TWO THOUSAND PATIENTS.--NIGGER CHARLIE.--LOUIS ST. AUBIN, CHASSEUR
D'AFRIQUE.--THE BOY PEYEN.--GUNS CAPTURED IN THE TOWN.
THE number of wounded in the care of our Ambulance was at this time,
roughly speaking, about 500. There were 218 in the Caserne; each of the
thirty-three tents held 4 patients, and Dr. Frank had in his Hospital
150 Bavarians. This will make the total given above a fairly accurate
estimate. During and after the battles of the 31st August, and the 1st
September, the number of men whose wounds we dressed and attended to,
without receiving them into the Hospital, was calculated by us at about
2000. Nor can this be thought excessive, when, within rifle range around
us, there were of French wounded alone, over 12,500.
A further insight into the magnitude of our labours may be gained from
the fact that in our Hospital at Sedan we had a total of 436 primary
operations,--152 for injuries of the upper, and 284 for injuries of the
lower extremities. Another interesting fact worth recording is, that
during the battles about Sedan, not a single case of wound by a
mitrailleuse bullet was met with by any member of our staff.
Dr. Marion Sims assured us that the hardships we endured, and the amount
of work we actually got through, went beyond the limits of his varied
experience. To enter at length into details would, besides involving
obscure technicalities, be tedious to the general reader. I will confine
myself to a brief account of our Staff and General Management, and
select from my observations a few interesting cases. I have named the
original members of our Ambulance, and those who had recently joined us.
Nor must I forget Père Bayonne, the Dominican Friar, who was a general
favourite, and untiring in his efforts to deal with the religious wants
of the dying soldiers--no easy task among Frenchmen. Neither ought I to
omit M. Monod, our Protestant chaplain, a quiet, gentlemanly man, who
moved noiselessly about, and slipped little pamphlets with stories of
the usual type, and sheets of paper with Bible-texts printed on them,
into the patients' beds as he went along.
But I have yet to mention, at such length as he deserves, one of the
most notable characters in our Ambulance, our _chef de cuisine_ and
stud-groom, "Nigger Charlie". He was coal-black, and he and his
forefathers had been Virginian slaves in Dr. Pratt's family. When the
slaves were enfranchised, and slavery abolished, Charlie came to Paris
with his master, whose family were ruined by the emancipation, for all
their wealth had consisted in their slaves. At Paris, Charlie served Dr.
Pratt faithfully for years; indeed, he often told me that he loved his
master more dearly than his life. Dr. Pratt, on the other hand, knew and
said that in spite of his undoubted devotion, Charlie would sometimes
steal his money and pawn his plate, after which he would take to his
heels, coming back only when all he had gained in this unrighteous
fashion was spent. But, though chastised not too leniently with the
whip, nothing would induce him to run away for good. It was, in fact,
impossible to get rid of him.
When, therefore, the negro heard that his master had joined the
Ambulance, although he had a good salary as courier in an American Bank
in Paris, he packed up his traps, and, without saying a word, landed
himself into the train by which we arrived at Sedan. He was a wonderful
cook, and knew how to serve up horseflesh soup and steaks so as to defy
detection. He was also a wit of quite a brilliant type, a great rider
and judge of horses, and as a liar beat all records. But his most
decided characteristics were hatred of the Yankee, contempt for black
men, and a chivalrous devotion to white women. I had many a pleasant
chat with him. His descriptions of slave life in Virginia, as he said it
went on in nine cases out of ten, and of the happiness of their
domestic situation and surroundings, were extremely vivid and even
touching. I presume he was, at any rate, a true witness in his own
behalf.
Now, as to the exact nature of our Hospital work and its results. It is
to me a constant subject of regret that our knowledge of the antiseptic
treatment and drainage of wounds was then only in its beginning.
Although lint and _charpie_ dressings were used, saturated with carbolic
solution, yet covered as they were with oiled silk and a bandage, their
effect was spoiled. Neither was any serious attempt made to render the
instruments, operating table, and surroundings of the patients, aseptic.
Hence the high rate of mortality which ensued. Startling, in fact, as
the statement may appear, I am convinced that if we had refrained from
performing a single secondary operation at Sedan, our results would have
turned out far better.
