Morning journal and courier., 1882-05-05
The Eccentricitics of Bullets.

At the battle of Peach Orchard when Me Clelland was making his change of base, a Michigan infantryman fell to the ground as if shot stone dead, and was left lying in a heap as the regiment changed position. The ball which hit him, first struck the barrel of his gun, glanced and struck button off his coat, tore the watch out of his vest pocket, and then struck the man just over the heart, and was stopped there by song book In his shirt pocket. He unconscious for three quarters of an hour, and it was full month before the black and blue spot disappeared. At PittsbuYg Landing, a member of the Twel- fth Michigan regiment of infantry stopped to give wounded man drink from his can- teen While in the act bullet, aimed at his breast, struck the canteen, turned aside, passed through the body of man, and bur jed itself in the leg of 8 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 comrade, 8 bullet struck the plug, glanced off and buried itself in a knap- sack. The tobacco was rolled up like ball of shavings, and carried hundred feet away. Directly in line of the bullet was the head of lieutenant, and had not the bullet been defected, he would certainly have received it. AS it was he had both eyes filled with tobac- co 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, blistering his skin as if 8 red-hot iron had been used. He dismounted to ascertain the extent of his injuries, and as he bent over a bullet knocked his hat off and killed his horse. In the same fight was g. trooper who had suffered several days with the toothache. In a hand to hand fight he received pistol ball in his right cheek It knocked out his aching double tooth, and passed out of the left hoY,1 0f hi +obi o1o part of an upper tooth. The joy of being rid of the toothache was so great, that the trooper could not be made to go to the rear to have his wound dressed An object, how ever trifiing, will turn the bullet from it's true course. This was shown one day at the remount camp in Pleasant Valley. They had a "bull pen' there, in which about 800 boun- ty jumpers and other hard cases were under guard Once in a while one of these mel would make a break for liberty. Every sen tinel in position would open fire, and it did not matter in the least if the man ran toward the crowded camp. On this occasion the prisoner made for the camp and as many as six shots were fired at him without effect One of the bullets entered the tent of a cap- tain 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 a candle by which he was reading sat on stand between him and where the bullet entered. This was struck and cut square in two, and the lighted end dropped to the floor without being snutfed out. The ball was defected and buried in the pillow under the officers head, passed out of that and through his tent into the one be- hind it, passed between two men and brought up against camp kettle. There is in De- troit, Mich, man who was wounded five times in less than ten minutes, at Fair Oaks The first bullet entered his left arm; the sec- 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 ex- ploded shell almost buried him under an ava lanche of dirt. In being removed to the rear a runaway ambulance horse carried him half mile and dumped him out, and yet he is seemingly hale and hearty, and walks with out limp.