Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1901-05-29
AFTER TIE BATTLE.
A VETERANS sToRY or = TAssEIED
TURKISH FEZ
The Gresvsorae incident I'm Which He
Participated AT the Second Battle
of Nana-.a-a Brave Boy and His
Dying Request.

4
of Nann->as-a brave Boy and His
/ Dying Request.
| whenever / see a taSseled Turkish
fez.T said Confederate veteran whose
l attention had been attracted by a
| smoking cap OF that pattern in a Canal
street window. 4 am reminded OF a
curious ard rather grewsome incident
| of my campaigning days. Ii was ON
| the morning after the second battle of
| Manassas he continued in response TO
| a request for the story. and several OF
US from nay company had gone over TO
| the field in The hope of picking up a
| few things thar We badly needed aud
| for which the dead had no further use
-waterproofs. for Instance, and sound
| canteeus.
During the previous days engage
ment you may remember that regi-
ment of freshly recruited New York
zouayes held the crest of a bill and
were charged and almost annihilated
by Hoods brigade. They We're moved
down like ripened grain and fell so
thickly that their corpses literally car
peted the earth. | dare say it was as
awful a slaughter. considering the
number engaged. rs 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 gorgeously 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 Fegalia was perfectly fresh
and new, and omehow or other it
added TO the ghastliness OF the specta-
Gle on the hillside. The corpses were
in all sorts of strange postures. and
their fantastic costumes gave them an
air of horrible grotesqueness that |
couldn't begin TO describe in words.
However, 10 come 10 my point.
had picked up a fez TO carry away as a
relic and was about 10 leave the spot
when | happened TO notice a much
handsomer specimen on the head OF a
little zouave stretched out. stiff and
stark. a few yards away. with a hand
kerchief over his face. | stepped up to
make a swap, but had barely touched
tile tassel when a low. sweet toned
voice under the handkerchief said
Please don'tr
For a moment. continued the veter-
an, that unpleasant protest. coming
from what | had supposed 10 be
corpse, made my hair bristle on my
head. Then lifted the handkerchief
and was shocked TO see the delicate
refined features of a boy not over 10
He was pale as death aud evidently
desperately wounded. but he looked at
me calmly. My God, | exclaimed.
what a lad you are to be herer I'm
afraid I'm dying unless | have help.
he replied Do you think the surgeons
will be around pretty soon? The Lord
knowsp | groaned. for the boys cour-
age touched me to the beart 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 goT
Il took his canteen and hurried down
to a branch at the foot of the hill
where the first thing saw. by the
way. was the corpse of a 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 a drink. and he thanked me.
Is there nothing else | can dor | asked
awkwardIy. because | knew our com
pany was under early marching orders
that morning and that it would be i'm
possible for me TO linger much longer
Nothing a all, thank you,' he replied.
No message TO anybody No; moth
ing. thanks
Il turned away most reluctantly and
had gone only n few yards when
heard his thin voice calling me back
Excuse me- he said, but | want you
TO accept this as present, and he
handed me his fine purple fez. No, no,
excla lined. greatly embarrassed; 1
couldn't think of taking it. When l
started to a little while ago. thought
yOu-you'- Thought | was dead. of
course be interrupted Well. soon
will be, and that other fez will do me
just as well Please put il on my head
and take mine. | saw that he would
be hurt unless did as he desired, SO |
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
left him. | kept the fez n long time"
added the veteran. but il was finally
lost. with other odds and ends. in the
general confusion following the war.
Id give some money for 1t today
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