Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1906-09-06
On the Battlefield



badly wounded. attempted TO rise.
AS | did so | was Knocked sensele5s
by more lead striking my skull.
When regained consciousness ! was
In the center OF battlefield. | have
been exposed TO shot and shell coming
from one direction, but this was the
only time In my life | WAS obliged to
endure a hot fire coming from two OPP
posite points of the compass. | could
not rise to run away if | would, and
had / risen l would not have bettercd
my condition. In the one case would
have been shot down at once; In the
other l must take the risk Of some mis-
SHE either striking the ground where
lay or bursting near me. Round shot
coming from one direction passed near
above me, shells burst beside me, while
the air was alive with the songs OF bull
lets, swectly terrible. Something fell
on my chest an1 rolled off on to the
ground. | grasped It, 1t was lump
met above me and been fused by the
impact. The din Of incessant thunder
shrieklng iron missiles, yells, groans,
can only be described by one word
hell
The fire instead of lessening grew
fierccr. | must do something to get
out OF it or be killed sooner or later,
since no one could live long in such Il
tenpest. | raised myself on my elbow
to look about ne. On my right was
line of bushes. They indicated wa
ter course If | could drag myself
there and find 1t what | supposed, |
might get down into the water where
] would be comparatively safe. The
desired line was several hundred yards
away. Nevertheless | determined to
make the effort.
| was obliged to pull with my arms
and push with one leg. The wounded
hip seemed like Il load of stone that l
was obliged to drag with me, to say
nothing of the excruciating pain com
ing with the slightest movement.
While | was working through dead
and wounded--always it seemed in my
way-I was stunned by an explosion
not ten feet above me, and for mo-
ment half conscious supposed the end
had come. 1T was bursting shell.
Had it exploded just before it reached
me should have undoubtedly been hit
by its fragments. Bursting directly
over me, its motion carried them be-
You'd me-
l heard the thunder of horses hoofs
and knew that it denoted cavalry
charge. The sound was far to my
right and to my left. | looked and saw
them coming. They would pass over
me. | would be crushed. They were
not In column fortunately, but In
line. On they came like troop OF
6ends, here and there man falling
from the saddle, n horse rearing and
plunging forward or dropping dead in
his tracks. | saw the Confederate
gray, but it made no difference to me
whether they were friends or foes.
Their mad ride had nothing to do with
mercy; 1t was to destroy. A lieutenant
was riding directly for me. With an
effort almost superhuman | raised my
self. He saw me, but only in time to
jump his horse over me- OF the first
file behind him two men saw his horse
jump and, suspecting some pitfall.
passed on either side of me. In the
second file, loose line. one horse
jumped me: no other came within a
dozen feet of me
Like storm rack they had suddenly
doomed; like hurricane they had
passed, and as o recediug tempest will
draw the wind in Its trail they drew
the fire
For Il time, relieved of the danger of
lead and iron, | lay exhausted Here
and there came grOan from those who
ing; then the fire grew hot again, and
dragged myself on. 1t was that last
hundred feet which came near prevent
ing my reaching the goal | was half
an hour doing it. But ut last l got to
the bushes and, pulling myself through
them. looked over the bank Of
stream The current set against the
bank | was on. and | saw that the
water was beyond my depth. Selling
bush, let myself down and, buoyed
by the water, foated immersed to my
waist.
Oh, the blessed relief from pain
caused by that cool current about my
wound,
In an hour the firing suddenly ceased.
Then | bethought myself of getting on
dry land. | pulled myself part way
up by the bush | held when | found
II was loosening ut the root If |
bore my whole weight ON it, it would
give way. | was in no condition to
swm and l should drown. l was no
longer between two fires. | was sus.
pended by frail support over va
cry grave
| heard movement above me and
'l1kcd up. \ FACET seemed to be
'oDs 10 n corpse-appeared over the
edge OF the bank. i-Nyus DE face Of
wounded confederate who had
RAGGED himself to TIE bank either for
lie same purpose | had Or TO quench
h.s burning thirst, or both Stretching
mt his hand, he bent stronger bush
q short distance below me till it was
within my grasp | caught 1t and
f,cr several efforts pulled myself mp
a.