The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-13
Some Singular and Lucky Shots.

Some Singular and Lucky Shots.
In Sundays News you had column ar
ticle on a remarkable though exceedingly
unlikely "lucky shot" Since reading
that highly romantic story, have been
thinking over some peculiar and remarka-
BILE single shots.
In the autumn of 1868 Gen. Lees lines
prolonged the south bank of the Rapidan
river, with the cavalry extending his ex-
IRENE left. Camped in a position where
the pasturage for the horses was good,
in the country lying between and in the
converging of the Robson and Rapidan
rivers, was battalion of horse artillery
The location had not been considered ex-
posed. so the horses were turned loose
upon the green forage.
Pleasanton, anxious to locate Lees left,
pushed forward a large force of his corps
of horse and met but a feeble resistance
from the paucity of troops opposed to him,
and easily and rapidly forced Stuart's
depleted cavalry before him. His adj
vance had been so rapid that but short
notice was served the horse artillery,
whose stock were grazing. The sound Of
approaching guns bore this unpleasant
news to the gunners.
A small command of cavalry, less than
q regement, was ordered forward in the
direction of the firing, to interpose be-
tween the enemy and the bivouac of the
batteries, until the cannoneers and
drivers could catch and hitch up the
horses, and move the batteries to a posi-
ton where the guns could be available in
resisting the progress of the blue troop
ers. The cavalry did not proceed far be-
fore it developed the enemys advance.
Mounted ski rmishers We're promptly
pushed forward to check the
enemy and hold the position as
long as possible, or until the batteries
could be moved TO some stronger position.
Developing the enemy'S line, fire was
promptly opened upon it. At the first
crack of a carbine, blue trooper rolled
out Of his saddle. For some unexplained
reason the federal skirmish line stopped,
and the gray troops, thus encouraged,
opened briskly upon their opponents and
held them until federal reinforcements
arrived, and the blue line again pressed
forward. The check given Pleasanton,
however, gave the gunners and drivers
time to catch and to harness up, and move
guns and effects to so strong a position
the blue horsemen declined TO assault.
to this lucky shot, Indirectly, may be
attributed the safety of the battalion of
artillery, for, if the federal line had adj
vanced with the speed and push eXhib-
tied early in the day, the guns, men and
teams must have fallen an easy capture
Another incident almost forgotten by
the retiring, and very little known by the
advancing generation, is worth relating.
In the incipiency of the siege of Fort Pu-
laSki in the early spring of 1862, by Gen.
Gilmore from Tybee, and the gun boats
in the river above the fort, one afternoon,
a small detachment of blue soldiers, ex-
posed themselves on the beach at Tybee
near where the present railroad bridge
spans LaZaretto creek, making demonstra-
tiOns toward the fort. This continued
some time, one of the soldiers especially
making indecent exposure and postures
of himself, visible with feld-glass from
the fort.
After watching their antics for some
time Col. Olmstead descended from the
parapet and personally trained one OF the
long thirty-two FOUNDER casemate guns
on the offender Sighting carefully the
piece, he directed the gunner TO pun the
lanyard. With his held-glass he easily
watched the flight of the shot through
the seventeen hundred yards of space
and saw it hit the blue soldier centrally
in the stomach, knocking him, as the sol
diers used to say, into smithcreenS. per
haps Just such another case never hap
pened during the "late unpleasantness. +"
In the war between the British and
Zulus in South Africa, another instance
Of a lucky shot, is recorded. In the
midst of the fight at Rorke's Drift, when
the Zulus had fred the hospital, rush
was made by band Of Zulus to fire the
store house, the other building which out
lasted the defense AS fast as the Zulus
came on with fire brands, they were shot
down by the besieged in the store house;
but one managed to escape the fire and
got in close to the wall of the building.
The defenders could not slope or depress
the rifles sufficient to bear upon him, and
it seemed as if his purpose OF firing the
thatch on the roof of the house, would
succeed. Fortunately a young corporal
of the army service corps bethOught him
of a plan to save the besieged. AS luck
would have it, there was small square
hole in the wall which had been used as
window. Just below this the Zulu had
stopped. The corporal with his carbine
made his way to this hole, and pushing
his gun out, let it hang muZZle downward.
In this awkward position it was impossible
to take aim, so he trusted to fate. The
Zulu had by this time stuck a fire brand
on the point of his assegai, and was in the
act Of applying it to the straw of the
thatch, when the corporal, not seeing the
Zulu at all, but Judging intuitively his
position. pulled the trigger with his
thumb. the gun being inverted That
'luckV shot crashed through the skull
of the incendiary Zulu. The next morn
ing the assegai with the half burned
brand fastened To its point, was found
clutched in the rigid cold hand of the
Zulu. The ball from the carbine had sped
true and accurately, as though fired from
a steady sight-shot, and pierced the brain
of the Zulu. That lucky shot" saved the
garrison of the storehouse from a fearful
death, and also saved Natal from an in
VA siOn bV thaes black warriors.