There was associated with every individual in this great host of
patients an interesting story,--how, when, and where did they receive
their wounds? And among the number some cases could not fail to be
exceptionally romantic or affecting. The sketch I have already given of
Louis St. Aubin's adventures,--that brave Chasseur d'Afrique who was
thrice wounded on the 1st,--may be taken as an instance; and I will now
add what happened in the sequel.
St. Aubin came into the Hospital under Dr. May's care and mine. Two days
afterwards, Dr. MacCormac performed resection of both his joints. But so
afraid was Louis that advantage might be taken of his induced sleep to
amputate his arm (a mutilation to which the poor fellow would in no case
submit) that he refused utterly to be put under chloroform. Throughout
the operation, which was of necessity a protracted one, he bore up with
amazing courage. When the bones had to be sawn through, he clenched his
teeth on the fold of a sheet, and, except to give utterance to a few
stifled groans, neither flinched nor moved a muscle. His powers of
endurance were wonderful. Day after day I attended at this brave
fellow's bedside, and he and I became much attached to one another. I
took him little delicacies when I could procure them, and I was
determined not to let him die if I could help it. Dr. MacCormac visited
him very often; but he was quite jealous of allowing any one but Dr. May
or myself to dress his wounds.
For some time he went on favourably,--a progress which I observed with
pleasure; but then fell back so much that we almost despaired. At this
time his sufferings were intense; and I had much to do to keep him in
bed. One day he implored of me to put him altogether out of his pain; I
expostulated with him as firmly as I could, and pointed out how unmanly
it was to use such language, whatever he might be enduring; when he
said, with an agonising earnestness, "Tell me, doctor, is it possible
that Christ suffered as much as I am suffering now?" I answered, "Your
pain is as nothing to His," and he calmed down and went through his
agony in silence.
Happily, it was not long until he became better; and when in course of
time, I was obliged to leave with the Ambulance and go to the front, he
was rapidly recovering. Our parting was sorrowful, for I honoured and
loved the noble spirit of that dauntless soldier. He begged for my
address in Ireland, that he might write to me; and he has done so
several times. I subjoin the translation of one of his letters sent to
me while he was in Hospital after I had left Sedan.
"SEDAN, Oct. 10th, 1870.
"Monsieur le Docteur,
"I do not wish to delay any longer before giving you an account
of myself, and once more expressing my gratitude for the
interest you have taken and the care you have lavished on me.
What am I to tell you about my wound? It is slow in healing, and
since your departure, I have had to undergo treatment very
different from yours; but I have not given up the hope of a
complete recovery, although I suffer a good deal, and am obliged
to stay in bed.
"I should be very happy if I could see you at my bedside, M. le
Docteur. In spite of the pains taken with me, I feel your going
away; you were so kind and patient. Shall I ever see you again,
and thank you with my own lips? I hope so with all my heart. I
will never forget you.
"Please accept, with the expression of my deepest gratitude, my
entire devotion.
"LOUIS ST. AUBIN.
"I take the liberty of sending you my address, and I hope you
will do me the honour of letting me hear from you. Thanks to the
kindness of M. de Montagnac, I shall receive your letter
direct."
The address given was that gentleman's, at Bouillon.
I insert this touching note, less on account of the generous
acknowledgment which Louis St. Aubin makes to his doctor, than to show
what fine qualities were in him, and how gracefully his French courtesy
enabled him to express himself. Indeed, when his Colonel came to see the
lad, he declared that Louis was the best and bravest soldier in his
troop, and that he did not know what fear was.
Another young fellow, quite a boy, Peyen of the 50th Regiment of the
Line, had been shot through the wrist, and Dr. May considered that
amputation was necessary. He was a bright young fellow, with a beaming
countenance and a twinkle in his eye; and when I came to let him know
our determination, and take him to the operation ward, I found him
smoking a cigar. Not a bit dismayed, he got out of bed, slipped on his
trousers, and tripped briskly up the cloister, smoking his cigar all the
while, until he mounted the operation table. His arm was amputated; but
when he recovered from the chloroform state, he declined to go back to
bed until he saw his comrade's leg cut off. "I want," said Peyen, "to
tell him how it was done." This might be an incident in _Le Conscrit_ of
MM. Erckmann-Chatrian.
He quietly smoked another cigar which I procured for him, and
attentively watched every step of the operation; after which, he and his
companion returned to their ward together.
