The Empty Sleeve: or, The Life and Hardships of Henry H. Meacham, in the Union Army — John Shaqi
The Empty Sleeve: or, The Life and Hardships of Henry H. Meacham, in the Union ArmyMeacham, Henry H.
History
The Empty Sleeve: or, The Life and Hardships of Henry H. Meacham, in the Union Army
Meacham, Henry H.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives
SEVERE FIGHTING--WOUNDED.
We again moved to the left, and halted in the woods, where we remained
until the afternoon of the twenty-second, when we were again called into
action, the enemy having succeeded in breaking the lines between the
Second and Ninth Corps. We were hurried on to death or victory. We
succeeded in stopping them, when we were ordered to another point still
farther to the left, where the enemy were concentrating their men for
another break. We moved by the left flank, which brought the dismounted
Twenty-first Pennsylvania Cavalry ahead. The artillery-fire here was the
worst I had seen. The air seemed to be full of the deadly missiles. It
was almost impossible for a man to stand for a moment. But through this
fire we must pass. We started as fast as we could run; but when we had
got into the heaviest of the fire, we found, to our horror, that the
dismounted Twenty-first Pennsylvania Cavalry had become frightened and
lain down. We could not pass them, and so were obliged to stand under
the awful shelling until they could be got out of the way.
At this place, I lost my arm,--a place never to be forgotten. Here Fort
Hell was built. As we were standing there, a shell came through one man,
and then exploded, taking my right arm off, and killing four of my
comrades, making five lives destroyed and one wounded. I never expected
to get home, or even off of the field, but I was bound to do all I
could. When the shell hit me, it took part of my arm off, and I never
saw the hand afterward. I was at this time one mile from any surgical
assistance, and walked that distance, while the blood was fast leaving
me, notwithstanding I had bandaged the arm as tight as possible. Only by
the assistance of kind friends did I reach the ambulance. The surgeon
examined my arm, and could then do nothing more than to cord it again,
and give me morphine. I was so weak as to be unable to walk or hardly
stand. I got into the ambulance to go to the Division Hospital, which
was seven miles distant over rough roads. It was eight o'clock in the
evening when I arrived at this hospital. I had for a bed, a straw
bedtick spread on the ground (but no straw in it), and no pillow to put
under my head. I had not long to wait before the surgeon came along;
and, at my earnest request, I was taken to the amputating-room, and
placed on the table. This is the last that I remember until after my arm
was amputated. After I had fully come to my senses, I was conducted back
to my bed on the ground, and there I remained during the night with my
bloody clothes on.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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