[287] bandaged my leg very tightly from the foot to the knee, thus checking the dangerous hemorrhage. The blood flowed in jets from the artery, and I soon became very faint and deathly sick. Drs. Weatherly and Hardy came to see me frequently during the day and night, and, although they gave me two large doses of morphine, I could not sleep at all for the pain. Poor John Attaway died of his wound at the residence of Mrs. Hist. He spoke often, while in his right mind, and in his delirium, affectionately of his mother, of Sergeant Stafford and myself. Mrs. Hist brought me some parting messages from him. May his brave spirit rest in peace!
The severed nerves in my left foot, below my wound, caused me real agony. My comrades in the office are cheerful and seem to improve. Sergeant Lines of the 14th North Carolina, is a native of the North, but is a true southerner in sentiment. Some of our best soldiers were born in the North, and deserve honor for their devotion to truth and their adopted homes.
Rumors are rife that General Early will attempt to retake Winchester soon. This is very improbable, as Sheridan's forces are too numerous. Reinforcements pass by the office every day going to the front, and Early's army must be a mere handful of exhausted, illy equipped men, incapable of any offensive movement. The ladies bring us all kinds of reports, usually very cheering. They always look on the bright side. Mosby's men venture into the city quite often at night, to see relatives and friends, and gain all the information they can. They are greeted warmly, and secreted by the citizens until they are ready to leave the city. They carry outmany letters for Dixie Land. The risk they run is very great, but they are daring scouts, accustomed to danger and fond of its excitement.
