The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1881-12-16
QUEER THINGS IN WAR.

Men might write for a hundred years Of
the curious phases Of war and still leave the
subject fresh War is a lottery, and the pri-
zes are shot, shell, wounds and death Tens
of thousands of men served four years in the
late war and returned home. In thousand
cases recruits were killed within tveuty-four
hours after reaching the front. Wars mis-
siies are no respecters of persons, and the
soldier who fights an aH-day's battle without
receiving a wound may be killed in his tent
at night by the accidental discharge of mus
ket
At the battle Of Franklin, the first shell
sent from the first Union field. piece to open
fire killed twenty-siX Confederates. The
next five shells from this same gun either
failed to explode or cleared the advancing
lines. In this same fight the horse of Con-
federate colonel was cut square in two by
shot and the rider escaped unhurt. Ten min
Utes after Union officer behind the earth
works stumbled, fell forward on the ground
and broke his neck.
In one Of the assaults on Fort Wagner, in
Charleston barbor, the irou-clad feet, assist
ed by 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 hurting
three tons of iron into the fort each minute
and yet no one was hurt until over 300 tons
of "soEd DEATH had been wasted. As an
offset to this, witness the work of a single
solid shot thrown from a Federal gunboat on
the lower Mississippi \ 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-p FOUNDER square on the
muzzie and upset gun and carriage. y piece
of the muzzle weighing about twenty pounds
was broken of, and this flew to the left and
killed two men. Three men were wounded
by smaller fragments or flying spIuters.
1 The big shot next struck and exploded a
caisson, killing three more men and wound
ing two others. From the caisson it turned
to the right, killed a horse, smashed a wheel
of a feld-piece, and crushed the leg of a ser
geant to a bloody mass. That one shot 50
disorganized the battery that it Hmbered up
and dashed away to cover.
. While heavy ordnance is necessary in re
ducing forts and esrthworks it is doubtful
. if there was any profit in 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 as the Confederate records show, the
/ loss by the hundreds of enormous shells
I thrown over the heads Of our troops into the
woods by these great cannon did not amount
TO a hundred men. They were a new thing
, then, and the effect OF the awful crash and
TS-rs--
the troops in line.
/ A Union gunboat on the White river threw
three shells into a Confederate camp and
/ killed nearly fifty men and routed force OF
500. Within a week after that event the
/ Confederate General Shelby planted -four
pieces of flying artillery on the levee within
. 400 feet Of the same gunboat at anchor, and
without the least cover for men OF guns, kept
up the fight for over an hour, or until the
( Quuboat backed out of it and steamed away.
The chances in a lottery can be figured
down fine, and certain per cent. OF escapes
is allowed in a steamboat explosion, bat he
who goes TO wal has nothing to console him.
He may dodge a 2OO-pound shell and be Kill
ed by two buckshot. He may receive dozen
bullets and live on, or the first one may be
fatal He may ride in the widest charge uu-
hurt. aud he may be killed by a stray bullet
beside his campfire. Detroit Free Press.
-zz-1----ss-
BOYS, READ AND HEED THIs.-Many peo-
pie seem to forget that character grows
that it is not something to- be put on ready
made with vOmanhO0d or manhood but day
by daV, here little ard there a little grows
with the growth, and strengthens with the
strength. until good or bad, it becomes al
most a coat Of mail Look at man of bus
iness-prOmpt, reliable, conscientious, yet
clcar-beaded and energetic. When do you
suppose he developed all these admirable
qualities When he was boy Let as
see how boy Of ten gets up in ;he morning
works. plays, studies, and we VIII tell You
i1st what kind Of a man be viii make
The boy that is too late at breakfast, iate at
school, stands a poor chance to be a prompt
man The boy who neglects his duties, be
they ever so smalll and then excuses him
self bysaying, 81 forgot | didn't think y
VIII never be reliable man, and the boy
who finds pleasure in the suffering OF weaker
things will never be a noble, generous, kind
mana gentleman.
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