Show AMAZING VITALITY BULLETS AND SHELLS KILL JOHN PETERS alio service a leee cripple lie and ke cn 1 by a noble foe on the field bt among alio numerous instances of remarkable endurance and wonderful vitality of wounded soldiers eliat I 1 had knowledge of during tho late war said a former hospital attendant 1 I recall couo so remarkable as that of jolli peters at alio bastio of balls bluff ho was a member of the forty second kew york regiment iio was badly wounded in the hip and ho fell ou tho field while he lay another ball fractured his right anco joint utterly helpless ho was trampled beneat li abo feet of tho contesting soldiers until the close of tho engagement and was then taken prisoner tt richmond ho remained tharo four months when ho was exchanged and sent with other wounded to alio philadelphia hospital I 1 was attendant there peters wounds had been so carelessly attended to that ho was off if anything than when he was first wounded wo did the best wo could for him but ho was in such shape when able to leave the hospital that lio was discharged from the service as permanently disabled some months afterward I 1 was transferred to a hospital at washington and was tharo when the battle of lors villo was fought two weeks after that engagement a number of soldiers who had been wounded there acro from tho hospital at acenia creek to tho washington hospital among alio most desperately and apparently hopelessly wounded of these 1 was amazed to discover john peters the soldier who had left tho philadelphia li to pass officially as a lifelong cripple when he was at last able to tell his story I 1 was still more amazed after being discharged from tho service as permanently disabled ho biad placed himself in charge of a noted surgeon of that day and after some months was made almost as sound as he ever was at any rute ho was able to re enlist which ho did in hundred and pennsylvania and became sergeant of his company at chancellorsville Chancellors villo ho was shot in alie right ghigli the bullet cauling a compound kimoi t at the game moment mome nt ball struck him in the left hip and lodged there the bone he fell and attempted to rise As lie raised his head ho was hit by a flying piece of chich fractured his skull and knocked him senseless peters regained consciousness his regiment biad taken another position and ho lay between two raking fires bullets balls and whizzing over him for hours until at last bo managed to drag himself a few yards away to tho bank of a stream where there acro bushok grasping i bush be pulled himself over the iback and let down into the writer waist doca which relieved his pain our troops retreated soon after and the confederate army swept by peters hung after it had passed peters endeavored to draw himself on of tho stream to alio banh in chopo that ho might bo picked up but lio found that alio bush to which lio clung while sufficient to support him ns lio crouched in alio water was not stiff enough to bear his weight in efforts to pull i himself up on tho blink tharo was a bush just below him evidently strong enough to enable him to accomplish pose but it was out of his reach and if ho released his hold on the bush that was supporting him to make the attempt to reach alio stronger one ho knew he drop helpless in the stream and drown whilo he facing death he saw a move menton alio bauk and the nest moment an emaciated faco with a deathlike pallor cirit appeared over the edge it was the unmistakable face of a badly wounded confederate soldier who was dragging himself to alio water the sunken eyes fell on peters and the owner of them must leavo comprehended instantly peters peril for lio dragged his body forward and placing birth hands on the bush that peters longed for bent it docu toward his helpless foe and gasped hoyh yank grab ft the bubb dipped eo close to peter that ho summoned all tho little strength ho biad left let go the bubli lie was leold ing to and grabbed at alio other ona he caught it it withstood his weight timid after a long and painful struggle lie pulled himself by it to the top of the baak aa soon as lie could recover breath enough h turned to the wounded confederate alio lay quiet on the bank to thank him for his kindness tho man waa dead his dying breath was spent iu biving alio life of a foe two days peters dragged himself about eliat bloody field of battle before succor him he had been reported dead in the list he was sent to alio acquiat acquia crock hospital but 11 days passed before bis wounds dressed his case being decided to bo hopeless he was sent to the hospital at washington he was there a month during which it was expected hourly that ho would die u desperate was his caad but ho did not die and I 1 heard subsequently quent ly having quit alio hospital service eliat be had been discharged from tho hospital so much restored ia health that ho was preparing for a third enlistment list ment whether he did enter the again I 1 never know new york sun |