The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-04-21
Queer Things In War.

Men might write for hundred yeara
OF the curious phases Of war and still
leave the subject fresh. War is a l3!tery
END the prizes are shot, shell, wounds
and death. Tens Of thousands of men
served four years in the late war and re.
turned home. lii n thousand cases ra.
cruits were killed within twenty -four
hours after reaching the front. Wars
missiles are no rcspecters of persons, aid
the soldier who fights an all days' battle
without receiving wound msy be killed
IN his tent at night by the accidental dis.
charge of musket.
AT the battle of Franklin, the first shell
sent from. the first Union feld-pieco 10
open fire, killed twenty.six Confederates.
The next Iive shells .iom this same gun
either failed to explode or cleared the
advancing lines. In this Same figh1 the
horse of Confederate colonel was cut
square i'll two by shot and the rider en-.
capped unhurt. Ten minutes after a
Union officer behind the earthworks
stumbled and fell forward on the ground
and broke his neck
In one of the assaults cn Fort Wagner.
In Charleston harhor, the iron clad fleet.
assisted 10y land batteries numbering
twenty-seven heavy cannon, bombarded
the fort for two hours before killing a
single soldier. From seventy to eighty
heavy cannon were hurling three tons of
iron into the fort each minute, and vet
no one was hurt until over 800 tons of
solid death" had been wasted. AS an
offset to this, witness the work Of a single
solid shot thrown from Federal gunboat
on the lower Mississippi. A Confederate
flying. battery was just taking position, and
one piece had already opened fire. The
Federal shot was directed at this piece
The big mass of iron struck the six poun-
der square on the muzzle and upset the
gun and carriage. A piece of the muzzle
weighing about twenty pounds was bro
ken of, and this flew to the left and killed
two men. Three men were wounded by
small fragments or flying splinters. Tho
big shot next struck and exploded cais-
SOD, killing three more men and wound
ing two Others. From the caisson IL
turned to the right, killed a horse.
smashed wheel of n field-piece and
crushed the leg of a sergeant to bloody
mass. That one shot 30 disorganized the
battery that it limbered up and dashed
away to cover.
While heavy ordnance is necessary in
reducing forts and earthworks, it is doubt.
full i :hcro ;s any Pi0fGits III the work OF
the big guns carried by the iron clads on
the. river. When Mcclellan fell back he
had the cover of gunboats, and some
writer's have claimed that their fire saved
his army from capture So far MS the
Confederate records show, the loss by the
hundreds Of enormous shells thrown over
the heads of our troops into the woods bv
these great canon, did not amount to n
hundred men. They we're n new thing
then, and the effect of the awful crash
and tremendous explosion was dcmoral-
izing to the troops in line.
A Union gunboat OH the White river
threw three shells into q Confederate
camp and killed nearly fifty men and rout-
ed force of7OO. Within week after that
event, the Confederate General, Shelby,
planted four pieces Of flying artillery OF
the levee within 400 feet of the same
gunboat at anchor, and without the least
cover for men or guns, kept up the firing
for over an hour, or until the gunboat
backed out of it and steamed away.
The chances in lottery can be figured
down dne. and certain per cent. cf es.
capes is allowed In steamboat explosion,
but he who goes to war has nothing TO
console him. He may dodge 200 pound
shell and be killed by two buckshot.
He may receive dozen bullets and live
on, or at first one may be fatal. He may
ride in the widest charge unhurt, and
he may be killed by stray bullet
beside his camp fire. Detroit Fyee Dress