Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 February 1881 — What Saved His Life. [ARTICLE]

What Saved His Life.

The way io stop the flow of blood from a bad wound has been so often pointed out that it is best illustrated by an actual example. When people injured and bleeding are able to help themselves by so simple a process, they should certainly love their lives well enough to do so. That Gen. Sickles is alive to-day is due only to his great presence of mind. When he fell on the field of Gettysburg, he fainted. Recovering consciousness, but half-dazed, he found he was completely away from the hope of immediate help, and that blood was gushing from his leg in jets, showing that an artery was severed. Painfully raising himself until he found his handkerchief, ho tied it around the wound in such a way as to stop the flow, and, in order to secure additional tightness, ran his swordhandle under the handkerchief, and with all his power twisted it around and held it so until the surgeon came on the battle field. Like most persons, he had read directions of what was necessary to be done in suflh emergencies, but, unlike many persons, he was cool and collected enough to put his reading into practice when the emergency came.