Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1880-07-08
Narrow Escapes I'm Battle.

| Many computations have been mad,
OF the number OF bullets fired in battle
for every man killed. The follOwin,
stories, collected by the Detroit Free
! Press, show how near some of the stray
bullets come to doing fatal work:
At the hattie Of Peach Orchard, wher
Mcclellan WAS making his charge ol
base, Michigan infantryman fell t6
the ground as If shot dead, and was lefl
lying AZ the regiment changed position.
The ball which hit him first struck the
barrel Of his gun, glanced and knocked
button of his coat, tore the watch out
Of his vest pocket. and then struck the
man just over the heart, and was stop.
ped by song book in his shirt pocket.
He was unconscious for three quarters
of an hour, and It was a full month
before the black and blue spot dis
appeared.
At Plrtsburg Landing member OF
the Twelfth Michigan Infantry stopped
down to give q wounded man drink
from his canteen. While in the act a
bullet aimed ut his breast struck the
canteen, turned aside, passed through
the body of man and buried itself in
the leg of q horse. The eanteen was
split open, and dropped TO the earth In
halves.
At the second battle of Bull Run, as
a New York infantryman WAS passing
his plug of tobacco to u comrade, bull
let struck the plug, glanced. of, and
buried itself in knapsack. The to-
bacco was rolled up like ball oil shaw
ings and carried & hundred feet away.
Directly In line with the ball WAS the
head Of Lieutenant, and had not the
bullet been detected lie would certainly
have received it.---As It was, he had
both eyes filed with tobacco dust, and
had to be led to the rear.
At Brandy Station one Of Custer's
troopers had his left stirrup strap cut
away by grape-shot, which passed
between his leg and the horse, blister
ing his skin as IL with red hot iron.
He dismounted to ascertain the nature
of his injnry, and as he bent over bull
let knocked his hat Off and killed his
horse. In the same fight was trooper
who had suffered several days with
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, taking part of an upper
tooth along. The joy Of being rid OF the
toothache was 30 great that the trooper
could not be made to 60 to the rear to
have his wound dressed.
An object, no matter how trlfllng,
Will turn bullet from its true course.
This was shown one day ut the remOunt
camp In Pleasant Valley. They had
"bull pen" there, In which about five
hundred bounty jumpers and other
hard cases were under guard. Once In
u while one OF these men made 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 pris-
oner 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 Ia the Twelfth Penn
sylvania 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 read
ing sat on a 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 snuffed out. The ball was de-
fected, and buried itself in the pillow
under the officers head, passed ont of
that and through his tent, entered one
behind 1t, passed between two men, and
brought up against camp kettle.