Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1901-07-05
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANEcDo1Eso OF THE WAR.

ANECDOTES OF HE WAR.
How tho Boys of 10th Armies whiled
Away Life In cnmp-Forasinx Ex.
~pericnces, Tiresomc Marchcs-Thrii.
ling Scenes ON the Battlefield.
"Whenever I see n tasselcd Turkish
fez." said a Confederate veteran, whose
attention had been attracted by n
smoking cap of that pattern in a Canal
street window, II am reminded of Il
curious and rather grewsome incident
of my campaigning days. 1t 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 my company had gone over
to the field in the hope of picking up
q few things that we badly needed end
for which the dead had no further use
-waterproofs. for instance, md sound
cantecns. During the previous days
engagement, YOU may remember that a
regiment of freshly recruited New
York a held the crest of a hill
and We're charged and almost annihi-
lated by Hoods brigade. They were
moved down like ripened grain, and
fell so thiclily that their corpses lit
orally carpeted the earth. 1 daresay it
was us awful a slaughter. considering
the number engaged. as occurred any
where 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 a
week before, and they We're said to be
the most %gorgeously uniformed military
troop yer organized. They wore scar
let Turkish trousers. blue jackets en-
broidered with gold bullion braid, and
purple fezzes with long, pendant tas-
sells. Being just from the outtitter's,
all this fine regalia was perfectly fresh
and new, and somehow or other it add
ed to the ghastliness of the spectacle on
the hillside. The corpses We're in all
sorts of strange postures, and their
fantastic costumes gave them an air
of horrible grotesQueness that l
couldn't begin to describe in words.
However, to come to my point, 1
had picked up a fez to carry away as
n relic, and was about to leave the
spot when l happened to notice Il much
llandsomer specimen on the head Of lit
tie zouave. stretched out, stiff and
stark, a few yards away, with a hand
kerchief oyer his face. l stepped up
10 make a swap but had barely toucll-
cd the tassel when Il low. sweet-toned
voice under the handkerchief said:
please don't!'
eran, "that unpleasant protest, coming
from what 1 had supposed to be Il
corpse, made my hair bristle on my
head. Then l lifted the handkerchief,
and was shocked to see the delicate,
refined features of a boy not over 10.
lie was pale as death and evidently
desperately wounded. but he looked at
me calmly. My God! 1 exclaimed,
what a lad you are to be here?' Pm
afraid I'm dying unless l have help
he replied. DO you think the surgeons
will be around pretty socn?' The Lord
knows I groaned, for the boys II
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 I guess
all 1 can do is to lie here quietly and
de- he said in the same gentle voice.
Can you get me a little water before
you go?
81 took his canteen and hurried down
to a branch at the foot of the hill.
where the first thing 1 saw, by the way,
was the corpse of a zouave floating in
a pool. l went up the stream far enough
to get out of the horrible death zone.
filled the cantcen with pure water, and
was 500 back ut the boys side. 1 gave
him a drink and lie thanked me-, is
there nothing else l can do? 1 asked
awkwardly, because 1 knew our COM
.pany was under early marching orders
that morning and that it would be inn
possible for me to linger much longer.
Nothing at all, thank you,' he replied
NO message to anybody?' .No-noth-
ing. Thanks
II turned away most reluctantly,
and had gone only n few yards when 1
heard his thin voice calling me back.
Excuse me- he said, but I want you
to accept this rs a present. and he
handed me his fine purple fcz. No!
no" I exclaimed. greatly embarrassed;
4 couldn't think of taking it. When
1 started to, a little while ago., I
thought you-you-'-'Y You thought 1
was dead, of course he interrupted.
We'll, I soon will be. and that other
fez will do me just as well. Please put
it ON my head and take mine.' 1 saw
that he would be hurt unless I did as
he desired, so I took the fez and went
away. In less than half an hour our
company was on the march. and, need
less to say, 1 never heard anything
more Of the little child zouave. He was
badly wounded. and undoubtedly died
whore I left him. kept the fez a long
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