The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1886-12-06
OMENS AMONG SOLDIERS.
SUPERSTITIoUS BELIEFS DURING
THE CIVIL WAR.
Dreams and Other Signs of Death
Immunity from Dangcr-Chest-
nut Horse and Growing Hen.

Immunity from DanGcr-CheSt-
nut Horse and Growing Hen.
As to whether the Confederate soldier
was any more superstitions than the Fed
eral neither admit nor deny, but think,
writes an ex-Confederatc in the Detroit
Free Pres, the same superstitions in re-
gard to battles probably prevailed to an
equal extent on both sides. We may
laugh at them now, but we once accepted
and pinned our faith to them.
The first instance to come under my
observation was at Caines's Mills. was
then serving with an Alabama regiment.
and on the morning of the day on which
we were making our coffee at the camp
fire heard q sort of groan from com
rade, and as l turned TO look at him 1
noticed that he was staring into his cof-
fee pot with something like terror, while
his face was deathly pale.
"What is it," asked.
81 shall be killed to-day" he groaned
out.
Fudge. We don't know that even
single musket will be fired"
II dreamed last night" he whispered,
''that looked down upon sheet OF
water whose surface was covered with
bubbles, and amidst them'l saw my own
dead face. I shall be shot before night"
]. ridieul"d the idea and brought up
others to assist me, but the only reply to
our raillery was sad shake of the head.
He was believer in dreams, and he GER
tainly felt that his last day had come.
In place of eating his breakfast he scrib-
bled off q letter to. .his smother and in
trusted it to a comrade. In O little time
we got the order to march. and before
noon my,regiment was thrown forward
to cover a portion of the Federal line.
The first missile sent at us was solid
shot from field piece, and it struck the
young soldier in the chest and cut him
fairly in two. without injuring another
man. Not another man was evenSwonud-
ed forthe next ten minutes. e.
The night before Burnside crossed at
Fredericksburg nd-lieutenant in
Virginia regiment received, with hun
dreds of others, some mail from the
regimental bag. carried the pack of
twenty or thirty letters over to the Off
GERS quarters and handed it to this lieu
tenant. The top letter was for him, and
.on one end af the envelope was a red
stain. 1t locked like blood, but was
probably ink. He no sooner saw it than
he became greatly affected, and said:
II shall be the first officer out of the
regiment killed tomorrow
Iheard dozen officers ridiculing him,
but he became silent and serious, and
finally walked away by himself We
were down on the right, where the first
Federal attack was, made. Our regi-
mcnt was using long and deep land
furrow, as rifle pit, and the advancing
line of blue had gust come within range,
when a bullet struck the lieutenant in the
head and killed him instantly. 1t came
from the front, and was probably from
some sharpshootcr, but it was afterward
agreed that the officer who was killed
was perhaps the least exposed of any.
here was superstition in my regi-
ment that any one who went into battle
with the foot of q rabbit tied around his
neck was safe. This was all right, and
rabbits feet were at high premium for
two. or three weeks. My brigade was
then pushed forward on a reconnoi-
sance, bumped up against the Yanks, and
we not only got severely thrashed, but
we lost a good many men. Out of the
seventy men in my company I presume
that thirty had the talisman. 1t so hap
pened that the three killed belonged to
this lucky" set, and next day rabbits
feet took decided fall in price.
Twas for time brigadier's orderly.
His superstition was that he would be
safe from bullets as long as he rode q
chestnut horse. In the first battle into
which I followed him his chestnut was
shot, and, of course, "hustled" to bring
him up another. Mine was coal black,
and the only one which I could get for
him was roam. He didn't seem to no.
tice the difference until the action was
over, and then I got terrible rating.
In the second battle he had q chestnut,
and even before our line came under fire
bullet crippled the horse and another
hit my super>ttious General in the thigh
and left him to limp through life. on
short leg. personally knew other Of
fcers who felt safe on roans, bays, blacks
and even whites, but they sooner or later
discovered that they had pinned their
faith to rule which had exceptions.
remember that just before Grant at
tackled Lee in the Wilderness, and while
I was at brigade headquarters, hen, of
which there was large flock about the
yard, scratched up a steel button. A
sergeant of cavalry at once dismounted
aud secured it, and when I asked what
use he could put it to he replied:
81 will drop it into the ear of my
Colonel's horse just before the next bat
tie. and no harm will come to either of
them"
"But what fetish can therewbe in
steel button2' a
"Oh, it lent so much in the B1tton as
in the hen scratching 1t up before my
eyes"
But why not try it in your own
horses ear and take care of yourselfl"
'To be lucky it must be given to
somebody else.
laughed at him, and he got so mad
that we nearly came to blows. met
him a week later, having a sabre-cut on
his head, and asked him how the fetish
worked