Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-05-23
Viewed His Own Grave at Shiloh.

ocean.
Viewed His Ow "a Grave at Shiloh.
William C. Phipps, of indianapolis,
accompanied the Governors party to
Shiloh, April 4, for the dedication of
the Indiana monuments, for the pur-
pose of seeing whether he was still
dead. He desired to view his resting
place again.
II was especially anxious TO see this
old battlefield" said Mr.. Phipps, for
there l fought, bled and died in my
youth.
4 was staggering about out of ranks
when l was ordered TO get to fighting.
told the officer that l was shot and
he ordered me TO the rear My COM
rades saw me making my way to the
nearest hospital, when shell crashed
into a decaying ash. The dirt and
bark few everywhere. | escaped with
my eyes and mouth filled with debris.
Ny comrades felt sure that | was
killed. and long afterward they picked
up the mangled body of man near
tAAS site vi AAt GA RApSAbAAs II NhH
mangled beyond recognition. They
tenderly bore it away and buried ii,
and the rough board above the grave
bore the inscription
VIM, c. PHIPPS,
Company A, 18th Indiana.
Died April T. 1862.
THAT night. when the fighting was
done, they wrote home that | was
killed.
Strange as 1t was that | was not
killed, l was not even injured by the
explosion, and continued on my way
to the rear. finally a soldier over
took me and put me on his horse.
Presently we came to a hospital In the
woods and | asked the regiment. It
was the Illinois regiment. of which my
brother was surgeon, but his assistant
said that he was on General Grants
staff. His assistant was very kind to
me. | sat on soap box while he
dressed the wound In my breast
by the time he was through | was
so weak | could hardly sit He looked
around for cot, but there We're only
seven in the tent and all were occu-
pied He said, however, that they
would die fast and that one of the cots
would soon he ready for me. 1t may
seem a terrible thought now. but It
seemed all right then. Presently one
Of the men died and got his place.
Il WAS awake most of the night.
and | shall never forget the things that
heard ana saw in that tent. by
morning all seven men, with the excep-
ton Of a man who had a great hole
| torn in his head. had died The doctor
came in occasionally to tell some poor
fellow that he could not live to get
back home. All night long they talked
of their wives and mothers and sent
loving messages to those at home
! Some dictated letters.
81 was feeling good deal better wher
| morning came, and / crawled out t.
| find my company. AS | walked, my
| shirt. which was mass Of blood flop
ped against me and the odor of the
| blood made me sick. ! wanted another
shirt. | finally came across big fel
| low from n Pennsylvania regiment
| chopping wood ! showed him my
shirt and asked If he knew where ]
could find clean one. He did not say
a word but solemnly laid down his
nx, pulled off his coat and skinned his
shirt from his back thanked him
as he put his coat back on. but he did
not say n word as he went to chop
| ping wood.
when | arrived At camp, the men
were mourning my death The first
| man ! met was Captain David Negley.
How In the Il did you dig out p
This was the first intimation | had
| that / was dead and buried.
II went with the boys TO see my
| grave, and when ! left for home on
turlough, my silent partner was still
on watch in my name. | went to old
Shiloh to see IL lie was still serving In
my name Poor fellow, presume that
his friends AT home never did find out
what became of him. "-Amerlcan Trj.
bunc.