Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 120, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 May 1912 — WAR REMINISCENCES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WAR REMINISCENCES

WOUNDED MAN SAVES FRIEND Graphic Account of Incident After Battle of Williamsburg—lnjured Soldier Rescues Another. This is the story of a wounded man who, despite Hie physical pain of the injury, the ihental woes he had suffered and the horror of the sight that met his eyes after a night of agony, still had courage to save from distress and possible death another man more seriously injured than he. The res* cuer was Charles M. Morton, a member of the Second Michigan regiment, and the man he saved was Capt, (later colonel) William B. McCreery, whose own account of the incident after the battle of Williamsburg In May, 1862, gives more credit to Mr. Morton than the latter assumes'for himself. “Our regiment went into action a little after noon," said Mr. Morton, “and at about 5 o’clock I was wounded. My right arm fqll helpless and I; began tp wonder what I should doi with myself. The battle had been, raging all day and the ambulances had for hours been overworked carrying away the wounded; at Buch a: time there could be no thought for the dead. “I was able to walk and I took the

road that the passage of the ambu-; lances had made. Two miles I tramped! and then came to the yard of a large l plantation. The mansion was already j filled with wounded and there was nol room for me. At one side there were! many negro cabins and to these I ap-j plied for admission, only to find them crowded. At laßt at the end of the row I came to one where there was room In the corner for one more man to lie down. There I lay all night. We were packed on the floor like sardines. The air was foul. We had neither food j nor water. A number of the men died j In the night. “As soon as the morning began toi steal in through the door I made an| effort and rose to my feet I picked my way over the bodies, living and! dead, and looked oat through the door. The broad yard through which I had come the evening before lay under the dawn as full of wounded and dead men as were the houses. “I walked looking into the faces to see If I could recognize any one. As I passed along there came a voice: “'For God’s sake, Qharley, Is that you?’ “J. looked down. The face that was looking at me was incrusted with blood and mud and was unrecognizable. “ ‘Who are your I asked. i “ ‘l'm “Cap,** ’ he gasped. “It was Captain McCreery of company G, of which I was a member, and afterward colonel of the Twenty-first' Michigan regiment. He had been wounded in three places, in the thigh,; arm and body. I don’t know how Ii got an ambulance for him, but I did. Since that day* I have not seen my watch, and probably I gave it to the' driver of the ambulance so that he would take the captain and me to the river. At least, the ambulance did; take us over miles of corduroy road to: the York river, where the steamer Vanderbilt was waiting as a hospital boat, and wo were sent to Fortress Monroe and eventually to Baltimore and the hospitals." ■ i ■ A Dutchman. After the fall of Richmond an Irishman got a northern paper and read to his chum Barney: “Glneral Jubilation at Washington." He looked up and added: “Haven't we enough ginerals a’ready?” “Don’t show yer Ignorance,” said Barney. “Sure an' that’s one o’ thim Dutch rebel ginerals Sherman caught.” 0 « _ vV >*•'. Appreciation. A dusty, thirsty, tired and hungry squad of soldiers stopped at a secluded farm house, where the ladles set out a feast for them. When it was over one of them, to show her appreciation, said: “Ol d roide here from New York on

“I Looked Down.",