The Newtown bee., 1880-06-16
CLOSE CALLS.
How near i. Soldier can come to Des


 How near . Soldier can come to Death.
 At the battle of Peach Orchard, when Mcclellan was making his change of base, 8 Michigan iniantrynafi fell to the ground as If shot stone dead, and was left lying in a heap as the regiment changed position. The ball which hit him first struck the harrel of his gun, glanced and struck button off his coat, tore the watch out of his vest pocket, and then struck the man just over the heart and was stopped there by song book in his shirt pocket. He was tincon- scious for over thfee quarters of an hour and it was 2 full month betore the black and-blue spot disappeared.
 At Pittsburgh Landing member of the Twelfth Michigan Infantry stopped down to give wohnded man a drink from his canteen. While in this act, a bullet aimed at his breast struck the can teen, tuned aside, passed through the body of man and buried itself in the leg of horse. The canteen was split open, and dropped to the ground in halves.
 At the second battle of Bull Run as a New York infantryman was passing his plug of tobacco to comrade bullet struck the plug and glanced off and bur- jed itself in knapsack. The tobacco was rolled up like ball of shavings and carried hundred feet away Directly in line of the ball was the head of a lieu tenant, and had not the bullet been de- f1ected he would certainly have received it.. As it was he had both eyes filled with tobacco dust, and had to be led to the rear.
 At Brandy station one of Clusters troopers had his left stirrup-strap cut away by grape-shot, which passed be- tween his leg and the horse, blistering his skin as if red-hot iron had been used. He dismounted to ascertain the nature of his injury, and as he bent over bullet knocked his hat off and killed his horse. In the same fight was troop CT who had suffered several days with toothache. In hand-to-hand fight he received pistol ball in the right cheek. It knocked out his aching double tooth and passed out of the left-hand corner of his mouth, taking part of an upper tooth l along. The joy of being rid of the toothache was so great that the trooper could not be made to go to the rear to have his wound dressed
 An object, no matter how trif1ing, will turn bullet from its true course. This was shown one day at the remount camp in Pleasant valley. They had Dull pen" there, in which about 500 bounty jumpers and other hard cases were under guard. Once in & while one of these men would make break for liberty Every sentinel in position would open fire, and it did not matter in the least ii the man ran toward the crowded camp. | On this occasion prisoner made for the camp, and as many as six shots were fired at him without effect. One of the bullets entered the tent of captain oI the Twelfth Pennsylvama cavalry He was lying down, and the course of the bullet would have buried it in his chest | Fortunately for him the candle by which l he was reading sat on stand between 1 him and where the bullet entered. This was struck and cut square in two, and the lighted end dropped to the floor with. out being snuffed out. The ball was de. l hected and buried itself in the pillow under the officers head, passed out o that and through his tent, entered one behind it. passed between two men, and brought up against a camp kettle.
 There is in Detroit to-day man whe was wounded five times in less than ter minutes at Fair Oaks. The first bullet entered his left arm; the second gave him scalp wound; the third hit him 1T the foot the fourth buried itself in hi. shoulder; the fifth entered his right leg While he was being carried to the real the first two men who took him were killed. While his wounds were being dressed an exploding shell almost buried him under an avalanche of dirt. In be ing removed further to the rear runa way ambulance horse carried him hal mile and dumped him out, and yet to day he is seemingly hale and hearty ant walks without limp.