The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-06-02
Soldiers Under Fire.

Under fire, aims low and shoots to make
every bullet wound or kill, you will find
fffty who are nervously throwing away
ammunition, seeming to reason that the
reports of their muskets will check or
drive the enemy. And yet this ner-
vousness need not be wondered ct, for
they are playing q game of life and
death.
At Malvern Hill seventeen soldiers,
belonging to an Ohio regiment, took
cover in a dry ditch, which answered
admirably for q rifie-pit. A Georgia
regiment charged this little band three
times and were three times driven back.
The fire was low and rapid and the loss
in front OF their guns was mere than
100 killed in ten minutes. Regiments
have been engaged for an hour without
losing over half that number. The fire
Of these seventeen was SO continuous
that Mcclellan forwarded brigade to
their support, believing that an entire
regiment had been cut off.
At Mine Run the writer was Just in
rear Of q New York regiment which was
suddenly attacked. A single company
Of Confederates. cut off from the regi-
ment and lodging about to rejoin It,
suddenly +deboueheds into field and
found itself face to face with the Union
regiments. Fighting commenced at
once. A regiment fought company.
both lying down for cover. I lay so
near o Third Sergeant that I could
touch his heels and watched his fire.
Every time he pulled the trigger he
elevated tho muzzle of his gun at an
angle of forty-fve degrees instead of
depressing it for the enemy lying down.
I saw him repeat this operation four.
teen different times. The man next to
him fired as many bullets plump into q
stump in his front and the man on the
other side shot into the ground about
ten feet away. Others must have been
wasting bullets the same way; but that
little company was shooting to kill. In
that ten minutes of fighting the New
Yorkers suffered . loss Of thirty.six
killed and wounded and then q bayonet
charge doubled them back and opened
o gap for the little bands escape. !
walked over the ground and found one
dead and one wounded Confederate.
Not gun, blanket, knapsack or can.
teen had been left behind.
Any soldier will no doubt fight better
under cover than he will In the open
field, but cover does not always insure
good fighting. At Pittsburgh Landing
5000 Union soldiers Skulked under the
river bank, safe from the enemy's fire,
and many Of them threw their gums In.
to the river rather. than fire shot.
Again at Yellow Tavern. five Of Custer e
men dismounted and lying behind q
fence, held five companies of cavalry
at bay for twelve minutes and killed
twenty -four men and this without get.
ting q scratch in return.
At Mine Run q Union regiment wen
ioto the fight with sixty rounds of am
munition per man, making q total o.
perhaps 4, 1000 bullets. This regimen,
was placed to act rs q check to any ad
vance of the enemy in o certain direc
tion.s They did not see thirty Confed
crates during the whole day and yet i
was twice more supplied with ammuni
ton. 1t fred away, at least $4,000 bul
lets and yet only killed two rebel skir
J mishers. ,aas -+ .I
One cool man will do more execution
with his musket than thirty men firiny
at random. One must have o will stronl
enough to crowd down all emotions
and oblige his hands to cease tremblin,
at the word. Out OF every regiment
not more than one hundred men wer
fighters. These, shot to kill. Tn
others shot at random and killed onl,
by accident. Thirty cartridges woult
last . good fighter for an all-dsy fight
The ordinary soldier would fire out hi
sixty in an hour and q half, and lik'
enough have his eyes shut half the tim
when he pulled the trigger. Amembe
Of the Second Michigan Infantry hit tn
J case pretty well at Blackburn Ford
q When the skirmishing began he counte,
his cartridges and said:
"Just sixty of 'em, and I'll fire thre
q minute and have these fellers hcke
in just twenty minutes to q tickr'-
Detroit Free Press.