bank AS soon as he could recover
breath enough he turned to the wound
ed Confederate, who lay quiet ON the
bank, to thank him for his kindness.
The man was dead. His dying breath
was spent i'll saving the life of foe.
1.-TWO days Peters dragged himself
about that bloody field of battle before
succor reached him He had been re-
ported dead i'll the list. He was sent to
the Acquia creek hospital, but Il days
passed before his wounds were dressed
His case being decided to be hopeless
he was sent to the hospital at Washing
ton He was there a month, during
which 1t was expected hourly that he
would die, so desperate was his case
But he did not die and heard subse-
quently, having quit the hospital serv-
ice that he had been discharged from
the hospital SO much restored in health
that he was preparing for a third en-
listment. Whether he did enter the
service again never knew. New
York Sun
NOhIe XVorlr