Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet

[Natty]

That sounds reasonable. Perhaps he was just trying to demonstrate that he was no different from other soldiers and was not the cold, hard individual many had him out to be. If that is the case, then this reference wasn't necessarily an indication of bad health, just the effects of malnutrition and enormous amounts of physical strain.

Who knows what you'd talk about in that extremity. Everything and nothing, the deep and the mundane? Didn't he leave his Bible with Dr Gillette? I wonder what became of that? Shame so many of these personal belongings didn't survive. For all we know, they could be locked up in someone's dusty old attic.

I think Dr. Gillette was supposed to send his effects to his family. I vaguely recall something about many artifacts from that time being destroyed in a house fire, but Betty would know for sure.
Yes, on that night Lewis might have purged himself of all kinds of thoughts and memories, particularly considering the limited amount of social contact he'd had during the previous months.
Perhaps he was just describing his time with the army to Dr. Gillette, recounting the old days and mentioned it in an offhand manner, not intending any significance.

I'd still love to see a transcript of the original conversation though, or at least the memoirs.