Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1886-12-28
soInIERs, supHRsrITIoNs.


Az TO whether the Confederate soldier
vas any more ,upersti,ious ,h,n the
Federal, I neither ADM, nor deny. bat
think the same supers,i,ions in regard to
battles probably prevailed to al equal
extent on both sides We may laugh At
them nov, but We once accepted aud
pinned our faith to them.
The fret instance TO come under my
observation vas at 0sinsss Mil. ".
then serving With en- Alsbsms regiment
and on the morning Of the day on which
We were making our coffee q, the EARLY
camp. fire I beard . sort Of grosn from
my comfsde. and a. | TUNED to look at
him noticed ,hs, be ". staring into
hi. oofis,.po with something like isrcr.
While hi. face vas dss,hly pale.
"whs, 10 III" | asked.
81 shall be killed to-day = he grosned
out.
"fads.l We don', know ihs, even
single ma,ks, will be fred.
II dreamed las, night" he Whispered.
that | looked upoa a skee, Of water
whose surface vas covered With babble'.
.nd amidst them ! saw nv o-n dead
face. I.h.ll Be .ho, before nisht"
1 ridieul,d the idea and bfoush, up
Others 10 assist me. bu, the only isPl'
To cur nillefy vi. q sad shsse OF the
head. lie va. believer in dreams. snd
he certainly felt that hi. las, day bad
come. In place Of eating bis breakfast
he ,eribblsd of a letter u BIS mother.
and in'ru.isd IL 10 . oomrsde. In 1t
lie while We got the order TO march. and
b.foe noon my regiment w.' 'hro~n
fot~ard 10 uncover portion OF the Fed
.r.l line. The fret missile sent AZ Ne
~a solid .ho, from fsld.pieee. and !,
struck the young soldier in the ehs., snd
cut him f.iIly 10 two without irJanns
another man. No, abo,her man ~a.
even wounded for the nsx, ten minu'ss
The nigh, before Barn.ide crossed At
Frederick.burg q Sseond i.ieriensnt In
Virginia regimen, received. With hun
ired. " olh,r.. some mail from the req
mental beg. | CARVED the pack Of
t-sniy Or thirty letters 20 tie Office.
quarters and handed !, 10 this L'eaisn.
.n,. Tn, top letter Was fOr bin. .id
On one end q the env,lops -c red
.iain |, looked hks blood. bl, IL "a.
otobaby ink. lie no sooner saw q,
than he became greatly sh,cisd. and
said
IL shall BE- tie dr, ofissr on, Of the
regimen, billsd 10 mouo-.
| | heard doEsn ofi:sr fidIculins
bin. bat he became silica, AMI .s'iou.,
and finally walked a~ay by him'sf.
We were down on the night. ~hsfe the
fret Fsdsial attack "a. made. Our reg
,msni w.. using lons. deep land fur
'ow . na' pit. and the advancing line
Of blue had joe, come within nngs.
-hsn = bullet struck the Lieutenant IN
the head and killed him Instantly. i,
came from the ffoai. aud was probably
from some ,h.rp.shoo,sr. ba, II "a. AZ
isr~ard, agreed ,ha, the ciii;sr ~ho "a.
Killed "a, PsrhaP' the least exposed Of
any.
There "a. superstition in my r,gi-
neat ,ha, any one who ven, into battle
9Th the FOO, Of = rabbi, tied round b..
neck was ,aie. This ws' all night, and
rabbits wsre a, hish premium for two
~ three ~t,k.. Ny brigade was then
pushed ahead on Artconnoi'sanee, bumped
ap against the Y.hk.. aud We not only
70, severely ,krA.hsd. bu, We Lost good
many. Dat Of tie seventy men IN my
company presume ,ha, thirty had The
t.li.msn. IL 90 happened that the three
allied belonged TO THIS lucky set, aud
a.st day RABBITS feet took a decided i.ll
ia piiee.
l. 1 WI. for q time a Bfigadier. Ordsr-
y. HIS superstition was that be would
oe safe 30 long |. he rode chestnut
horse. In III. first battle into which !
followed him hi, chestnut va. shot, and
u coure. | "hu,,led" to bung bin up
.no'her. Mine va, = coal black. sod
the only one ~hich could gs, for him
ca. roam. lie didn't seem to noies
the diilsreres until the action "a. over.
and then 10, terrible rating. la the
.scond battle be had chestnut, AID
,y,n before our line came Under hfe Z
oulIs, crippled the horse add another hl'
my super.ii,iou. 0shsrsl in the iti.h
nj LEFT bin TO limp through life on
short lex. p,r,on.lly kne~ Other CHI
,rr. who felt sale on iosn'. bays, blacks
add even whites, but they sooner OF
.ar discovered that they had pinned
heir faith TO rule which had ,lesP
,ion..
remember ,hs, jus, before Gran, at
tackled lee in the Wilderness, and While
va. a, brigade headquarters, hen. OF
~hieh there va. large q OK Abou, the
yard. scratched up steel button. A
Sergeant u the cavalry at once de.
mounted aud secured II. aud when
..ksd wha, use he could put IL 10 he re-
piled;
IL will drop /. into the ear OF my
Colonel. horse jas, before the neat bat.
lie, and no harm will come 10 either OF
them"
"Bu, WIS. f,,i.hean there be in a'tssl
bupon' ,"
"oh. IL isn't 80 much ia the button
a. in the hen scratching it up beio'e my
eyes"
"Ba, Why no, try !, in your Own
horse. ear and take care Of your'slf'
"TObe luekyi, must be given to some
body else
laughed a, him. and be got 90 mad
tia, We nearly came to blo~'. | met
him . week later. having q sabre ca, on
his head. and asked him how the fetish
sork,d.
Must have been crossing ben which
scratched !, up" he replied. The Col.
onel and twenty Of our men were killed
the day after | saw you
Il