The following story is a true account.
I was a surgeon in the United States Army
during the Civil War. After the battle of Gettysburg, there were hundreds
of wounded soldiers in my hospital. Many were wounded so severely that
a leg or an arm, or sometimes both, needed to be amputated.
One of these was a
boy who had only been in the service for only 3 months. Since he was too
young to be a soldier, he had enlisted as a drummer.
When my assistants came to give him Chloroform before the amputation,
he turned his head and refused it. When they told him that it was the doctor's
orders, he said," Send the doctor to me."
I came to his bedside
and said, "Young man, why do you refuse the chloroform? When I
picked you up on the battlefield, you were so far gone that I almost
didn't bother to pick you
up. But you opened those large blue eyes, it occurred to me that you
had a mother somewhere who might be thinking of you that very moment. I
didn't want you to die on the field, so I had you brought here. But you'
ve lost so much blood that you've just too weak to live through an operation
without chloroform. You'd better let me give you some."
He laid his hand on mine, looked at me in
the face and said 'Doctor, one Sunday afternoon,
when I was nine and a half years old, I gave my life to Christ. I learned
to trust him then,
I know I can trust him now. He is my strength. He will support
me while you amputate my arm and leg." I asked him if he would at least
let me give him a little brandy. Again he looked at me and said, "Doctor,
when I was about 5 years old, my mother knelt by my side with her
arms around me and said,"Charlie, I am praying to Jesus that you will never
take even one
drink of alcohol. Your father died a drunkard, and I've asked
God to use you to warn people against the dangers of drinking, and to encourage
them to love and serve the Lord.' I am now 17 years old, and I have never
had anything stronger than tea or coffee.
There is a very good chance that I am about
to die and go into the presence of my God. Would you send me there with
brandy on my breath?"
I will never forget that look that boy gave
me. At that time I hated Jesus, but I respected that boy's loyalty
to his Savior. And when I saw how he loved and trusted
him to the very end, something deeply touched my heart. I did for that
boy what I had never
done for any other soldier- I asked him if he wanted to see his chaplain.
Chaplain R. knew the boy well from having
seen him often at the tent prayer meetings.
Taking his hand he said," Charlie, I am sorry to see you like this."
"Oh, I am all right, sir,"
answered Charlie. " The doctor offered me chloroform, but I
told him I didn't want any. Then he wanted to give me brandy, which I didn't
want either. So now, if my Savior calls me I can go to him in my right
mind."
" You must not die, Charlie,"said the chaplain,"
but if the Lord does call you home, is there
anything I can do for you after you're gone?" "Chaplain, please reach
under my pillow and
take my little Bible. My mother's address is inside. Please
send it to her and write a letter for me. Tell her that since I left home,
I have never let a single day pass — no matter if we were on the march,
on the battlefield, or in the hospital — without reading a portion of the
God's word, and daily praying that He would bless her."
"Is there anything else I can do for you,
my lad?" asked the chaplain. "Yes, please write a
letter to the Sunday School teacher of the Sands Street Church in Brooklyn,
New York. Tell him that I've never forgotten his
encouragement, good advice, and many prayers for
me. They have helped me and comforted me through all the dangers of
battle. And now, in my dying hour, I thank the
Lord for my dear old teacher, and ask him to bless and strengthen him.
That is all."
Then turning to me, he said, "I'm ready, doctor.
I promise I won't even groan while you
take off me arm and leg, if you don't offer me chloroform." I promised,
but I didn't have
the courage to take knife in my hand without first going into
the next room and taking a little
brandy myself.
While cutting through the flesh, Charlie Coulson
never groaned. But when I took the saw to separate the bone, the lad took
the corner of his pillow in his mouth and all I could hear him
whisper was," O Jesus, blessed Jesus!
Stand by me now." He kept his promise. He never groaned. I couldn't
sleep that night.
Whichever way I tossed and turned, I saw those soft blue eyes, the
words," Blessed Jesus! Stand by me now." Kept ringing in my ears. A little
after midnight, I finally left my bed and
visited the hospital - something I had never done before unless there
was an emergency. I had such a strange and strong desire to see that boy.
When I got there, an olderly told me that 16 of the badly wounded soldiers
had died.
"Was Charlie Coulson, one of them?" I asked.
