Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1882-03-25
ECCENTRIClTIES OF BULLETS.
Stories Regarding the Curious
Courses Taken by Bullets.

Courses aken pv buIIetS.
Phrenocs zeal journal.
At the battle of Peach Orchard,
when Mcclellan was making his
change of base, a Michigan infantry
man fell on the ground as if shot
dead, and was left lying in heap as
the regiment changed position. The
ball which hit him first struck the bar
rel of his gun, glanced and struck a
button off his coat, tore the watch out
of his vest pocket and then struck the
man over the heart, and was stopped
there by a song-book in his shirt-pock-
ct. He was unconscious for three
quarters of an hour, and it was full
month before the black and blue spot
disappeared. At Pittsburgh landing a
member of the Twelfth Michigan regi.
ment of infantry stopped to give a
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 a man and buried itself in the leg
of horse. The canteen was split
open and dropped to the ground in
halves. AT the second battle of Bull
Run, as New York infantryman was
passing his plug of tobacco to a com-
rade, bullet struck the plug, glanced
off, and buried itself in lknapsack.
The tobacco was rolled up like ball
of shavings, and carried a hundred
feet away. Directly in the line of the
bullet was the head of lieutenant,
and had not the bullet been detected,
he would certainly have received it.
AS it was, he had both eyes filled with
tobacco dust. and had to be led to the
rear. At Brandy Station one of Gus
ter'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 if red-hot iron had
been used. He dismOunted to ascer.
tain the extent of his injuries, and as
he bent over bullet knocked his hat
off and killed his horse. In the same
fight was trooper who had suffered
several days with toothache. In a
hand-to-hand-fght he received pistol
ball in his right cheek. 1t knocked
out his aching double tooth and passed
out Of the left.hand corner of his
mouth, taking along 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,
however trihing, will turn the bullet
from its true course. This was shown
one day at the remount camp, in Pleas
ant Valley. They had "bull pen"
there in which about five hundred
bounty jumpers and other hard cases
were under guard. Once in while
one OF these men would make 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 the
prisoner made for the camp, and as
many as six shots were fired at him
without effect. One Of the bullets en-
tered the tent of a captain 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 EN-.
tered. This was struck and cut square
in two, and the lighted end dropped to
the floor without being snuffed out
The ball was DETECTED and buried in
the pillow under the eflicer's head
passed out Of that and through his tent
into the one behind it, passed between
two men, and brought up against a
camp kettle.
There is in Detroit, Mich, a man
VINO was wounded five times in less