The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1885-01-20
WARNINGS OF DEATH.
Some Strange Presentiments
of Soldiers Before a
Battle.
Birthdays and Battles-A Game
Of Poker and What Game
oft.
Washington Republican.

In reading the personal experiences
of participants In battles and cam
paigns one often comes across stories
of apparently well authenticated in
stances where men seemingly had a
forewarning of their approaching
doom, and who, after making the
arrangements naturally attendant on
such foreknowledge, such as dis
position of property, messages to rela-
tives, and 80 on, met their doom ac-
cordingly. Among soldiers and
sailors as class a belief that such
presentiments do occur, and that the
catastrophe foreshadowed is resultant
is largely entertained, though [ don't
know why it should be SO, unless it is
that their trade deals in "battle and
murder and In sudden DEATH" In
conversation on this subject many a
time | have been asked if during my
soldier life / had known instances
where these so-called premonitions
were fulfilled. Ireplied that l had,
and then again know of so-called
pre- entiments just as vivid in the
mind of the subject which had not
been fulfilled. As far as my expert
ence goes, it is six to one aud half
dozen to the other. In fact, [ have
no belief in the efficacy of Fremont
tions an d presentimenIs. and honestly
believe that they result from circum-
stances disordered stomach. nerv-
GUS arrangement, or that tinge of
superstition as to good days, bad
days, ETC., which seems to be inherent
In the great body of men, even the
educated.
Now, 1 have seen many strange
things during the war which | could
not nationally account for, but for
that matter all nature is a mystery,
and, while | believe in an overriding
Providence, [ know that He has
mercifully withheld from mankind the
knowledge of the day and hour of
death. And yet once upon time my
heart went down into my boots, so to
speak, under the firm belief that [ was
to be killed before the setting of the
sun-a presentiment that didn't
materiallze, however, as will doubt
less be seen from the fact that am
writing this letter.
BIRTHDAYS AND BATTLES.
On the 25d of July, 1868, when the
army of Gen. Lee was retreating from
Gettysburg behind the mountain wall
of the Blue Ridge, the Federal caval-
~ took possession of the gaps and
were very "sassy" in their repeated as
saults upon the long line of transpor-
tation. AS our cavalry had been lit
orally run off its legs, Gen. Lee was
forced to make use of his infantry to
repel these assaults, and so it happen
Ell that the writer's regiment 9th
Virginia) was detached and ordered
In to Manassas gap, opposite Fort
Royal, to hold it while the wagon
trains were passing. Now, it was a
beautiful morning, and as we trudged
along in high spirits from the ozone
of the mountain air, some ill-boding
raven of courade suddenly suggest
ed, why, this is Murray's birthday"
and so it was, though / had forgotten
it for the time being. Instantly the
quip and jest were silenced. and the
fellows looked at me with plying
sympathy, for we expected to have a
fight before the day was ended. You
see, it was an old woman's tale with
us that the man who went into battle
on his birthday would inevitably lose
his life. / don't mind confessing that
the cold chills chased each other rap
idly down my spinal column, though
/ affected to treat the matter lightly.
What was hardest to bear was the in
formally evident tender sympathy that
was demonstrated by my comrades.
They were earnest in the belief that if
we had battle / was a gone coon.
As soon as our arms were stacked at
the points we were TO defend, while
all the rest OF the men were scattered
about after luscious blsckberries,
which were growing in profusion in
the fields. | sneaked of into the
bushes and drawing my Testament /
devoutly read the Sermon on the
Mount, but could not shake off the
gloomy depression of spirits, and was
only hopeful that there wouldn't be
fight that day. after all. This hope
was fallacious, for it had scarcely
passed through my mind before a rat
thing fire from our pickets announced
the presence of the enemy. As / ran
toward the stack of arms there was
but one thought-to do my duty,
come what might-and afterward /
felt more. comfortable. IT Is not tn