The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-01-11


veyed from the ditch, and escaped ut
ter destruction, cannot tell; for | be-
came insensible on the instant; but that
my comrades did not desert me was
sufficiently proved by the plight in
which | found myself when my senses
returned. l was lying on a mattress,
in small room, surrounded by half a
dozen officers, all of whom were
wounded, and a medical gentleman
was in the act of removing bandage
from my brow. He was a stranger to
me, and 1 looked at him with an ex-
preston of inquiry in my glance, which
he did not misunderstood. But though
the case was so, he refused to enter
into any conversation with me, assur-
ing me that my only chance of recovery
lay in keeping quiet; and We departed
not from that system till a full week
had expired. At the end of that time,
however, l learned that some of my
men, hoping that there might still be
lite in me-. had carried me off on the
failure of the last attack, and that l
had continued in state Of stupor dur
ing six and thirty hours after.
From that period, up TO the moment
Of my removal, | knew nothing of the
movements or operations of the army,
except from hearsay. That it suffered
terribly in the late actions, the multi
tudes of MANNED and mutilated crea-
lures who filled the hospital, abundant
ly testified; and that it continued to
suffer hardships and privations as
severe as it has often fallen to the lot
of men to endure, all agreed in stating.
For myself, l regained my strength
slowly and painfully, and did so, only
to witness the agonies Of those who
surrounded me. Ofthe six individuals
whom l had seen on first awaking from
my trance, two died within the week;
and third, living by some extraordi-
nary vigor of constitution one day be-
yond them, died also. Then the condi-
ton of this last youth, none can be i'm
agined more shocking. A cannon ball
having struck him in the hip, carried
away the whole of the quarter, smash
ing his left hand which rested upon it;
yet in this plight with his bowels fallen
or falling out, and the whole system in
state of putrefaction, the poor boy
existed eight days. The remaining
three, like myself, recovered; but with
one it was the loss of both feet; whilst
another retained, and probably still re-
tains, a musket ball in his groin.
In this state | continued, being con-
stantly visited by my friend Charlton,
up to the morning of the l7th, when.
in company with many others. WAS
carried down to the canal, and placed
in boat. A considerable fotilla,
loaded with stores, light guns, and
wounded men, accompanied us; and we
set sail, an hour or two before noon,
for the fleet. 1t was q long, tedious
voyage, particularly to us, whose
frames were miserably shaken; but at
last We reached the anchoraSr, and
were taken on board. There, every
possible attention was paid to us. Our
food was of the lightest and best quail
ity; our nursing was as gentle as if
our mothers or sisters had attended
us, and our strength came again with
surprising rapidity: but mine Was
never such during the remainder of
the war, as that | could either join my
comrades in their proceedings, or keep
an accurate journal of my own.
Under these circumstances, l will
not waste yours, or your readers time,
by attempting any narrative of events,
which have been already recorded. and
of which | could speak only from the
report of others. 1t is enough to re-
mind you, that the army retreated un-
Til the 18th, that in the course Of its
retreat it underwent innumerabe hard
ships: that it re-embarked its last
division on the 3lst; and once more
put to sea on the 4th of March. Steer
ing down the Lakes, the feet made for
the coast of Mobile, and on the 1th
again landed the troops on Dauphin
island. In this landing accompanied
| them, not as cOmbatant, for | was
still too weak to think of that, but that
l night enjoy the blessings of a free
atmosphere, and larger space than
could be afforded me on beard of ship.
There, then, continued, till the intel
ligence of the peace reached us; and
on the 9th, took shipping for old
England.
| (THE END
| Country + litor-Iou know that
woman l hired to clean the press room!
Composltor-The one you didn't
pay?
EIitor-That the one She was
in here to-day, and said if she didn't
get her money she'd come around and
clean out the whole place. Isn't she
generous?
He-Just as | was leaving voul
house last night your father met me
face to face.
She-Did you bow?
! Hn-No; | ducked.