St. Landry democrat., 1880-07-17
Narrow Escapes.
LIVE SAVED BY A CANTEEN, A PLUG
OF TOBACCO AND A CANDLE.

Many computations have been made
of the number Of bullets fired in battle
for every man killed. The following
stories, collected by the Detroit Free
Press, show how near some of the starry
bullets como to doing fatal work.
At the battle of Peach Orchard, when
Mcclellan was making his change Of
base, Michigan infantlyman fell to the
ground as if shot dead, and was left
lying as the regiment changed position.
The ball which hit him first struck the
barrel Of his gun, glanced and koncked
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 a song book in his
shirt pocket. He was unconscious for
three-quarters OF an hour, and it was
full month before the black and blue
spot disappeared.
At Pittsburg Landing a member of
the Twelfth Michigan Infantry stopped
down to give wounded man drink
from his canteen. While in the act
bullet aimed at his breast struck the
canteen, turned 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 comade, bullet
struck the plug, glanced off, and buried
itself in knapsack. The tobacco was
rolled up like a ball of shavings and
carried a hundred feet away. Directly
in line of the ball was the head of a
lieutenant, and had not the bullet been
DETECTED he certainly would have re-
nnixyo1 - h, hol
filled with tobacco dust, and had to be
lead to the rear.
At Brandy Station, one of Clusters
troopers had his left stirrup strap cut
away by q grape shot, which passed
between his leg and the horse, blister
ing the skin as il with a red hot iron.
He dismounted to ascertain the nature
OF his injury. and as he bent over a
bullet knocked his hat and killed his
horse. In the same fight was trooper
who had suffered several days with the
tootbache. In a 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 along. The joy of being rid Of
the tooth ache was so great that the
trooper could not be made to go to the |
An object, no matter how trifling, will |
turn bullet from the true course. This
was shown one day in 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 a 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
1t 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 a
captain in the Twelfth Pennsylvania
Cavalry. He was lying down, and the
course OF the bullet would have buried
1T Ill his chest. Fortunately for him the
candle by. which he was reading sat on
q stand between him and where the
bullet entered. This was struck and
cut squarely in two and the lighted end
dropped to the floor without being
snufied out. The ball was detected.
and buried itself in the pillow under
the officers head, passing out of that
and through his tent, entered one he.
hind 1T, passed between two men and
brought up against camp kettle.