Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-09-17
CLOSE Calls.

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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
heap as the regiment changed position.
The ball which hit him first struck the
barrel of his gun, glanced and struck 8
button off his coat, tore the watch out OF
his vest pocket, and then struck the man
lust over the heart, and was stopped there
BY 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 80 $500
At Pittsburg Landing member OF the
18th Michigan Infantry stopped down to
give a wounded man drink from his can
teen. While in this act a bullet aimed at
his breast struck the canteen, turned 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 a comrade bullet
struck the plug and glanced off and buried
itself in knapsack. The tobacco was
rolled up like ball of shavings, and car;
ried hundred feet away. Directly in
line OF the ball was the head of lieuten-
ant, 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 to the rear.
at Brandy station one of Clusters troop
ers had his left stirrup strap cut away by
a grape-shot, which passed between his
leg and the horse, blistering his skin as if
a red-hot iron had been used. He dis
mounted to ascertain the nature of his in
jury, and as he bent over bullet knocked
his hat off and killed his horse. In the
same fight was trooper who had suffered
several days with a toothache. In hand
to-hand fight he received pistol ball in
the right cheek. 1t knocked out his aching
double tooth, and passed out at 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 60 to the
rear to have his wound dressed.
An object, no matter how tri6ing, will
turn bullet from its true course. This
was shown one day at the remount camp
in Pleasant Valley. They had q ''bull-
penn there in which about five hundred
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 if the man ran
toward the crowded camp. On this &C.
casion prisoner made for the camp, and
as many as six shots were fred at him
without effect. One Of the bullets en-
tered the tent OF captain in 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 stand between b i'm and where the
bullet entered. This was struck and cut
square in two, and the lighted end dropped
to the floor without being snuffed out.
The bali was DETECTED. 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 en-
tered his left arm; the second gave him a
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 being removed further to the
rear runaway ambulance horse carried
him half mile and dumped him out, and
yet to-day he is seemingly hale and hearty
and walks without a limp.