The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1892-01-07
WAR TINE HEROES.
KILLING A MAN,


oS'u'SFS SFHpnlC l'CNNte OF ftCal ana
Horrible War.
They do not call It murder when men
meet TO slaughter each other in battle.
They simply report so many dead,
wounded and missing. When you fire In.
to the smoke %concealing the
other battle-line you fire in
the hopes to kill or wound.
1t is your duty. Battles can not be won
without killing, and tho result of bat
ties changes tho whole system of gov
ernments. Iou load and fire-load and
firc-move to the right or l~eft--advance
or retreat, and when the battle is over,
you have not had real sight of the
enemy; you have simply fred at him,
and you can not vouch thai one single
one of your bullets has found a living
target
Hero is n brigade of lis In battle line
across an old meadow. our right and
left join other lrigades. We have
thrown down the rail fence, gathered
logs and brush and sods, and erected a
breast-worSs 1t is only n slight one,
but enough to shelter us while lying
'''"h ~ a. iolpil Va NlS tllNlllN oItuhS
cover half q mile away and ZONES
marching down upon us, 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 can not halt that
mass of men. The grape and canister
does awful execution. but there should
be n dozen guns behind us instead of
six,
They are going to charge us. The
guns can not prevent that. Orders run
along the line, and we are waiting TIN
til every bullet, no matter if fred by a
soldier with his eyes shut, must hit a
foe. ! select my man while he is yet
beyond range. | have eyes for no other.
He is n tall, soldicrly fellow wearing
the stripes Of a sergeant. As he comes
nearer | imagine that he is looking as
iNcdly at mo as | am at him. l al
miro his GOODNESS. lie looks neither to
the right nor to the left. The man on
his right is hit and goes down, but he
does not faltcr.
an going to kill that man. ! have
Il rest for my gun on the breastwork,
and when the order come to fire | can
not miss him. lie is living his last min
ute on earth. We are calmly waiting
until our vollcy shall prove n veritable
flame of death. Now they close up the
gaps, and we hear The shouts of their
officers rs they make ready to charge.
My man is still opposite me. He still
seems to be looking at me and no one
plSp knnVy tho ,Snrl ic convince IL, 1,
few seconds more, and l aim ut his
chest. | could almost be sure of hitting
him with n stone when we get the word
to fire. There is a billow of flame-a
billow of smoke-a fierce crash, and
four thousand bullets are fired into that
compact mass of advancing men. Not
II volley alone, though that worked
horrible destruction, but another and
another, until there was no longer a
living man to fire at,
The smoke drifts slowly away--mcn
cheer and yell-we can see the meadow
before us heaped with dead and dying
men. We advance our line. AS we go
forward | look for my victim. lie is
lying on his back, eyes half shut and
fingers clutching a. the grass. lie
gasps, draws up his legs and straight.
ms them out again, and is dead as I
pass on. | have killed my man! My
bullet alone struck him, tearing that
CHASTITY wound in his breast, and / am
entitled to all the honor. Do | swing
my cap and cheer! Do | point him out
and expect to be congratulated? No!
| have no cheers. | feel no citation.
| feel that | murdered him, war or no
war, and that his agonized face will
haunt me through all the years of my
life. Detroit Frcc Press.