St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-26
GEN. sHEH.HtN's ;r)iY.
A Rife Ball the Only Thing He
Feared in Battle.
Courier-J Journal.


Up to the time of Mrs. Sherman's
death it was expected that Washington
society would see much of the general
during the coming winter. Both man
and wife were very popular here IN
former years. but Washington has had
very little of them recently.
The general always had good story
to tell, and the ladies liked to hear him
talk. But as he grows older he talks
less. He was quite communicative.
however, when | met him in New York,
and as he talked of the perils of war,
Ills face and movements were full of
animation which would do credit to a
younger man.
There is only one thing ever feared
in battle" he said. land that is rifle
ball. You can see q shell or cannon
ball from a distance. They always give
warning iI some way. but a rifle ball is
stealthy, and does Its work III fash
without warning"
How about croSS-hre?"
"Oh, then one has to take his chances.
| have been where shells. cannon balls
and bullets fell all about me. but was
never injured. You must remember"
he added. smiling. "that, by careful
computation, it takes on the average a
ton of lead TO kill one man in battle.
When we were in building examining
the wounds of Gen. Mcpherson several
shells and cannon balls struck it, some
passing through its sides.
Gen. Mcpherson was one of the BRAY
est of men, and great loss to the coun-
try. | saw him fall from his horse, and
soon had him taken into the house.
Wrenching of door from the building,
Haxx
the other end being supported by a
chair, we laid his body upon it. saw
at first glance at his face the unmiStak-
able pallor of death, and the unfailing
sign in the fixed glazed eyes and set
laws. He had then ceased to breathe,
and there was no pulse or perceptible
motion of the heart. We looked for the
wound. and found that the ball had en-
tered low down, above the hip, not far
from the spine, clean-cut wound that
a bail always makes when entering.
The blood was flowing from it profusely.
We then looked then for the wound OF
exit, which is generally ragged one,
but could none. placed my hands on
his breast and felt carefully over the
surface in the region of the heart. l
finally felt something hard under the
skin, and told the surgeon | believed
the outlet Gdu lOugeu tHeTc. a SIigul
incision through the skin with the sur
geon's knife, and the ball dropped. out.
1t had traversed diagonally entirely
through his body, and must have gone
directly through his heart. killing him
instantly.
us it true. general, as / have been
told in Atlanta, that you entirely de-
stroyed that city during the WARP"
1T was not true" he replied with
considerable emphasis and feeling. Il
| did not destroy that city, although had
it in my power to do so; but l have
heard it reported many times that did.
We, of course, destroyed the railroad
depot: we did this by undermining it
and tearing it down, and then setting fire
| TO the debris to get it out of the way.
The Confederates had buried some
shells in close proximity unknown to
u.s., which. in consequence of the fire,
soon began TO explode, making things
very lively for time. The Kimball
| house and few other buildings were
consumed in CONSCIENCE. There was
not in all more than two blocks OF the
| city burnt
How did the Southern soldiers COM
pare with those of the North?" | asked.
1.-The Southern soldiers were brave