erious
accident occurred, my life being saved by but a hair's breadth. As
my horse rose in a long leap, his fore-feet in the air and his head
about as high as my shoulder, a cannon-ball struck him above the eye
and carried away the upper part of his head. Of course the momentum
carried his lifeless body some ten feet ahead, and hurled me some
distance further,--saber, pistols, and all. I gathered myself up,
and to my surprise was not hurt in the least. One second later, the
ball would have struck me and spared the horse. Thankful for my
life, I threw off my saber and my tight uniform-coat, gave my
pistols to a cavalryman near by, and started in search of another
horse. General Breckenridge had told me in the morning, if my horse
was killed to take the first unemployed one I could find. I knew
where some of the infantry field-officers had tied their horses in a
ravine in the rear, and while seeking them, I met a scene which
lives in my memory as if it were but yesterday.

I had just filled my canteen at a spring, and as I turned from it my
eye met the uplifted gaze of a Federal officer, I think a colonel of
an Illinois regiment, who was lying desperately wounded, shot
through the body and both legs, his dead horse lying on one of his
shattered limbs. A cannon-ball had passed through his horse and both
of his own knees. He looked pleadingly for a drink, but hesitated to
ask it of an enemy, as he supposed me to be. I came up to him, and
said, "You seem to be badly wounded, sir; will you have some water?"

"Oh, yes," said he; "but I feared to ask you for it."

"Why?"

"Because I expected no favor of an enemy."

Two other men coming by, I called them to aid in removing the dead
horse from his wounded limb. They did so, and then passed on; but I
seemed bound to him as by a spell. His manly face and soldierly
bearing, when suffering so terribly, charmed me. I changed his
position, adjusted his head, arranged his mangled legs in an easy
posture, supporting them by leaves stuffed under the blanket on
which we had laid him. In the mean time he took out his watch and
money, and requested me to hand him his pistols from the
saddle-holsters, and urged me to take them, as some one might rob
him, and I was the only one who had shown him kindness. I declined,
and wrapping them up in a blanket, placed them under his head,
telling him the fortunes of war might yet bring his own troops to
his side. He seemed overcome, and said, "My