groan. Those wounded, but not mortally—how nobly they bore the necessary probings and needed amputations ! Two instances of this heroic fortitude deserve to be specially mentioned. One of them is that of William C. Bentley, of the Second Rhode Island regiment, both of whose legs were broken by a bomb-shell, whose wrist and breast were mangled, and who yet was as calm as if he suffered no pain. He refused any opiate or stimulant that might dim his consciousness. He asked only that we should pray for him, that he might be patient and submissive, and dictated a letter to be sent to his mother. Then, and not till then, opiates were given him, and he fell gently asleep, and for the last time.
"The other case was that of Francis Sweetzer, of Company E, of the Sixteenth Massachusetts Regiment, who witnessed in death, as he had uniformly done in life, a good confession of Christ. 'Thank God,' he said, 'that I am permitted to die for my country. Thank God more yet that I am prepared to die;' and then after a moment's thought he modestly added, 'at least I hope I am.' When he died he was in the act of prayer, and in that position his limbs grew rigid, and so remained after the spirit had left his body."
Oh, who that has witnessed such triumphant deaths on the battle-field will presume to doubt that the spirit of that patriot who falls amid the terrible clash of arms and the fierce surge of bat-
