New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-11-21
SOLDIERS SUPERSII7IONS.
ryom 7he D,,yoU Pre- p,s,s

As to whether the Confederate soldier was any
superstitious than the Federal neither admft
to battles probably prevailed to an equal extent
both sides. Ne 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 Gaines's Mill was then serving with Alabama
regiment, and the morning of the day on which we
making our coffee al the early camp fire benrd
sort OF grOan from cOmrade and - turned 10 look
at him noticed that he staring into bis co8ee pot
with something like terror while his face was deathly
pale
/" What is itir I asked.
II shall be killed to-day" he groaned ont
:" Fudge We don't know that even single musket
al dreamed last night he whispered, shat
looked down upon a sheet of whose was
covered with bubbles. and amidst Them saw my own
dead tace shall be shot before night"
ridicued the idea and brought u others 10 assist
me, but the only reply to ralIery q sad shaKe
OF the head. He was believer in dreams and he
tainy felt that his Last day had In place of
ing his breakfast he scrubbed on letter his mother
and Entrusted il to comrade. la little time we got
the order TO march, and before noon my ment
was thrown forward 10 uncover POI ton of the Fed
era line The first missile ent at a solid shot
from ied-piece and struck the Young soldier in rbe
cnest and cut him fairly in without injurng
another man. Not another was even wounded
tor the next ten minutes
The night before Barnsde crossed Frederic xsburg
n second lieutenant IN Virginia regiment received
with hundreds OF Others, some mail from the red-
mental bag. carried the pack of twenty thirty
letters the officers quarters and handed it to
one end OF the envelope red STAIN IL looked
like blood, but probably NIX He sooner saw it
tDan he became greatly affected and said
shall be the first officer out OF the regiment killed
Tomorrow"
heard a dozen officers ridculing him. bat he became
silent and serious, and finally walked by hmself.
We down the right. where the hrst Federal
attnck was made Our regiment was using long and
deep land throw as rife pit, and the advancing line
OF blne bad just come within range. when bullet
struck the lieutenant in the head and killed him in
stantly. Ii came from the front, and was probably
from some sharpshOOer. but it was atterward agreed
that the officer who killed Was perhaps the least
exposed of any.
There was a superstition in nv regiment that any
around his neck safe This all right and
rabbits feet a high premium for two three
weeks. My brigade was then pushed ahead on re-
cOnnossance bumped mp against the fanks, and Wa
not only got severely tbrashcd. bat We lost good
many men. Out OF the seventy men my company
presume that thirty had the talsuan Ii 20 happened
that the three killed belonged to this lucky set,
and day rabbits feet took decided tall in price.
for time a bri ,adiers orderly His SUP ersti
zion that he would be safe from bul cts as long as
he rode chestnut horse In the first battle into which
followed him his chestnut was shot and: of course,
:" hustled to bring him up another. Nine was q
coal black and he only which could get for him
Ioan He didn't seem TO notice the difference
until the action over, and then l got terrible
rating. la the second battle he had chestnut and
even before our line came under lire bullet crippled
the horse and another hit my superstiious General in
the thigh and lett him to imr through lite on short
leg personally knew other officers who felt sate on
roans. bays, blacks aud whites but they sooner
later discovered that they had pinned their faith TO
a rule which had exceptions.
remember that Just before Grant attacked Lee in
the Wilderness, and while | was brigade head
quarters hen OF which there a large ho,k about
the V rd scratched up steel button. sergeant of
cavalry a. once discounted and secured it, and when
asked what Use he could put It TO he replied:
will drop it into the ear of ny CoonePs horss
just before the next battle and no harm will to
either of them"
But what fetish there be in a steel button ~
oh. 1t isn't much in the button in the hen
scratching il up before my eyes"
But why not try it in your horses and take
care of vOurse e.
To be lucky it must be given TO somebody else"
laughed AT him. and he got so mad that nearly
came TO blows. | met him a week later. having a
sabre cut on his head and asked him how the fetish
worked.
Must have been Growing hen which scratched IL
up" he replied. The Colonel and twenty of our
men were killed the day after saw YOU"