On
arrival at the hospital he was quickly examined and placed on a
comfortable cot. Many of the attendants were completely played-out
from overwork.
A visit to a field hospital will have a lasting place in your memory.
Every way you turn, amid the cries and groans, you get a beck or call
to ease this, or hand me that, and one feels badly because of his
inability to extend them material aid in their sufferings.
On returning to the front, I found the regiment as hotly engaged as
when I left it some hours before. As the fighting was from trenches,
many of our men were wounded by shells. Sharpshooters were on hand as
usual. I was sent to the Captain of Troop E, under the crest of the
hill, with orders to dig an approach to one of the enemy's trenches,
evacuated the day before; also to bury some of their dead. While
delivering the order, it being necessary to get very close on account
of the noise, one of those ever vigilant sharpshooters put a bullet
between our faces. The Captain asked me to cut the wire fence so his
troops could get through more rapidly; while telling me, another
bullet passed so close as to disturb the Captain's mustache. He took
it good-naturedly, only remarking as he smiled, "Pretty close,
Sergeant-Major!"
Firing ceased about 8 P.M. After all had had supper we changed
position further to the right, where work on trenches was resumed.
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