Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-06-18
CLOSE CALLS.

How near n Soldier can come TO Death.
AT the battle of Peach Orchard, when
Mcclellan was making his change of
base, Michigan infantryman 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 uncon-
scious for over three quarters of an hour
and it was full month before the black
and-blue spot disappeared.
At Pittsburgh Landing a member of
the Twelfth Michigan Infantry stopped
down to give wounded man a drink
from his canteen. While in this act,
bullet aimed at his breast struck the can
teen, TUNED aside, passed through the
body of man and buried itself in the
leg of a horse. The canteen was split
open, and dropped to the ground in
halves.
At the second battle of Bull Run as
New York infantryman was passing his
plug of tobacco to a comrade bullet
struck the plug and glanced off and bur-
led 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 lieu
tenant, and had not the bullet been de-
1ected 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
er who had suffered several days with
toothache. In hand-to-hand fight he
received a pistol ball in the right cheek.
1t knocked out his aching double tooth
and passed out of the left-hand corner of
his mouth, taking part of an upper tooth
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 trifing, will
turn bullet from its true course. This
was shown one day at the remount camp
in Pleasant valley. They had ''bull-
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 if
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 of
the Twelfth Pennsylvania 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
he was reading sat on a stand between
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-
fected and buried itself in the pillow
under the officers head, passed out of
that and through his tent, entered one
behind it, passed between two men, and
brought up against camp kettle.
There is in Detroit to-day man who
was wounded five times in less than ten
minutes at Fair Oaks. The first bullet
entered his left arm; the second gave
him scalp wound; the third hit him in
the foot; the fourth buried itself in his
shoulder; the fifth entered his right leg.
While he was being carried to the rear
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 orse carried him half
mile and dun ped him out, and yet to-
day he is seemingly hale and hearty and
walks without limp.