Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1891-01-29
KILLING MEN IN BATTLE.
An Army Officers Recollections of
War Times.

"When man goes into a battle it is
presumably with the intention of doing
some killing" said an ex-army officer to
a writer for the Washington Star "And
yet never knew soldier who liked to
feel that he had himself with his own
hands actually slain an individual foe.
There is an intoxication in the melee of
conflict, but no man likes to feel that his
own pistol shot or bayonet thrust has
taken away the life of a fellow being.
"Perhaps L should except from this
general statement the typical sharpshoot-
er, who cultivates an instinct of warfare
that approaches the murderous. | have
never been able to see how man could
deliberately take up a station in tree
top or rifle pit and mark down for death,
one after another, individuals whose
lives were solely at the mercy of his
scientific aim. OF course, war is always
savagery, but there is an element of GER
tainty in the sharpshooting business that,
to my notion, approaches very near to
murder
81 vividly recall to mind one expert
ence of my own while with skirmish
party at the second battle of Bull Run.
The fight had just begun and Con-
federate scout approached without
knowing it very close to a clump of trees
behind which my little detachment was
concealed. Catching sight of us sud-
denly he wheeled his horse like a flash
and was off. On the spur of the moment
fired my pistol right at him and a second
later he wheeled in his saddle and fell
out of it. The fight swept over in our
direction and saw no more for the
time being of my victim; but, though I
was in the thick of the fray for most
of the time for the next few hours, l
could not get out of my mind the hor-
ror of the idea that had killed that
man. Not only had taken away his
life, but very likely had / made his wife
widow. and his children fatherless.
That night when we went into camp 1
had this oppressive feeling still ON my
mind, when, to my great delight, l saw
the man that had killed. evidently
prisoner, sitting on the stump of tree
with his arm in sling.
"'My dear fellow, / exclaimed, with
much cordiality, approaching him, Il
trust that you are not seriously hurt
Nav, replied the Confederate, dry
ly. when you fired at me my horse
SHE'D and broke my arm against tree.
Your bullet didn't hit me at ALL.
81 do assure you never was more re-
lieyed in all my life.
'But the most painful experience that
| met with during the war was at Chan
celcrsville. l found one of our men,
when the fire was pretty hot, skulking
behind log.
'This'll never do, man' I shouted
in his ear. Sect up there and take your
place in the line
II took him by the scruff of the neck
for he was seized with panic-and
showed him forward. AS did so, with
my hand on his collar, chance bullet
struck him on the forehead and he fell
dead without cry.
"The shock that incident gave me [
have never entirely recovered from.
felt that l had killed that man. The
fact that | was in a position of equal
danger with himself did not affect my
moral impression as to the occurrence.
1t seemed as if had deliberately forced
him into the path of the bullet, and that
was responsible for his death. Such,
in one sense, was true, and yet, of
course, was not in any just way re-
sponsible. But l shall never get over
the haunting recollection"