Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-08-13

Der of men dressed in butternut and gray
clothes walking about, men in slouched
hats loafng in rife-pits. but could see
not a single man to shoot at. Alter
awhile fellow in a red shirt appeared.
That shirt distinguished him from the
rest. and came very near causing his
death. He stopped to talk. 1 put the
eros. hairs directly on his breast and
pulled the trigger. Watching, saw
HIM duck his head to the right. l call
ed to the sharpshooter in the next en-
brasure that l had shot at the chap III
the red shirt; had shot at an elevation
of eight hundred yards ; had overshot,
and little to the left; and called him
to try for the red. So the red shirt was
shot at again. The wearer realized that
something was wrong and ran for the
rlhe-p:ts. He got off that time.
took stick and poked away the dirt
on one side OF the embrasurss until L
could see the great chimney of some
planters house standing guard oyer the
ruins OF the mansion. Looking at the
chimney saw three holes in it, and saw
puffs of smoke issue from them every
now and then. So | knew there were
three sharpshooters in the chimney. |
laughed 10 think what a joke it would
be to shoot ball through the topnost
hole. kill the rebel there, and make hln
IN falling carry the others down with
him. 50 1 quickly went to work to pro-
duce that laudable result. l shot, and
cleaned my borrowed gun and shot
again. | saw the red dust fly from the
bricks near the opening, and was en- =
couraged and also saw responsive
puff of smoke from the chimney, and
soon heard riAe-ball 'spat' into the
log by my head. Another puff from a
lower hole, and other ball sank into my
log. l shot a couple gilmore balls, and
then grew disgusted with the knowledge
that the three men in the chimney were
bent on killing me. Satisfied that they
would succeed if I continued fooling
around that embrasure, | gracefully re-
tired. restored the rifle to its rightiul
owner, thanked him for the amusement
furnished me, walked over to my gun
and lay under il, and slept the sleep Of
those who have done their duty. am
sorry to say that my gray-halred friend
was shot through the head before night.
One day in this protracted Cold Har-
Dor fight battery of CohOrn mortars
was brought up into the ravino behind
us. The captain Of this battery was
tall, handsome man. He used to be IN
our earthwork good portion of his time
watching the fire of his mortars. He
would Jump on a gun and look over the
works. or he would look out Of the en-
brasure. He seemed to be pleased With
The position of No. gun, and spent
hours there. Boy-like, l talked to him.
q would have talked 10 feld-marshal
if / had met one.) He told me many
things about the uortars, and, in turn,
| showed him how to get fair look Al
the rebel lines without exposing him.
self. He playfully accused me OF being
afraid, and insisted at six hundred yards
a sharpshooter could not bit a man.
But I had seen too many men shot in
our battery to believe that. So he con-
fdently continued to jump on guns and
20 poke his head into embrasures.
went to the spring after water one day.
While walking back met four men car
rying a body in blanket. Who is
that!' l asked. The captain OF the
mortars,' was the reply. Stopping, they
uncovered his head for me. lsaw where
the ball struck him in the eye, and saw
the great hole in the back OF his head
where it passed out.
was very young, and therefore soil
and the lack of good food and loss o.
sleep told on me hard. Indeed, [ got
utterly used up. So one afternoon ol
this battle, which lasted nearly week,
when but little was going on, 1 said to
my sergeant: Il am played out, and
want nights sleep. 1 will dig a trench
back here. Ifpossible, LET me sleep to-
night. or l will be on the sick list He
promised 10 let me sleep unless some
thing urgent happened in the night. l
ale my supper, wrapped a blanket
around me, and lay down in my trench
The guns roared about me, the bullets
whistled over me but, oAercome with
utter exhaustion, fell into deep sleep
was awakened with strong grip on
nv shoulders, was lifted up and violent
ly shaken, and the earnest voice OF the
gunner told me to run to my gum
They have an enGlading fire on u.s. the
sergeant cried to me. Dazed, hal
awake, stupid from the deep sleep anc
coming sickness, l sat on the brink oil
nv trench and wondered where | was.
I heard 'Ho, Frank! Yah! No. l..
sharply screamed. 1 heard the sho
crash into our horses. l saw caissor
shoot aloft, cloud Of fame and smoke
Still not awake, l started for my gun.
saw the blaze of the fuse. Of the shells
as they whizzed by. 1 saw countless
fire-fies; and, in my exhausted, half
awakened condition, 1 confounded the
shells and fire flies together, aud thought
they were all shells. The shock to me
in my weak, nervous condition, when
saw. as I thought, the air actually stiff
with shells, required all my pridc tc
stand up.under, and left me with fl
of trembling that required ten minutes