The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-05-07
LAY CLOSE TO DEATHS DOOR.
Peter S. Chase, Civil War Veteran,
Tells of His Experience.

In giving my experience as al
wounded soldier | would say that ]
was not any more severely wounded, or
suffered any more hardships than hun
dreds of others of my comrades Who'll
were helplessly wounded. 1t was my
ignorance. that came so near c0stingl
me my life, that ! am to speak of. 1t
was only through a kind Providence
! that ] was spared to tell of one of the
most wonderful nights that | saw
while | was a soldier. although there
were many that were more Sleepless
and more full OF pain with weary wait
| ing for the dawn to appear. went
into the battle Of the Wilderness, May
| ;, 1851, with a company of so men,
and during the engagement that after
noon 30 Of us were either killed orI
wounded | received slight wound
| in my neck, a flesh wound in my right
| leg, and n compound fracture of the
middle third of my left thigh. Had
/ it not been promptly bound up by
Sergt. Fred A. Fish, of my company,
! ! probably would have bled to death.
That night was spent on the battle
field, and on my way back to the field
hospital, whore | was laid on the damp
ground, lust as the sun came over the
tree tops, there were hundreds Of the
helpless wounded lying there when !
lauived After two DAYS | was taken
into an ambulance and after ride of
So hours over a very rough plank road
and through fields not smooth enough
for comfort, | reached Fredericksbur9
Va, where ! remained until the 25th
when | was taken to Alexandria, Va
During my journey from the battle
field to the hospital. my leg was
broken and reset four times, and it
was ont Of place more than half of that
time. During those 20 days there were
many unpleasant experiences that
, will not mention.
1t was two nights before was
taken from the city that tie order
5 came for MS to be taken back TO Wash
mgton, and we were taken out OF the
building into large front ward, whore
? we Law all night. This was the night
when ignorance and experience com
, bincd made 4 lasting impression on my
mind. / was ignorant in regard to
| the effect that morphine had on tic
body. / simply knew that it was given
2 10 ease the pain OF the wounded in
; those days giving morphine iii tablet
a form or with the hypodermie needle
Y was unknown to the surgeons i'll the
| army, 50 it was prepared and given i'll
- "a liquid form, in a small wine 9las,
s about half full SO that the variations
Il made in giving il by unskilled men
$ did not make SO much difference. s.
Q that night 10 quiet the wounded an6
j. Ipreparc them for painless night TIVE
men started ont with large bottles ane
i q glass. one on each side Of the grouI
n ~
I morphine.
I ] lay near the center Of the group.
q was in unusual pain SO when the nurs,
came | was all ready to take my ration
I Very soon the other nurse came along
and knew he was very near where tn,
i other nurse had been 50 he woul,
4 ask the men if they had had thei
II morphine. ! did not want to tell
f lie. but | did want some sleep, SO
II said oh give me some, he obeyed
@ 7 t66f the Second ration and felt YER
e strange. | became very happy, fcl
r very silly. wanted to laugh at every
. body and everything about me. bu
/ was entirely helpless and could no
# move so much rs a finger. woul
have been glad if could hay
e wrinded my face for little smil,
n a. my greatest desire was to laugh
o, knew everything that was said an
;, done about me, everything was heaut
e full and grand
ii 1t seemed as though unseen angel
G. were everywhere present, bending oyc
If MS wounded, strengthening cheering an
@ easing our pain. All nature seemed t
t bow with loving approval on all tn
So surroundings. Some will say | wa
O. in a trance. Be that as it may. tw
It things ! do know, that took doubl
lr dose Of morphine and that l never wan
@, to see another night like that. Il
lie memory alone is all ! want. | have a
ways firmly believed that | lay yer
close to death s open door thai Ma
Ic night in 1864, through which SO man
OF my comrades have marched wit
silent martial feet to that camp ovC
- the river. from which no soldier ha
y ever received his discharge, or crosse
4 back to ;he land he fought to mall
u free.
PETER s. CHASE,