Pictorial history of the war for the Union, volume 2 (of 2) : $b A complete and reliable history of the war from its commencement to its close ... together with a complete chronological analysis of the warStephens, Ann S. (Ann Sophia)
History
Pictorial history of the war for the Union, volume 2 (of 2) : $b A complete and reliable history of the war from its commencement to its close ... together with a complete chronological analysis of the war
Stephens, Ann S. (Ann Sophia)
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
coming Up the road, before he left the lines. The Union skirmishers
appeared ahead of him, and he turned to ride back. Just then some one
cried out, “Cavalry charge!” and immediately the regiment fired. The
whole party then broke forward to ride through the rebel line to escape
the fire. Captain Boswell was killed, and carried through the line by
his horse, and fell among his own men. Colonel Couchfield,
Chief-of-Staff, was wounded by his side. Two couriers were killed. Major
Pendleton, Lieutenants Morrison and Smith, escaped uninjured. General
Jackson was immediately placed on a litter and started for the rear; but
the firing had attracted the attention of the Unionists, and it was
resumed by both lines. One litter-bearer was shot down, and Jackson fell
from the shoulders of the men, receiving a severe contusion, adding to
the injury of the arm, and severely injuring his side.
At this point the Unionists swept the field with artillery, and the
wounded man was left for five minutes, until the fire slackened, when he
was placed in an ambulance, and carried to the field hospital at
Wilderness Run. He lost a large amount of blood, and at one time told
Doctor M’Guire he thought he was dying, and would have bled to death,
but that a tourniquet was immediately applied. For two hours he was
almost pulseless. As he was being carried from the field, frequent
inquiries were made by the soldiers, “Who have you there?” He told the
doctor, “Do not tell the troops I am wounded.”
At the hospital his arm was amputated, while he was under the influence
of chloroform. He slept on Sunday morning, was cheerful, and was doing
well. On Monday he was carried to Chancellor’s house, near Guiney’s
depot.
During the ride to Guiney’s he complained greatly of heat, and begged
that a wet cloth be applied to his stomach, which was done, greatly to
his relief, as he expressed it. He slept well on Monday night, and ate
with relish the next morning. On Tuesday his wounds were doing very
well. He asked, “Can you tell me, from the appearance of my wounds, how
long I shall be kept from the field?” He was greatly satisfied when he
was told they were doing remarkably well. He did not complain of any
pain in the side, and wanted to see the members of his staff, but was
advised not to do so. On Wednesday night, while his surgeon, who had not
slept for three nights, was asleep, he complained of nausea, and ordered
his boy, Jim, to place a wet towel over his stomach. This was done.
About daylight the surgeon was awakened by the boy saying, “The General
is in great pain.” The pain was in his right side, and due to incipient
pneumonia and some nervousness, which he himself attributed to the fall
from the litter. On Thursday his wife arrived, greatly to his joy and
satisfaction, and she faithfully nursed him to the end.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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