Daily Los Angeles herald., 1880-07-04
CLOSE CALLS.
how Near Soldier Can Come to Death.
Detroit Free PreSs.1

Detroit Free Press.l
At the Battle of Peach Orchard,
when Mcclellan was making his
change Of base, q Michigan infan-
tryman fell to the ground as If shot
stone dead, and was left lying In q
heap as the regiment changed DO.
sition. The ball which hit him
fret struck the barrel 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 stop.
pit d there by song book in his
shirt pocket. He was unconsciou Gus
for three-quarters of an hour, and
it was a full month tefore the
black and blue spot disappeared.
At Pittsburgh Landing q men,
Der of the Twelfth Michigan In
faptry stopped down to give a
wounded man drink from his
canteen. While In this act a bull
let aimed at his breast struck the
canteen, turned aside, passed
through the body of q 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 q
comrade, a bullet struck the plug
and glanced Off and buried itself In
a knapsack. The tobacco was
rolled up like ball OF shavings
and carried hundred feet away.
Directly in front of the ball was
the head of u Lieutenant, and had
not the bullet been DETECTED he
would certainly have received it.
AS it was, he had both eyes filled
with tobacco dust, and had to be
led the rear.
At Brandy Station one OF Gus.
ter's troopers had felt his stirrup.
strap cut away by grape.shot
which passed between his leg and
his horse, blisteriDg his skin as If
red.hot iron had been used, He
dlsmounted to ascertain the nature
OF his injuries, and as he bent over
q bullet knocked his hat off and
killed his horse. In the same fight
was q trooper who had suffered sew
eral days with toothache. In q
hand-to.hand fight he received
pistol ball in the right cheek. 1t
Knocked out his aching double
tooth, and passed out of the left
hand corner of -his mouth tskjnr
part of an upper tooth along. The
joy Of being rid Of the toothache
was so great that the trooper could
not be made 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 ramount camp In Pleasant
Valley. They had q .'bull-pen"
there, in which about five hundred
bOunty-jumpers and other hard
cases were under guard. Once IN
q while one of these men would
make o break for liberty. Every
sentinel in position would open
fire, and 1t did not matter In the
least II the man ran toward the
crowded camp. On this occasion
= prlsoner made for the camp, and
S. many as six shots were fired al
WAsoOuv CACCbs Ou0 Vi Luc
9utitts entered the tent OF O cap
.ain In the Twelfth Pennsylvania
Cavalry. He was lying down, and
he course of the bullet would have
'arisd 1t In his breast. Forum
lteiY for him, the candle by which
10 ~as reading sat on q stand be-
ween him and where the bullet
inferred. This was struck and cut
qusre In two, and the lighted end
'folPed to the floor without being
nutted out. The ball was de.
Iected, and buried itself In the |.
iliow under the officers head,
assed between two men, and
rought up against . camp-kettle, II
There is IN Detroit Z man who i
'as wounded i've times In Iess /
lao sen minutes at Fair Osks. =
be i,rst bullet entered his left
re., he second gave him s ecaip Z
eun9, the third hit HIN IN M
~, t2e foQrth 6qFied itseIf in hie
= sc e aeh sots!od his