L. P. Brockett, The camp, the battlefield, and the hospital: or, lights and shadows of the great rebellion

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“ [512] ravine, one regiment at a time.” He then announced the order of retiring, regiment by regiment, and added: “The first man who runs or goes beyond that ravine, shall be shot. I will stand here, and see how you do it.” And there, in full range of the enemy's fire, he mounted a stump, from which he could see his entire command, folded his arms, and watched the movement, himself the most exposed man of the whole brigade. A captain of the Seventy-second Illinois, who had been intimate with Ransom before the war, crawled on his hands and knees to the foot of the stump, and begged the general to leave a position of so much danger. Turning his flashing eyes upon the captain for an instant, Ransom said, with an emphasis that commanded obedience, “Silence!” and remained where he was until the movement was accomplished.

At the battle of Sabine crossroads, where, as usual, he was always in the thickest of the fight, inspiriting his men by his presence, he was severely wounded in the left knee. On the day following the battle four surgeons examined the wound at Pleasant Hill, and were divided in their opinion-two being in favor of amputation while the other two deemed it unnecessary. The general, who was an interested listener to the conversation, raised himself on his couch and said: “Well, gentlemen, as the house is equally divided on this subject, I will, as chairman of the meeting, decide the question. I shall retain the wounded leg, loss included.”