The Press., 1901-06-13
AFTER THE BATTLE.
A VETERANS STORY OF A TAssELED
 TURKISH FEE.

Participated at the Second Battle of Manassas-A Brave Boy and His Dying Request.
 "Whenever l see tasseled Turkish fez," said Confederate veteran whose
 &ttention had been attracted by Q smoking cap of that pattern iF a Canal street window. 'T am reminded of a curiollzA and rather grewsome incident Eof my Campaigning days. It was on the mor6ing after the second battle of Manassas," he continued in response to
 reqpest for the story, "and several of us from my company had gone over to the field in the hope of picking up a few things that we badly needed and | fOrfwhich the dead had no further use for instance, and sound c8hteens.
 sDuring the previous days engage ment you may remember that a regi- ment of freshly recruited New York zouaves held the crest of hill and were charged and almost annihilated by Hoods brigade. They were moved down like ripened grain and fell so thickly that their corpses literally car peted the earth. I dare say 1t was as
 awful a slaughter considering the
 number engaged, as occurred anywhere in the course of the war.
 "Well, we hadn't gone very far when we came to this hill and began to get among the, dead men. The poor fellows had been Mustered into service less
 than week before, and they were said
 to be the most gorgeousIy uniformed
 military troop ever organized. They
 wore scarlet Turkish trousers, blue jackets embroidered with gold bullion
 braid and purple fezes with long pend-
 ent tassels.
 Being just from the outfitters, all
 this fine regalia was perfectly fresh
 and new, and somehow or other it
 added to the ghastliness of the specta- cle on the hillside. The corpses were
 in all sorts of strange pastures. and
 their fantastic costumes gave them an | air of horrible grotesqueness that
 couldn't begin to describe in words. However, to come to my point,
 had picked up fez to carry away as a
 relic and was about to leave the spot
 when l happened to notice much
 handsomer specimen on the head of a little zOuave stretched out, stiff and
 stark, few yards away. with a hand kerchief over his face. stepped up to
 make swap but had barely touched
 the tassel when a low, sweet toned
 voice under the handkerchief said, Please don't!'
 "For a moment" continued the veter-
 an, ''that unpleasant protest. coming from what l had supposed to be a
 corpse, made my hair bristle on my
 head. Then l lifted the handkerchief and was shocked to see the delicate,
 refined features of boy not over 15.
 He was pale as death and evidently
 desperately wounded. but he looked at
 me calmly. My God exclaimed. what lad you are to be herep I'm afraid Pm dying unless have help. he replied. Do you think the surgeons will be around pretty soonY The Lord knows! l groaned, for the boys cour- age touched me to the heart. Your surgeons have all run away. and we only have a few. with more wounded than they can attend to- Then guess
 all can do is to lie here quietly and die,' he said In the same gentle voice. Can you get me a little water before you goY
 ''I took his canteen and hurried down to branch at the foot of the hill, where the first thing saw, by the way, was the corpse of zouave float
 ing in pool. went up the stream far enough to get out of the horrible death zone, filled the canteen with pure wa ter and was soon back at the boys side gave him drink. and he thanked me-
 Is there nothing else can doY asked
 awkwardly, because knew our con-
 pany was under early marching orders
 that morning and that 1t would be im- possible for me to finger much longer Nothing at all, thank you he replied
 No message to anybodyY No; noth- ing, thanks
 "I turned away most reluctantly and
 had gone only few yards when
 heard his thin voice calling me back
 Excuse me- he said. but l want you
 to accept this as present. and he
 handed me his fine purple fez. No. mo-
 l exclaimed. greatly embarrassed; I
 couldn't think of taking it. When
 started to little while ago. thought
 you-you'- Thought l was dead. of course.' he interrupted. Well. 1 soon
 will be, and that other fez will do me
 just as we'll. Please put it on my head and take mine l saw that he would
 be hurt unless did as he desired, so l took the fez and went away.
 'In less than half an hour our com- pany was on the march, and. needless
 to say, never heard anything more of the little child zouave. He was badly
 wounded and undoubtedly died where
 I left him. kept the fez long time," added the veteran. ''but it was finally lost, with other odds and ends. in the general confusion following the war.
 I'd give some money for 1t today."- New Orleans Times Democrat