The Washington times., 1913-08-20
CHAPTER K.
The Aftermath Of Pain

-HE condition of the wounded at
Gettysburg was terrible. The suf-
fering after the battle is always
tremendously greater than the
suffering during the course The spiritual
eXaltation, the mental eXhliarauoh oi
combat are similar in effect to surgical
shock after an operation, or tnal
paralysis OF the nervous system Whlch
follows Immediately upon severe
wound. All these produce an lnsensl-
biIity to pain; but as shock or eGalta-
ton or nervous paralysis is dlsslpateo;
pitiful weakness, anguish, sharp anu
keen, overwhelming mental depresslon'
complete and prostrating reactlons'
manifest themselves.
supplies and has to make long marches'
especially in retreat, before 1t gets lts
men TO places where they can receive
proper treatment, the horrors OF war are
sickening, indescribable. That economy
of men which the paucity OF resources
in the Southern Confederacy made
necessary compelled the retreating army
of Northern Virginia to take with II IN
its ambulances, baggage wagons ana
such vehicles A : could be secured in the
neighborhood every man who could pos
sibly stand the journey.
Some of them had received no treat
ment at all; others had been atteh1ed
TO in the most perfunCtory manner inns
was not due to heartlessness or neglect,
but to the fact that all the surgeons
working night and day without rest or
sleep. were unequal to the constant de-
mands imposed upon them. No army
could by any possibility carry enough
surgeons to treat all its wounded et-
fectfyely at once
OF course, there were numbers OF
Confederate soldiers who could not pc
moved. who had to be left on the field
10 the care Of the Northern foemen,
and these were. comparatively, tortu-
nate. Thus the work imposed upon the
Northern medical department was
vastly greater than upon the Southern.
TO have had merely their own wounded
10 deal with would have been bad
enough, but when TO them were added
those of the ConfederaJes-everyone OF
them in desperate case, since all VINO
could be moved had been taken away
the task was appalling.
Fortunate il was for Philip that he
had fallen into the hands Of friends.
The voice that ne had heard as he fell
vas that of Major Burt kirkwood, who
had commanded battalion Of troops
which had delivered the coup de grace
that repulsed Pfckett's grand assault.
While the lines were being reformed,
by KirkwOOd's directions Grafton was
taken TO the road and laid beneath
shady tree in j place where he was
sheltered at least in part from the Con-
federate shells which had already be-
gun to rain upon that shot-tOrn hill
So soon as other duties permitted them'
KirkwOOC. bringing Manning, WHO Coill-
lnanded one Of Webb's regiments, came
hack to where their old classmate lay.
With them was a reG:mental surgeon
4 hasty examination of the uncOn-
scious figure revealed the fact that
Grafton was shot through the left arm,
through the right groin and through
the right shoulder. and had received
terrible smash over the head. he had
lost a great deal of blood and lay like
one dead He had not spoken nr given
a sign of consciousness since he had
been struck down. The surgeon looked
him over skillfully. If quickly. and
pronounced his case practically nope
less.
thousand" he said, and that but
slim one # he is left out here he will
die tonight-its certain tc rain. /
DOUBT IL we could save him in hos
pital. He wants quiet somewhere
and nursing.
After probing the wounds and leav-
ing instructions as to bandaging and
dressings, which the two soldiers fol-
lowed out with clumsy fingers, but
with hearts as tender as women, the
harassed and overworked physician
hurried away in response to many ap-
peaIs upon him.
"By heavensw said Manning. its
too bad. We can't leave old Phil here
10 die in this way"
1--WE must send him to Kathleen"
said KiSkwood; "she was always fond
of him, you know. II we could get
him to York, perhaps she could pull
him through"
II can't help thinking of that grad