"No, sir," he answered, "he's sleeping as
sweet as a babe." When I came to his bed, one of the nurses said
that at about 9 o'clock two members of the YMCA came through the hospital
to sing a hymn. Chaplain R. was with them, he knelt by Charlie's
bed and offered a fervent and soul-stirring prayer. Then, while still on
their knees, they sang one of the sweetest of all hymns, "Jesus,
Lover Of My Soul."
Charlie sang along with them, too. I couldn't understand how
that boy, who was in such horrible pain, could sing.
Five days after I performed the operation,
Charlie sent for me, and it was from him that I heard my first Gospel
sermon.
“Doctor,” he said, “my time has come. I don't expect to see another
sunrise. I want to thank you with all my heart for your kindness to me.
I know you are Jewish, and that you don't believe in Jesus, but I want
you to stay with me, and see me die trusting my Saviour to
the last moment of my life.” I tried to stay, but I just couldn't.
I didn't have the courage to stand by and
see a Christian boy die rejoicing in the love of
that Jesus who I hated. So I hurriedly left the room.
About 20 minutes later, an elderly came and
found me sitting in my office with my hands
covering my face. He told me that Charlie wanted to see me,"
I've just seen him, " I answered," and I can't see him again." "But, doctor,
he says he must see you once more before he dies."
So I made up my mind to go andsee Charlie,
say an endearing word and let him die. However,I was determined that
nothing he could say would influence me in the least bit, so far as his
Jesus was concerned.
When I entered the hospital I saw he was sinking
fast, so I sat down by his bed. Asking me to take his hand, he said," Doctor,
I love you because you are a Jew. The best friend I've found in the world
was a Jew."
I asked him who that was, and he answered,"
Jesus Christ, and I want to introduce you to
him before I die. Will you promise me, doctor that I am about to say
to you, you will never
forget?" I promised, and he said," 5 days ago, while you amputated
my arm and leg, I prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ and asked him to make
his love known to you."
Those words went deep in my heart, I couldn't
understand how, when I was causing him the most intense pain, he could
forget about himself and think of nothing but the Savior and my unconverted
soul. All I could say to him was," Well, my dear boy, you soon be all right."
With these words I left him, and 12 minutes later, he fell asleep,"safe
in the arms of Jesus."
Hundreds of soldiers died in my hospital during
the war, but I only followed one to the
grave, and that was Charlie Coulson. I rode 3 miles to see him
buried. I had him dressed in a new uniform, and placed in an officer's
coffin, with a United States flag over it.
That boy's dying words made a deep impression
on me. I was rich at that time so as far as
money was concerned, but I would have given every penny I possessed
if I could have felt
towards Christ as Charlie did. But that feeling cannot
be bought with money. Alas, I soon forgot all about my Christian
soldier's little sermon, but I could not forget the boy himself.
Looking back, I now know I was under deep conviction of sin at that time.
But for nearly 10 years I had, until finally the dear boy's prayer
was answered, and I surrendered my life to the love of Jesus.
About a year and a half after my conversion,
I went to a prayer meeting one evening in
Brooklyn. It was one of those meetings where Christians testify
about the loving kindness of God. After several had spoken, an elderly
lady stood up and said,"Dear friends, this may be the last time I have
a chance to publicly shared how good the Lord has been to me. My doctor
told me yesterday that my right lung is nearly gone, and my left lung is
failing fast, so at the best only have a short time to be with you.
But what is left of me belongs to Jesus. It's
a great joy to know that I shall soon meet my son with Jesus in heaven."
"Charlie was not only a soldier for his country,
but also a soldier for Christ. He was wounded at the battle of Gettysburg,
and was cared for by a Jewish doctor,who amputated his arm and leg.
He died 5 days after the operation. The chaplain
of the regiment wrote me a letter and sent me my boy's Bible. I was
told that in his dying hour, my Charlie sent for that Jewish doctor and
said to him," 5 days ago, while you amputated my arm and leg, I prayed
to the Lord Jesus Christ for you."
As I heard this lady speak, I just couldn't
sit still! I left my seat,ran across the room and taking her hand
and said," God bless you, my dear sister. Your boy's prayer has been heard
and answered! I am the Jewish doctor that Charlie prayed for, and his Savior
is now my Savior!
The love of Jesus has won my soul!"
From: Charlie Coulson - The Christian Drummer Boy, Touching Incidents
and Remarkable Answers to Prayers. by “Dr. M.L.R.” (believed to be Dr M
L Rosvally)