Accourding to Thomas, Isaac was wounded around 2:00 p.m., he laid where he was wounded until almost daylight the following morning. His friends had been on the battlefield that night looking for him and had about given up finding him when they called his name and he heard his friends and answered then. They carried him to a field hospital and when the doctors came around and examined him they told him that his case was incurable and they did not have time to give him any attention because there were so many whom they had a chance to save. So they took him off from the main body and put him on the ground and left him. Isaac laid there 5 days (July 7, 1863). It was hot and the flies bothered him and the maggots got all over him. He had to fight to keep them out of his mouth and eyes, and he began to think that if someone did not find him he would have to die. That evening he dozed off to sleep and when he woke there was a lady standing over him crying. She ask him why was it that he should be treated that way, and Isaac told her that he did not know, that they told him that his case was incurable. The lady told him to rest easy because she would see that he got attention. Isaac looked around and saw a carriage with two fine horses hitched to it and a driver sitting in it. He heard her ask how far it was to headquarters and they told her it was about a mile. She told the driver to put the whip to the horses, and he said in the shortest time imaginable she was back with two surgeons and two men. She told the men that I needed attention and they took him and dressed his wounds. He went to sleep and slept all night. The next day they had a man sitting by him. He noticed that the mans foot was turned to one sideso he told the man to straighten his foot because when he got well he did not want to walk with his foot to one-sided. The man laughed, "Do you think we are going to get well?" Now they moved him into a hospital and, as well as I remember, he stayed there 13 months but he could get about. Finally he came home and made a crop and moved to Texas.
It would be nice to find out who the lady was and the man with his foot to one side. I guess those are some things we will wonder about but never know. It does not sound like the lady was a Battlefield Angel but maybe she was. I also wonder if the man with the turned foot was more of a guard than an attendant.
Thomas also gave some accounts of Isaac in Texas but I know for sure that he is buried in the Bowman Ridge Cemetary, Erath County Texas. He had a brother, they both were in the Newton Rifles, Company D, that was killed at Garnett's Farm, June 27, 1862, during the Seven Days Battle/Peninsula Campaign. According to Isaac's Military Record he was wonded at Garnett's Farm but I can't find any information about him being wounded there. The 13th was with General Magruder as they conducted a reconnaissance in force.
Recently I have been looking for the Members of the Newton Rifles. Thomas Allen mentioned that there were several and that they all gathered at his fathers house to stay the the before they all departed for Virginia. Thomas also mentioned that they were all given big butcher knives that an old blacksmith made. So far I have three names and I may not get many more; be nice to get a muster roll. I am looking at visiting the historical society in Newton County, maybe next year.
I hope all of this makes sense to you.
jim