The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-05-14
Civil War Stories

NhdhSCu aDout SOlut, Suelltu d niue,
and on two or three occasions a por-
ton of the line heard bullets whistle,
but we didn't count that fighting.
The day that General Dan Sickles
Third Corps, the boys who wore the
diamond badge, had their prolonged and
sharp fight, l struggled out in that di
rection without the consent of my Of
ficers. and had an experience the par
ticulars of which | always recall on
Memorial Day. l saw many wounded
men on the ground others who were
slowly getting TO the rear and great
numbers of dead. Sitting by a large
stump, which had protected them from
the musket firing, were two badly
wounded soldiers, one a New Yorker
the other a Confederate. Besides a
bad wound in his thigh the Confederate
had been shot in the face. His clothes
and face were covered with blood and
he was a most -begone appearing
subject. The Union soldier had been
wounded in both legs above the knee
and had a severe shot in one of his
arms.
While I was talking with them that
portion of Sickles' line directly in their
front broke and the troops began to fall
back. What made it worse was the
prolonged yell" Of the Confederates so
familiar to every soldier who ever met
them in battle Both of the wounded
soldiers begged me to help them get to
the rear. Assisting them TO their feet
l put an arm around each body and
they an arm on my shoulders. and we
started. At first / almost carried the
two men, both of whom were under
sized. but after going a few rods the
load was too great. They insisted on
them erect. This they did with great
pain, though they had not suffered from
broken bones. We went more than a
mile before reaching an ambulance, in
which the poor fellows were tenderly
placed and driven across the Kappa
hammock. They were lavish with their
thanks for helping them from the field
and very anxious that should call and
see them at the hospital after the bat
tie.
When the army had returned to its
old camps I got permission from the
captain to go to the hospital of the Sec
ond Division of the Third Corps. /
had very little difficulty in finding my
wounded friends. While they were re-
ceiving good care, both were greatly
emaciated and seemed to have lost con-
fidence. seemed TO have made UP their
minds that they would not live.
'The boy in blue and the boy in gray
were in cots close together. so that
they could talk with each other, for
they had become good friends. The
New Yorker whispered a request that I
write letter TO young lady whose
address was Syracuse. He told me that
he had expected to return and make
her his wife. 1t was short letter for
I had instructions TO write only that
which he dictated. He told OF his be-
ing wounded. expressed the hope that
he would soon be well enough to he
sent home and asked the young lady
not TO worry but to be of good cheer.
To me he said: she will probably hear
of my death not long after she gets this
letter. / tried to convince him that
he would recover, that he would return
to the Syracuse lady, make her his
bride and live long and happily. but
with very Indifferent success. He was
tormented by the army plague-a pre-
monition. / shook hands with him and
wished him good fortune In passing
the Confederate he extended his hand
for a like recognition and asked: DO
you think my chum there will get well?'
"Yes, 1 guess so; think you will
both get well, unless you lose your sand
and surrender too easily"
Il guess not, pard. guess not. The
old man with the scythe seems TO be
coming our way. Our wounds were not
dressed soon enough. We bled too much.
We are very weak"
Both wanted me to come and see
them as often as possible / continued
the visits. l went to see them on the
Doth of May. 1t does seem very long
ago as / think of it, but ii Is thirty.
four years. more than q third Of n cen
tury Both were dead, had died that
morning, only half an hour apart. The
attendant told me that the New York
er, when he felt that he was going,
asked him to wake up his Confederate
chum. He said they reached out their
wlthered hands, touched palms. whis-
pered their good-bys. closed their eyes
and In ten minutes from that time the
on the other shore. They were laid out
on rough boards and their blankets
thrown over them. The next day, May
80, they were buried.
An attendant said that the day before
his death the Confederate requested
that be notified II he died and asked
to be present at the burial. / was pres
ent One wide grave was dug; one
chaplain preached the funeral sermon
for both. Quite a cluster of soldiers
gathered about the grave and witnessed
the ceremony. The attendants, like my
self, were much attached TO the two
young fellows; we all felt that we had
lost admiring friends.
As we stood at the grave / remember.
ed that when a little boy my mother
and sister. had gone to the forest and
gathered wild flowers to strew on the
grave of a brother. and l suggested ia
the attendants that we go over into the
field near by and collect some flowers
and scatter them on this double grave
Three Of us had large clusters and we
placed them on the grave, dividing the
sweet blossoms, giving TO the Confed
crate as choice a selection as was glveT
to the Federal.
/ forget to tell you that when the fir
ing squad performed its duty the ser
geant said: '"rhese voileys were for oul