The Battle of the Wilderness

The battle lasted 50 hours, but it left 25,000 dead or wounded. A lot of the people participating in this battle were Irishmen who had come over to America to escape the famine and make a little money while they were at it. Some guys were suspended by their thumbs; others were gagged with bayonets. Others were branded with the letter D on their cheeks or their cheek, rather, their chest or their rear end with a hot iron. The wound would be packed with black powder, another form of branding, ultimately.