Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1886-07-10
SPOTTSlIl y
incidents 81 the Ta-tlc iv O.
Federal Soldier
Vivid Pictures of The Horror, Of Ear
Drawn u g Sae.at,

i'It'Ncs
As such close quart + = RAN r., +
wcre truck the head, is tic r.. II:
deliberate aim. Although L. oac in tie
line it did not seem as il many men wsrs
falling about him. s1ut steadily al day
long the firing ot the sIt1p>hootcrs AZ,
comp,islel it fatal ncrk until til,
ground was literally strcnn with the
dead. The weather WAS N4rn. the mca
got tired oi lying so long u positions II
con>tra;nt 20 their bodies; they wanted
water and i chance to stretch their Wear
led limbs, and, although knowing it was
almost instant DEATH they would rise and
run for the rear, sure II he followed hy q
volley Of bullets from the rebel sharp
shooters | never during over four years
of active service in the army witnessed so
many individual acts Of daring and fool
hardness on the part of soldiers as on
this day
In the company which | commanded,
out Of 81 men who entered the fight 10
were killed and wounded, most Of them
KILLED instantly, and half Of that number
shot i'll consequence Of acts Of foolhardv
daring, uncalled for in tho requirements
of faithful duty. at the time / attributed
much of this devil may care spirit to the
whiskcy in the cantccns issued to Us the
1av hsfnra fFbara Il
lcry officer, who rode up aud down along
our line with gay uniform, mounted or a
spirited horse, swinging h:a hat and call
ing on the men to charge, who seemed to
possess charmed life, fer he escaped uu-
harmed. The man stopped and talked
with me a short time with the bullets fly
ing all about him, wien one of Us did not
dare poke up finger for fear Of having it
shot off. A cap on a bayoact stuck up
above the breast work wac Slrc to be per.
foratcd 10y Confederate bullets.
When the ammunition of one caslcn-
had been exhausted a dozen men reckless.
ly rushed after another between the two
lines and dragged it back with item
amid a perfect hailstorm Of lead. Not
less than ia hundred dead bodies lay
close around that brass piece Of artillery
captured from the enemy when night
drew her sable curtain over t;le sanguina-
ry work Of the day.
During tie night the enemy abandoned
the salient, and early the next mornin.
the Union troops could go over the scene
Of the previous days carnage without
fear Of molcstation. optics a lead il
often used asa figure Of speech, but in
the works abandoned by the Confedcratcs
I piles of dead literally and without cxag,
gcration Were lying in the compartments
which have previously mentioned
Two, three and four deep, tanglcd-uF
with each other, bodies and limbs inter,
twincd, actual heaps Of dead, their blach
and bloatcd faces upturncd 70 the SKY, il
all manner Of positions, and dccomposi
tion already pollutjng the atmosphere
with Il horrible stencil 1t was such .
picture Of war, horricd war, az few pco
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On that morning after the battle sax
two "'& trees "f F'@eE@a> GROWTH, aton