846 Ten Years of ony Life. 



village of Querriere about a musket-shot before us, and our 

 troops forming for the attack. It was as wonderful a winter 

 day as I have ever seen. The, sun was shining brightly, though 

 it was cold, and the snow appeal-ed like sparkling silver. The 

 columns of our infantry advanced in the regular and steady 

 manner I had seen often in our manoeuvres near Coblentz 

 and Cologne 



Professor Busch looked out for a proper site to establish a 

 ' Verbandplatz.' There stood a little house on the road, a 

 shoemaker's shop, which seemed convenient ; it was in every 

 way a better place than any in the field, offering protection 

 against the cold, which would have rendered any operations 

 nearly impossible. The house had already attracted the 

 attention of some other ambulance party arriving before us, 

 but after much deliberation, hastened by some bullets, it was 

 considered too near the front and given up. Professor Busch, 

 however, seeing no other place near, decided on establishmg 

 ourselves there, trusting to chance and good luck. 



Some slightly wounded were already there, and, as the 

 place was very confined and they had to remain outside, 

 where they were exposed to being wounded again, the pro- 

 fessor wished to have them carried back to the place where we 

 had stopped at first for further orders. No means of transpor- 

 tation being at hand, I offered my light carriage, and Frank, 

 the coachman, drove several times to the house on the road, 

 and went afterwards even on the battle-field, in 'he rear of 

 our advancing troops, to pick up some wounded. 



Our house was very small and consisted of only two narrow 

 rooms. We had, of course, brought with us all necessary 

 things, and arranged these rooms as a ' Verbandplatz.' The 

 floor of one of them was covered with straw, being reserved 

 exclusively for those who were wounded beyond any hope and 

 must die. In the other room were placed the tables tor 

 amputation. 



The wounded were brought in in great numbers, and 

 amongst them were sixteen deadly wounded, who were laid in 

 ihe afore-mentioned room to die. These w^re mostly those 

 that had received wounds in the body, and who bled mwardly 

 to death. They did not suffer so much as those whose limbs 

 were shattered, and had, therefore, no idea of the danger of 

 their situation 



