The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-10-11

No one else was In the room. Pres
emily surgeon approached, saw the
private and asked how he came there.
II just crawled in to get out of the
heat; I'm wounded" answered the sol
der.
well this is no place for privates,"
retorted the surly surgeon. This
room is for officers. Get OUT"
I'm too weak to walk out alone, so
that you will have to carry me out II
you want me away" answered the
wounded man.
"All right" came the response. "Tll
get my assistants"
But he never did 1t.
over in the other corner OF that
room there rose up on one elbow, de-
spite his terrible wounds, dying man
who wore the shoulder straps Of
union general. He had heard the con
versation and, though weak and torn
to pieces with bullets, he had strength
enough to rise up and give an order to
the surly surgeon which meant the life
of w. A. Moldenhauer.
Doctor" commanded the riddled
general. Leave that man where he is!
He needs attention as much as the
officers"
| The surgeon subsidized and the gen.
eral, turning to the private, bade him
crawl across the floor and join in the
comforts of the mattress. Profusely
thanking the general but protesting at
| first against sharing his couch, that
wounded private was at last induced
to crawl up beside the general and
there to rest his head.
Through the afternoon general and
private rested there, both suffering
| from their heavy wounds, side by side;
night stole on and the long night
dragged through. When another day
| dawned the generous-hearted general
had found relief from his suffering and
had gone to the land that knows no
war He had died beside the private
whose life he had saved.
The name of that general is no doubt
written prominently in the history of
the United States. But who he was
| the wounded private beside him has
never been able to learn
That night was terrible one. Out.
side terrific thunderstorm came up
and beat down the thousands of dead
and wounded soldiers with it's tor.
rents. And while w A. Moldenhauer
| lay protected within, he could hear all
through the long night the cries and
means of the men lying out on the
ground in the storm, unable to move
on account of their wounds.
1t was nine days before the wounds
of this man were dressed. And he
survived in spite of that.
75c For Coffee.
For three weeks he lay in that hos
! pital. Then he was traded back to
| the union army in return for prisoners
held by them. One day during that
period a confederate soldier came
around with cups of coffee which were
eagerly bought at seventy.five cents
each. The food consisted mainly of
flour and water. At the end of the
three weeks Mr.. MOldenhauer was
| illONtu W me nome Ol General Lee,
which had been converted into a hos
pital. Here he remained three weeks
and then, On a freight car, he was
transferred to the Chestnut Hill hos.
pital, Philadelphia. 1t was a severe
ride, and the Earring over freight
trucks was no pleasant experience for
men with wounds. Following that ride
Mr.. Moldenhauer suffered an attack of
fever and one night it was thought
that he was dying.
After he had partially recovered he
asked for furlough but was told that,
owing to the fact that so many sol.
diers who had secured furloughs had
never returned, the government was
shutting down on these and a dis
charge would be a simpler matter. So
he took discharge and, with still an
/ open wound, returned to his mothers
farm in Wisconsin.
After a year on the farm, Mr.. Mol.
denhauer went to Fond du Lac and
worked for hotel A year later he
returned to his trade and established
himself in business at juneau; in 1866
he was married to Miss Amelia Hirth