The National tribune., 1891-12-03
KILLING A MAN.
How a Soldier Looks at One on the Things Re-
quIred % Him in the Line Of Duty.
rDefrgif Free Press


They DO not call it murder when men meet
10 slaughter each other in battle. They simply
report so many dead. wounded, and missing.
When you fire into the smoke conccaliug the
other battle line you fire in the hopes % kill or
wound. IL is your duty. Battles canEot be
won without killing You load and fre-load
and Gre-move to the right or left-advance or
retreat, and when the battle is over you may
have fred fifty rounds and yet you have not
had near sight OF the enemy you have simply
fired az him, and you cannot vOuch that sin
gle ono OF your bullets has found living target
Here is a brigade Of Us in battle line across an
old meadow; our right and left join other bril-
gades. We have thrown down the rail fence
gathered logs and brush and sod, and erected a
breastwork. 70 is only slight one, but enough
10 shelter US while lying down. A division OF
the enemy breaks cover half a mile away and
comes marching down upon u.s.
The field pieces behind Us open on their solid
columns but they are not checked. Under the
smoke we can see the work Of the Shells but
they cannot halt that mass Of men. The grape
and canister does awful execution, but there
should be a dozen guns instead Of SIX.
They are going 70 charge u.s. The guns can
not prevent that. Orders run along the line,
and we are waiting until every bullet, no mat
ter If fred by q soldier with his eyes shut
must hit foe. i select my man while he is
yet beyond range. / have eyes for no other.
He is a tall sOdierly fellow wearing the stripes
of a Sergeant. "A he comes nearer / imagine
that he is looking as fxedly at me as / am at
him. / admire his GOODNESS. lie looks neither
to the right nor to the left. The man on his
right is hit and goes down, bat he does not
falter.
am going TO kill that man ] have a rest
for my gun on the breastwOrk and when the
order comes 10 fire / cannot miss him. He is
living his last minute on earth We are calmly
waiting until our vollcy shall prove a veritable
flame Of death. Now they close up the gaps,
and we can hear the shouts Of their officers as
they make ready to charge. Ny man is still
opposite me- He still seems TO be looking at
me and no one else. know the word is COM
ing in few seconds more, and / aim at his
chest. i could almost be sure of hitting him
with a stone when we get the word TO fire.
There Is biilOw of hame--a billOw of
smoke-a fierce crash, and 1000 bullets are fred
[ into that compact mass Of advancing men. Not
| one vOIley alone, though that worked horrible
[ destruction, but another and another until
there was no longer aliving man to fire at.
The smoke drifts slowly awHy-men cheer
and yell-we can see the meadow beyond heaped
with the dead and dying men, We advance
our line. As we 60 forward look for my vic
tim. He is lying on his back, eyes half shut
and fingers elutching at the grass. He gasps,
draws up his legs and straightens them out
again, and is dead rs pass on. have killed
my man by bullet alone struck him, tearing
that chastity wound in his breast, and I am en-
/ titled TO all the honor. Do / swing my cap and
eheer2 Do point him out and expect to be
congratulated? No! | have no cheers. i feel
no citation. / feel that I murdered him, war or
no war, and that his agonized face will haunt
me through all the years of my life.