The National tribune., 1900-09-27
THE DOCTORS MEDICINE CHEST.
How Young Soldier Knocked Out the Con
federacy After Investigating 1t.


EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: After the
battle Of Jonesboro, Ga, and the fall of
Atlanta, Sept. =, 1864, many of the Con
fcdarate wounded were brought into the
city. Our Surgeons had their hands full
fer some days, treating the sick and
wounded of both armies. Among those
who We're in the hospital at the time was
young and spirited Union soldier by the
name of John Il. Patton, member of Co.
X, 109th Pa. He had injured his arm
in the line of duty, and our Regimental
Surgeon had ordered him to report every
day to have it dressed. While waiting one
day for DIR. Bruebaker, John was aceosted
by the Brigade Surgeon, DIR. Dunn, and
the following colloIuy took place:
''Iohn, where is DIR. Bruebaker?
Il don't know, sir"
well, who carries the medicine chest?'
'IIoly Joe, sir"
Now Holy Joe was an eccentric char
acter, and the boys made great deal of
fun of him. He was the Doctors chief
cook and bottlc-washer, and caused at
times no end of amusement when the reg
iment was on the march. Most all regi-
ments in our armies have their Holy Joes,
and during the civil war they We're the
life OF the camp and march.
Now neither DR.. Bruebaker nor Joe be-
ing present, and as the Brigade Surgeon S
business was very pressing, he ordered
Patton to take the medicine chest, which
was about two feet long and one foot wide,
by 10 inches deep, and follow him. The
chest had Il leather strap two and half
inches wide, made to 30 over the shaul-
der; but John, with his sore arm, had
some difficulty in getting along with it, as
it was heavily lined with tin boxes, all
full of medicine.
In Il short time the Surgeon, with Pat,
.l,,.I h.. ItnI
at work attending to the needy.
Before they got through it was quite
dark and raining. so the Doctor told Pat
ton not to go back to camp that night.
but to sleep in little side room that had
been fitted up with Il bed, while he Ghe
Doctor would 90 over to the Trout House,
where there were some other officers stay
ing, and sleep there.
Before going away DR.. Dunn told Pat
ton he wanted some morphine powders
made. The Doctor showed John the guam
uity to be placed in each paper and then
left. Spreading the papers out on a ta
bic, Patton commenced putting the NOR.
phine powder on each, all the while be-
ing watched by big red-headed rebel who
wounded in the foot, and his large toe
had been amputated. In little while
he limped up to the table where Patton
was and blurted out:
"Say, Yank, what ye makin'?"
Patton told him.
by garr' said the reb., "you's got
enough i'll each one of them papers to kill
three men,
John denied that he had so much. The
reb. insisted that he had, and showed the
sample left by the Doctor. Patton had to
that his red-headed friend
was right, and they both went to work
making those already put up equal to the
Johnny Reb's eye was continu.
ally on the medicine chest. Spying a
square looking tin upon which was marked
"Spiritus Frumenti,'' he said:
''Say, Yank. that's whisky, amt it?"
Doctor put something in it"
"Well, let me try it, will you?" asked
Johnny Reb.
"Yes, help yourself" Patton answered.
The reb. took the tin out of the case,
smelt it, then tasted it, and finally took
a long and steady drink. Smacking his
lips he said:
'Yank, that's good; it's only got lit
tie quinine in. 1t won't hurt you, but
will keep you from getting fever"
So John Z. took a drink and then both
continued making the powders, every once
in while stopping to take a pull at the
spirits. During the conversation that Oc,
Cured between them Patton asked the
rebel how he lost his toe.
'Why, you Yanks shot it off July 90,
in front of Atlanta, but we killed your
Gen. Mcpherson, and will kill every Yank
in Georgia before long," said the rebel.
Patton kept quiet, for he saw that the
liquor was making his red-headed visa
Wis" abusive, and it soon worked on him