Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1861-12-31
First Experience in Battle.

A Federal soldier who was in the bat
tie of Pikc.iIle, in Kentucky, writes to
his friends 10 Cincinnati this graphic de-
scriptlon Of his sensations during the
fight:
"And now for my share in the battle.
/ was ding along somewhat careless'y,
when crack! crack crack went their
rifles, and down fell our men. Crack
crack crack they came. OFF ] jumped
from nv horse, when along came the
Major and gave me bis horse to hold /;
bat | soon hitched them both to a tree
down by the river, and sprung again up
the bank, when whz went bullet past
my face, about three inches from il, and
made me draw my head back in a hurry,
| can assure you. / looked mp the hi ,
but could see no one for the smoke,
which was plenty, as | leveled in the
direction Of the enemy, and fired-load
ed again and fired. | got my rifle in
readiness again. Alb that ball was
pretty close. Here comes another
buzz, buzz you can hear their whiz for
fully hundred yards as they come-get
out Of the way. But where is it to go
to: Whew, that was cose. Bat,
great God it has gone through mans
shoulder within a few yards Of me, He
falls some of his comrades pick him
| up.
"Now horseman comes past in a
hurry. He is right opposite me-when
whz crack ball strikes his horse in
the foreshoulder. Off tumbles the
man; down falls the horse, stiffcncd out
and dead. II the bullet had gone through
the animal, it would doubtless have
struck me.
"Herc comes dozen or more. How
they whiz as they 90 past! Load and
fire. Load and fire. is the order-and
load and fire it is. Ny notice was es
pecialy drawn to a very fine looking
man, who stood close to me, and he tru
ly acted like hero-loading and firing
Just as if he was on parade, when whiz
whlz. comes bullet. My God. how
close. 1t almost stunned me Wher
I looked towards my soldier, | saw hi
comrades lifting hun up. He was sho
through the breast, and died in les.
than half an hour. Oh !. the horrors Of
war. Vengeance on the heads OF those
who initiate it
II directed my attention up the bill
a little puff of smoke was dying away,
Boys says l t, the squad of his fellows
you see that smoke; aim for 1t, Iebe
is in its rear raised my Enfield an(
glanced through its sights, when | for a
moment caught sight of man through
the Bushes and smoke there. Cracl
we our guns, AID all was over.
ave crossed to the place afterwar1
and found the mans body. He had tou1
out of twelve musket balls, and one En-
field rifle ball - mine, as mine was th'
only rifle ball fired. They all wen
through him; either OF which won'e
have killed him mine through BIZ
breast. Thank God, | had done m,
duty for the poor fellow who fell besld
me-"
A HARD SHE'LL SERMON.-"My breth
ren," said hard shell Baptist, who wa
holding forth one Sunday, " il man
full OF religion you can't hurt him. Their
was the three Arabian children-they
put 'em in a fiery furnace hetted sever
times hetter than it could be hct, and i
didn't SINCE har on their heads. AM
there was John the Evangeler-the,
put him-and where do you think
brethren and sisters, they put him
Why, they put him into caItronic o
biIn' lie, and billed him all night, and i
didn't iaze his shell. And there wa
DanieI-they put him into lions den
/ And " hat my teller travellers and re