The National tribune., 1900-07-12

ucs, ana pdnud8es, anu dnolneI isu Ine
Doctors horse; the rest carried litters,
pals filled with water, wash basins and
canteens.
DR.. Sternberg now unlimbered his pock-
et-case of instruments, and did the same,
little as l knew of their use. Indeed, lit
tie did know of medicine and less of
surgery, though the men, on some Of
fore daring dispensation of strong doses,
worked rapid cures in slight yet painful
ailments, such as collie end cholera NOR
bus, had the utmost confidence in my
knowledge and skill.
Being the only hospital corps on the
spot, stream of slightly wounded men,
guided by our red flag and stretchers, soon
came to US from all sides. Initiating my
superior closely, would say:
MY poor fellow, where are you hurt!'
fright here in my arm"
Finding no wound of exit, l would feel
for the bullet, compass the surrounding
parts with the thumb and forefnger of
my left hand. cut down to the bullet, in
sert the little finger Of my right hand un-
der it, yank it out put bandage around
the arm, and be ready for the next man,
full Of the feeling that if one Of the ever
tipping bullets should mark me for its
own. a reserved seat in the regions of
everlasting bliss was at my disposal; such
the satisfaction that springs from sense
of duty well performed. How some of
the wounds healed that made by cuttin:
crosswise instead Of lengthwise, / never
learned.
GALLANT SYKES.
During this time / noticed our Division
Commander, Gen. George Sykes, canter-
ing past, followed by one orderly, as cool
and unconcerned as though out for a
pleasure-ride after dinner. A soldierly
man, indeed; sans peur ct sans reprOche!
l also noticed, soon after the fight be-
term all along the line as far as the eye
could reach, going to the rear-removing
themselves out of the way of bullets with
out apparent excuse of any kind; and
there seemed to be no one whose duty it
was to stop them, and none was after
wards punished. This is the more extra
ordinary when it is borne in mind that
these men were Regulars; it must not be
forgotten, however, that majority of the
officers of the Regular Army cast their
lot with the rebellion, and most of the
loyal minority were appointed to higher
commands in the volunteer force, leaving
the Regulars rather poorly officered with
new men, appointed, for the most part,
from civil life. In fact, it may be assert
ed that. the Regulars were volunteers at
the beginning OF the war, and the volun-
teers Regulars at its close.
We had been occupied in the manner
stated not more than an hour doing little
real good, since all the wounded that came
to US could have been better attended to
at the field hospitals farther to the rear
Il doubt that We were instrumental in
saving single life), when the regimental
commander, Maj. N. B. Rossell, who had
horse, was shot through the left breast,
and his Adjutant, DR.. Sternberg and
accompanied the litter which bore him
from the field, to the orchard hospital
about half-mile away; none of us,
fear. very sorry for the excuse to leave
the fghting-line. The farmhouses and Or
chards were already crowded with severe
ly wounded, dying and dead Zouaves,
members of the 9th N. Y, a splendid body
Of brave men, and we deposited the Major
in the shade of tree. AS we did so, he
addressed DIR. Sternberg. in a voice still
audible and natural: Can you do moth
ing soro5 for me, III Doctor % "N0thing Major"
stand aside and let me speak to the Ad-
jutant," said the dying officer, and whis.
pering last message to his loved ones
in that officers ear, he promptly breathed
his last.
Soon after this our line of battle gave
way to the victorious rebels, a panic
seized the host of stragglerS in the rear.
and wild rush for the bridges over the
Chickamauga began, in which we were
forced to participate, leaving our wound
ed and dead in the hands of the enemy
This was the battle of Gaines's Mill,
fought June 81, 1862.
During the time we were on the battle
field, the artillery of both sides played but
an insignificant part, presumably for the
reason that the two lines of battle were
too close to each other for the artillery to
get in its work. The musketry-fre of the
two opposing lines sounded to me like the
noise made by the combustion of a big
heap of frecrackers on a Fourth of July.
Occasionally shell exploded near us,
much to our disgust, the hostile batteries
apparently finding amusement in annoy
ing US, though they surely knew our occu-
patton.
When, late that night, / wrapped my.
SELF In my one blanket under an oak tree
to seek rest and oblivion of the days sad
experiences, l said to myself that we, the
hospital party, could have probably done
much more good had we stayed farther
away from the battlefield as it seemed
to me that man will either die from loss
OF blood Immediately after being hit in
a vital spot, or the missile will have acted
as styptic through confusion of the
smaller vessels ard the consequent forma-
tlon of the blood-clot, acting as a plug,
which will hold good for a day or two.
Our presence on the battlefield was. in
my opinion, calculated simply to swell the
list of dead and wounded, and of pension
ers: l also resolved that any future war
1 should participate in should not find me
IN the role of combatant-non- -combatant.