Peyen wrote me a letter, which I still possess, and will here append, to
show me how well he could write with his left hand. Nothing but a
facsimile could do justice to the quaint and brave caligraphy of this
letter, which I am sorry not to reproduce in the original. It read
pretty much as follows:--
"AT SEDAN, September 18th, 1870.
"On the 4th of August, took place the Battle of Bixembourg
(_sic_) from 9 in the morning till 9 at night. The _division
Douai_, composed of about 8000 men, too weak to resist an enemy
six times their number, was forced to beat a retreat to Hagenau.
In this sad engagement General Douai was killed at the head of
his Division. The battle was won by the Prussians,--that is
true, but the honour remains with France, the Division having
stood against 60,000 men all that day, and having even prevented
them for five hours from ascending the slope of Bixembourg.
(Signed) "PEYEN, LOUIS,
"Ever your devoted servant.
"To M. le Docteur of Ward No. 5."
This plucky young fellow recovered without a single bad symptom. But,
alas! it was not so with a vast number of our other patients; for, about
the 14th, many of them were in a bad way, and nearly all our staff
complained of not feeling well. Dr. Sims noticed one day that the work
was telling on me, and ordered me off duty, sending me out for a walk.
Accordingly, I went into the town, and saw the French guns which had now
been stored in the Park, or exercise ground for the troops during times
of peace. I never shall forget that sight. There were 400 pieces of
artillery of all sizes, including 70 mitrailleuses packed close
together. The question suggested itself, Would an army of 100,000
Englishmen, with this amount of guns and ammunition, submit to lay down
their arms and skulk into Germany? Could any combination of
circumstances make such a thing possible? I do not believe it. An
officer on duty about the place kindly took me through the Park, and
showed me the working of the mitrailleuse, as well as a number of heavy
cannon. He warned me against picking up unburst shells, for they had
been known to explode as long as seventeen days after being fired--a
statement which I thought unlikely.
Standing beside this plateau was a large building which belonged to the
Nuns of the Assumption, and in which a sister of mine, who is in that
Order, had until recently been living. I paid them a visit and the
Mother Superior received me cordially, telling me of their labours on
behalf of the wounded, and pointing out where a shell had struck one of
the doors leading into the garden. There was also a round hole in
another door, as clean cut by a bullet as if it had been done with a
punch.
The refectory of these good Sisters was now made the operation room; and
many of the lightly wounded were limping on crutches up and down the
cloisters, their faces beaming with contentment, as well they might, for
the Nuns were indefatigable in attending to their wants. Having bidden
adieu to the amiable Superior, I directed my steps to the Place de
Turenne. Here the church, theatre, public schools, and extensive
buildings of the cloth and silk factories in the Rue Marqua, were
crowded with invalids, as was every second house in the town. All these
showed the Red Cross flag--under Prussian management, and I looked into
some of them, thinking that the Church especially, was an uncanny sight
when turned into a hospital and full of the wounded.
I now passed on through the town, and out by the Torcy Gate, and so home
again. It was four days before I was allowed another ramble, as Dr. May
had a slight attack of blood poisoning, and his work was given to me.
Most of our _infirmiers_ had been drawn by the Prussians. Those that
remained were French ambulance men; and, if we except three, were
altogether ignorant, lazy, and good-for-nothing fellows. They had
received no technical training; and the task, therefore, which devolved
upon me taxed the energies of mind and body.
Some of our patients were wounded in three, four, five, and, in one
instance, in six places, which made the dressing of their wounds a
tedious affair. I had also to dress ten or a dozen amputated limbs. At
one time I had in my charge eighteen of these, a couple of resections,
no end of flesh wounds from bullet and shell, numerous fractures--most
of them compound ones--and all varieties of lacerations and contusions.
About this time there were some forty secondary operations, in all of
which conservative surgery had been tried; but owing to the overcrowded
state and vitiated atmosphere of the Hospital, these patients nearly all
succumbed. From the commencement our lightly wounded men were removed as
soon as possible, and sent to some French or Belgian Military Hospital.
The result was that, after a few days, we had none in our care but the
severely wounded. I cannot conclude without mentioning the kind way in
which Dr. Marion Sims dealt with me. Nor shall I ever cease to recall
with gratitude, his invariable consideration for one so much younger
than himself and wholly without experience.