Duty now recalled me to my patients at the hospital.

My hands and dress and feet were bloody, and I felt sick with horror.

As I was recrossing the battle-field accompanied by Dr. Welford, of Virginia, the same terrible scenes were presented to the view.  The ground was littered with the accoutrements of soldiers,—­carbines, pistols, canteens, haversacks, etc.  Two cannon lay overturned, near one of which lay a dead Federal soldier still grasping the rammer.  Beneath the still struggling horses lay human forms just as they had fallen.  Probably they had been dead ere they reached the ground, but I felt a shuddering dread lest perhaps some lingering spark of life had been crushed out by the rolling animals.

We had nearly reached the road when our attention was arrested by stifled cries and groans proceeding from a little log cabin which had been nearly demolished during the fight.  Entering, we found it empty, but still the piteous cries continued.  Soon the doctor discovered a pair of human legs, hanging down the chimney, but with all his pulling could not dislodge the man, who was fast wedged and only cried out the louder.

“Stop your infernal noise,” said the doctor, “and try to help yourself while I pull.”  By this time others had entered the cabin, and their united effort at length succeeded in dislodging from the chimney,—­not a negro, but a white man, whose blue eyes, glassy with terror, shone through the soot which had begrimed his face.  He had climbed up the chimney to escape the storm of shot, and had so wedged himself in that to release himself unaided was impossible.  Irrepressible laughter greeted his appearance, and I—­I am bitterly ashamed to say—­fell into a fit of most violent hysterical laughter and weeping.  Dr. Welford hurried me into the buggy, which was near at hand, and drove rapidly to town, refusing to stop at the hospital, landing me at my room, where some ladies who came from I know not where kindly helped me to bed.  Under the influence of a sedative I soon fell into a deep sleep, awakening at daylight to find my own servant (who had returned with other negroes during the night) standing at my bedside.  The surgeons had sent a little of the precious real coffee, of which there was only one sack left.  Upon awakening, I was to be at once served with a cup.  A warm bath followed.  By six o’clock I was once more at the hospital, ready for duty, after two days and nights, during which, it seemed to me, I had lived for years.

Even at this early hour, Buckner hospital presented a scene of great activity.  Some of the surgeons had remained all night on duty, and were still busy; while others, having snatched a few hours of sleep, were now preparing for their trying work.

In almost every ward lay a few wounded Federals, but, all the spare beds having been filled, a long, low, brick building, on the corner opposite the drug-store, once used as a cotton-pickery, was fitted up as comfortably as the limited hospital-supplies at our command would allow for the Federals exclusively, and they were permitted to have the attendance of their own surgeons, although ours always responded readily, if needed.