The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-08-02

dead men. perhaps thirty (mrn died
since brought in). and outside too
were yet manly mangled lying III the
rain upon the grass, sometimes part
ly in the water puddles. One corpse
nearly stripped lay stark. ghast. and
Starin" with leaden eyes up at me-
eyes into which was beating the cold
rain. eyes that never winked or way
cred in their stony stare right at me
in their agony Of physical pain, eyes
from which the life had fled in such
haste that they could not close, from
>Alch the soul ha;! !!e1 unc:! ;;li' II
geon's knife. His leg had been shot
through the kneSs.,..I I%lfxaq EFT 'eNN
through the knee, and an amputation
above, midway the thigh, had killed
him. They had left him lying there
upon the plank just as he had died.
and had dropped the limb at his re-
manning foot. The whole expression
was one Of agony and despair: the
wrench back Of the shoulders, the
clenched fingers-all. I was held in
amazement by hits Gorgon horrors
it stared at me so-and was instinc-
lively bearing away from it when I
trod upon the extremity Of the limb,
which was lower than l calculated.
Remember, I could not look at the
limb or at my feet, for my gaze was
absolutely chained by such stare.
I was looking at those dead. implor-
ing eyes into which the pitiless rain
was beating incessantly, and they
did not wink, but stared-absolutely
glared-at me. The limb felt to my
foot touch like touch Of picklel
pork. hard and yet fleShy. In my
intensest moments Of feeling | never
make ally sound neither groan or a
cry. Here | only leape'l with my full
muscular might away, and lighted ov-
er in the weeds upon a heap-yes, a
pile a foot high-of arms, legs,
'harts, feet, and fragments Of these !;
all these piled up with a corpse or
two, these white and slippery and
cold in the grass and puddles Of wat
er-some of the water was red. Now
I was fully restored from the influ-
ence of those eyes, and scrambled
from the piled mass Of fragments,
brt not without difficulty, for dead
flesh in water is very slippery: And
yet I did not quite fall over all Of
them.
On Tuesday evening, I'd July, we
had one of the most magnificent
spectacles / ever saw-a great battle
at night. We were within range of
shot and shell, and the danger, Zone
shell overor among us every half min
ute maybe) was just enough to keep
ones blood up. We did not fire
gun, but were held as reserves that
evening, and had full leisure for see
ing. As the battle ragged, yet fear
full and unbroken night stole darkly
upon the scene and wrapped Malvern
Hill in a shroud. Every flash Of
every gun. flared up against the sky
in secondal succession-nay, ten per
second might often be counted! And
the shells could be traced by faint
streak over head; and when they
burst. the pyrotechnie splendor was
grander than any view Of ''the
lightning's red glare painting hell in
the sky" These when near US were
uncomfortable, but grand. And with
all this the roar, the din, the thunder
Of seventy cannon played with elee-
trio speed, and a mellower peal Of
musketry rolling sometimes through
minutes so incessant as to seem one
unbroken roar. And with all this
the moral significance Of such work.
the life-and-death struggle known
and felt to be there. the majesty of
will, the contempt Of death. the roy
atty of hate, the infinity Of distance
between the parties-all these things
heightened the special touches Of the
scene as material picture. Majestic
murder! The shroud on Malvern Hill
covered three thousand corpses.
I close this brief note to you, my
young frined, in our bivouac, on the
main road between Gordonsville and
Orange C. H. The battle Of Cedar
Run last Saturday, 9th August, was
within five miles of Culpepper c. Il.
(Fairfax). beyond the Rapidan chad
to strip and wade the river), and was
a hearty Stonewall blow dealt upon
Pope by Jackson, who then fell back
J. -