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| Joined: | Wed Jun 13th, 2007 |
| Location: | North Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 420 |
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For whatever it's worth, this comes out of David Martin's book, 'Gettysburg, July 1' and documents Bayard Wilkeson's mortal wounding:
"...The shot that felled Wilkeson was witnessed by Major Campbell Brown of Early's staff...According to one source, Lieutenant Wilkeson bravely used his own pen knife to cut the few remaining sinews that still held his mangled leg. After the fighting ended he was taken by the Confederates to a hospital set up at the Almshouse. His wound was severe and he was suffering gravely from loss of blood. At some point during the night he asked for some water to relieve his thirst. He was given a canteen, but passed it on untouched to a wounded soldier lying next to him who begged, 'For God's sake give me some.' Wilkeson did not complain as the other soldier drank every drop. He just smiled on the man, turned slightly, and expired. He was only 19 years old."
Pfanz writes in 'Gettysburg — The First Day' that "A shot mangled his (Wilkeson's) right leg and killed his horse. He applied a tourniquet made from a handkerchief to the stump and amputated it. Four men from the battery carried him to the almshouse, where he died that night."
To tell you the truth, I don't rightly know if the place was a hospital or not. I don't recall seeing a marker there indicating that it was (there are hospital markers posted on many buildings all around Gettysburg, including the club house of the golf course where I sometimes play near Fairfield), but next time I go I'll look. But evidently, wounded men were brought to the place. Whether they were actually treated there or not is another question.
Too much information about Jenny Wade's father.
