| Show GRANT AND THE CONFEDERATE I The Commanders Consideration For I a Wounded Officer of the Enemy I The following anecdote is related by I General Horace Porter in his Campaigning Cam-paigning with Grant in the February Century While riding about the field General Grant stopped at a house and expressed a desire to prepare some dispatches dis-patches A number of wounded were lying upon the porch and in the rooms i they had made their way there in accordance ac-cordance with the usual custom of wounded men to seek a house I seems to be a natural instinct as a house conveys the idea of shelter and of home I walked with the general Into a back room to see whether there was a dry spot which he might take possession pos-session of for a short time to write messages and look over the maps As we entered there was seen sitting in the only chair a Confederate lieu tenast of infantry who had been shot In tXe left cheek the ball massing through his mouth and coming out near the right ear A mass of coagulated blood covered his face and neck and he presented a shocking appearance He arose the moment we entered pushed his chair forward toward the general and said with a bow and a smile Here take my chair sir General Grant looked at him and replied Ah you need that chair much more than I keep your seat I see you are badly hurt The officer answered good naturedly If you folks let me go back to our lines I think I ought to be able to get a leave to go home and see my girl but I reckon she wont know me now The general said I will see that one of our surgeons does all In his power for you and then stepped out of the room He told one of the surgeons who was dressing the wounds of our own men to do what he could for the Confederate We did not hear what became of him afterward He probably never knew that he had been talking to the generallnchlef of the Yankee armies The dispatches were afterward written in another I room I The enemy had now set to work to discover the real meaning of our present pres-ent movements In the afternoon Fkirmlshers pushed forward on our right and found that Warrens corps was no longer there I |
