The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-02-15
UNDER HOT FIRE.
Sensations of Man When the Bullets are
Whistling.

are the sensations OF mau WueH lue
bullets are whistling about him and the
cannons are laundering and the shells
bursting?
War is q memory to the veterans of 8
quarter of a century ago To the new
generation it is simply history. Younger
men look at it as astronomers do at the
coustellations-tbrough telescope. The
lenses of one are paper bags; of the other
glass. Both are more or less finely
ground.
"You do not think much about it at the
time," said General Phil Cook a day or
two ago, referring to the sensations under
hot fire. "You know that there is dan
ger but you are thinkip; of gaining some
point, or driving the enemy back or
something of that kind. A man realizes
that there is danger, of course, and that
somebody will get killed. So you know
every day that somebody will die, that
somebody somewhere will be in rail-
road collision or be run over or fall off q
building or get drowned, but you always
feel that it will be another man and not
yourself. had a preseutment once that
I would be shot in certain fight and be.
fore going gave my watch and some pa
pers to our commissary. went tbrough b
the fight without being scratched. I was
shot three or four times and sometimes
pretty badly. Once when a yankee bull
let struck me in the leg and broke it. I
was fat of my back for four hours before
the litter bearers came. A part of the
time the firing was hot all around. 1t was
at night. / knew that l was not going to
die and in the whole war there was moth.
ing in my experience more sad than to
hear the groans and the prayers of the
wounded who were all around. And not
one man was praying for himself, but all
for the army or the South or victory. 1t
was God bless our army or God give us
victory The soldiers were not thinking
of themselves. Their country was dearer
than their lives"
"It depends very much 1 should say
on mans temperament" Colonel W.
A. Wright remarked. "a nervous man
may think of danger to himself, but even
his attention will be distracted when the
engagement around him gets bot and bis
command is brought into the worst of 1t.
Pride inspires a man. Pride in bis own
manhood fires him to rush into the thick.
est of the battle when the command is
given. The most trying experience is to
be held in reserve under fire. To feel
that death is in the air all about and net
be actively engaged is the greatest test, /
should say, Of soldiers courage. re-
member lying on the edge Of woods in
the seven days fight and being held in
reserve all day long. The firing of the
enemy was terrific. They we're endeav-
oring to drive US out Of the woods. Shot
and shell rained through the trees that
day. Men dropped behind anything that
grew out of the ground. The man ahead
of me was behind tree lying down fiat
and told him to keep his feet close to-
geiher so as to protect my head. That
experience was more demoraliSiug than q
charge. An advance is not anything like
so bad as falling back. You feel that
YOU will be shot iu the back every min
ute. Holding an intrencbment is not the
pleasantest duty in the world either. At
Petersburg the two armies were in en-
trenchments within quarter of mile
of each other for long time. If a man
showed his head twenty shots came at it
quick az a wink. When We went in We
had to stay there from morning to night
Relief could not come during the day.
The night tho mine was sprung by
Grants men tho explosion was terrific.
The enemy pushed the negro troops into
the breach and they went right into the
pit. They we're caught like rats in q trap.
The Alabama regiment under which the
mine was exploded WAS torn all to
pieces, but fresh men were thrown for
ward, the ranks were filled and the enc
my were shot as fast as they came up."
MGeneral Lewis, Atlanta's postmaster,
was on the other side and he knew how
the Southern soldiers fred. He had an
experience during the seven days fight
He was ordered one day to bold an open
space. As he got his men on the ground
the Confederates cross fired on him. he
ordered his men to lie fiat down. Still
the carnage was frightful. To give an
idea, there were five brothers and 8
cousin who went in with the regiment
and every one was killed that day. The
entire family was wiped out, al occur
renee which probably did not have q
parallel during the war. More than hall
the men in one company were killed and
hardly commissioned officer in the reg
iment survived. a lieutenant was killed
beside General Lewis and he did not no
tice it until he felt the warm blood on
his arm. II had saturated his coat.
Colonel George q. Jones was a scout
and had many thrilling experiences. A
big price was set on his head. The other
day an old negro entered his Office at the
State House. Colonel Jones greeted him
warmly. ~ can never forget that boy
He protected my wife and home all the
time l was away and brother could not
have been more faithful. When l would
slip home at night he would leave and
keep a lookout for a surprise. Once be
came running to the house and called
me, saying that the Yankees were COM
ing. | was off in moment" Some
cavarymen rude up aud searched high
and low, but the man they were looking
for was not there. One day, though, 9
squad of cavalrymeu did surprise the