An account of Mr. William Wilkerson after the Battle of Richmond, Kentucky, August 30th, 1862,&ldquo

An account of Mr. William Wilkerson after the Battle of Richmond, Kentucky, August 30th, 1862,“I heard groans, which I was sure came from a cornfield near at hand.  Looking down the corn rows I soon discovered two wounded soldiers lying about forty yards apart. One was a Federal and the other a Confederate.  A cannon ball had broken and terribly mangled  both of the Confederate’s legs, while the Federal was shot through the body and thigh.‘I am dying for water’, I heard the Federal say, just as I discovered them.  His words sounded as if they came from a parched mouth.'I have some water in my canteen. You are welcome to a drink if you’ll come here’, said the Confederate, who had feebly raised his head from the ground to look at his late enemy when he heard his pitiful cry for water.'I couldn’t move to save my life'  groaned the Federal while his whole body quivered with agony.Then I beheld an act of heroism which held me spellbound until it was too late for me to give assistance I should have rendered. The Confederate lifted his head again, and took another look at his wounded foe, and I saw an expression of tender pity come over his pain distorted face as he said, 'Hold out a little longer Yank, and I’ll try to come to you.’Then the brave fellow, by digging his fingers in the ground and catching hold of the cornstalks, painfully dragged himself to the Federal’s side, the blood from his mangled legs making a red trail the entire distance.The tears ran down my cheek like rain, and out of empathy for him, I groaned every time he moved, but I was so lost to everything except that fellow’s heroism that I did not think of helping him.When the painful journey was finished he offered the canteen to the Federal, who took it and drank eagerly, the water seeming to sizzle as it passed down his parched throat.  Then, with a deep sigh of relief he reached out to the Confederate, and it was plain to see as they clasped hands and looked into each others eyes that whatever of hate may have rankled once in the hearts of those men had now given place to mutual empathy and love. Even while I watched them I saw the Confederate’s body quiver in pain, and when his head dropped to the ground I knew a hero had crossed the dark river.The Federal kissed the dead hero’s hand repeatedly and cried like a child until I had removed him to the hospital, where he too died the next day.Source: My Brother’s Keeper; Union and Confederate Soldier’s Acts of Mercy During the Civil War, by Daniel N. Ralph -- source link

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