Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1906-12-13
A Remarkable Career.

Mr.. j. w. January whose recent death ut Dell
Rapids South Dakota. called out an account Of
his life during and after the civil war, had most
remarkable experience and had the nerve to per-
form an operation upon himself, the like of which
was probably never done by any one either
before or since that day The story of his soldier
life Is told in the following words, written by HIM
self: : was born in Clinton county, Ohio, on
November 20, 1885, emigrated To Illinois in 1852
aud located near Henry farm In the Spring
OF 1861 removed to Minonk, Illinois, where have
resided since, except while in the army. In the
fall of 1862 the Fourteenth Illinois Cavalry organ
lied in Peoria and | enlisted in Company 3, ;
served until captured on Stoneman's Raid in July,
1864, upon retreat from Macon. / was captured by
by six rebel soldiers, sent TO Andersonvile, and
there kept until the fall OF Atlanta made IL
Sary for us to be removed To prevent falling into
hands OF Union forces. | was taken to Charleston,
South Carolina, with others and placed by the
enemy under fire of soldiers aud gun boats;
remained there ten days, and was taken to Flor
ence South Carolina, where we passed the winter
OF 1861, and about February fifteenth
was stricken down by an attack of swamp fever
and for three weeks | remained in delirious con-
dition; the fever abated and reason returned
soon learned from the surgeon after u hasty
examination, that was the victim OF scurvy and
gangrene and was removed to a gangrene hospt-
al. My feet and ankles, five inches above the
joints, presented lvid, feess appearance and
soon the flesh beganto slough off and the surgeon,
with brutal oath, said ! would die. but
was determined to live, and begged him to cut my
feet Off telling him If he would do that | could
live. He still refused. and believing that my life
depended on the removal of my feet | secured an
old pocket knife Ct still have it in my possession)
and cut through the decaying flesh and severed
the tendons. The feet were unjointed, leaving the
bones protruding without covering OF flesh for
five inches. At the close of the war was taken by
the rebs to our lines at Wilmington, North Caro-
lima, in April, 1865, and when weighed, learned
that had been reduced from l65 pounds (my
weight when captlred) to forty-ive pounds. Every
one of the Union surgeons who me then said
/ could not live but, contrary to this belief, did
and improved. Six weeks after release while on
a boat enroute to New York, the bones of my
right limb broke off at the end OF the flesh. Six
weeks later, while in the hospital on Dayid's
Island, those of my left had become necrosed and
broke off similarly. One year after my release
was just able to sit up in bed and was discharged.
Twelve years after my release my limbs healed
over, and strange to relate, no amputation had
ever been performed upon them except the one
performed in prison There is No record OF any
case in the world similar to mine. My one theory
of the cause is this. While delirous was so
weak that the pulsations Of my heart were too
feeble to throw the blood to the extremites, and
below the point of circulation death took place.
The massacre at Cherry Valley New Jersey,
occurred Nov IL, IT'S