Year: 1879

At Sharpsburg Gen. Gordon, then


colonel, furnished the sublimest


spectacle of endurance and courage


that l think is furnished bv the an


nails. Before the battle Lee rode


down the lines and expressed doubt


as to Gordon's being able to hold


his position, and conveyed him an


idea of the Importance of his doing


so. Gordon, turning so that his


men could hear him, said: "Gen.


Lee, my men are determined to stay


here" Then the battle opened.


Line after line was thrown upon


Gordon's front. But from that


dauntless front they were thrown


back as often as they marched


against it. The slaughter was ter )


rlble. The ground was literally


blue with corpses of the enemy,


while only six men of the right wing
of the regiment were left. But the
line never wavered The men had
come to ''stay," and, dead or alive,
they were determined to ''stay."


Gordon was wounded early in the
fight. A mimic ball passed through
the calf of his leg, tearing the flesh
in q most fearful manner. The
flow of blood was incessant, but he
had no time to staunch the wound.
In about half an hour another ball
plunged through the same leg about
q foot above where the other mad
gone. The loss of blood from
these two wounds weakened him,
but he still kept his feet and gave
his orders calm and clear to his
men, who were lying on their faces.
An hour later he was shot again,
the ball tearing through his left |
arm, making a hideous wound and |
cutting small artery. This disa-
bled his arm and helped drain his
weakened system, but still, haggard |
and bloody, he staggered up and
down the line encouraging his men.
A fourth ball then entered his |
shoulder, knocking him from his
feet. His men who saw the Grim
soned uniform and pale face go |
down thought their hero leader was
killed. With'sublime courage, how |
ever, he struggled to his feet, and |
though he had hardly strength to |
stand, waved his sword above his
head and called to his men to stand |
firm. Some one ran to him hastily |
and said it was rumored up the line |
that he was dangerously wounded, |
and that the men were wavering. |
SsrTall ,-@3 -
said. And so, through those dread
full hours of slaughter, with four
unstaunched wounds drawing blood |
from his body, he stood determined |
to die with his men and in defence |
of the part that Lee had confided to |
his trust.


At length a fifth ball struck Cor
don full in the face, and, entering
his cheek, knocked him senseless.
He fell, and for some time his pros
trate body was wrapt in the smoke
of battle.


We hear from Gen. Gordon's own
lips a story that, in metaphysical
point, is exceedingly interesting.
He says when he fell he was utterly |
incapable of moving He gradually |
began to think of his condition,
and this is the half dream and half
soliloquy that he carried on: 81
have been struck in the head with
six pound solid shot. 1t has car
ried away my head. On the left
side there is little piece of skull
left. But the brain is gone entirely. |
Therefore l am dead. And if l |
am thinking, / cannot be dead.
And yet no man can live after his
head is shot of. may have con-
sciousness while dead, but not mo
tion. If l can lift my leg, then l
am alive. l will try that. Can Ii |
Yes, there it is; lifted up! Pm all
rightr'


The General says that every stage |
of this soliloquy is indelibly stamp
ed upon his mind, and that in his
exhausted state the reasoning was
carried on as logically as ever man
reasoned at his desk. Doubt sue
ceeded argument and argument dis
placed doubt just as logically as
could be. He says he'll never forget |
with what anxiety he made the test
of lifting his leg-with what agony |
he waited to see whether or not it |
would move in response to his eff |
fort, and hesitated before trying it |
for fear that it might fail and his
death be thereby demonstrated
Atlanta Constitution.