Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-05-05
KILLING MEN IN BATTLE.
How Soldier Feels When de Kills an
Enemy in Battle.


| They do not call it murder when men
meet to slaughter each other in battle.
| They simply report 50 many dead, wound
en- and missing. When you fire into the
smoke concealing the other battle line,
you FIRE in the hope to kill or wound. 1t
is your duty. Battles cannot be with
out killing. You load and fire
move to the right or left--advance or
retreat, and when the battle is over you
may have fired fifty rounds and yet you
have not had a near sight Of the enemy;
you have simply fred at him, and you
cannot vouch that single one of your
bullets has found living target.
Here is brigade of us in battle line
across an old meadow; our right and left
join other brigades. We have thrown
down the rail fence, gathered logs and
brush and sod and form d a breastwork
1t is only a slight one but enough to
shelter US while lying down. A division
Of theaenemy breaks cover Haif a mile
away and comes marching down upon US.
| The field pieces behind us open on their
solid columns, buG 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 to charge on us. The
guns cannot prevent that. Orders run
along the line, and we are waiting till
every bullet, no matter if fred by sAldier
with his eyes shut, must hit foe. |
select my man while he is yet beyond
range. have eyes for no other. He is a
tall soldierly fellow wearing the stripes Of
| L.
that be is looking as fxedly at me as | am
neither to the right nor to the left. The
but he does not falter.
| am going to kill that man! | have a
rest for my gun ON the breastWork and
when the order comes | cannot miss him.
| He is living his last moments on earth.
| We are calmly waiting until our volley
shall! prove a veritable fame of death.
Now they close up their 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 coming in few seconds more aud [
aim at his chest. | could almost be sure
OF hitting him with stone when we get
! the word to fire. There Is a billow of
hame-a billow of smoke a fierce crash,
and 1000 bullets are fred into that COM
pact mass of advancing men.
The smoke drifts slowly away - men
cheer and yelI-ve can see the meadow
beyond heaped with dead and dying men:
| We advance our line As we 60 forward
| look for my victim. He is lying on his
back, eyes half shut and fingers clutching
at the grass. He gasps, draws up his legs
and straightens them out again and is
dead as | 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 eIation. feel that
have murdered him, war or 10 war and
that his agonized face will haunt me
through ali the years of my life. - Detroit
Free Press.