Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-12-30
ON THE sKlRmIsH LINE.
pen Picture of the Advance to Zipp and
Ping of the Enemy's Bullets.


Ping of the Enemy's Bullets.
We get the word and deploy in front
If the regiment-a line of men from
rem 10 fifteen feet apart-and advance
scross the old field, says writer il
The Detroit Free Press. We know
where the enemy is-in the green
woods on the far side. There IS fear
that he is massing a brigade there. and
thot the first seen of him will be a line
~ battle sweeping across the field
We know where his skirmishers are -
behind the fringe of bushes on he
liner side of the creek half mile IN
onr 'front.' Over the fence-acros the
Iavpl-down the slope, and ping! zippl
n;noI come the bullets from the hidden
sLirmisbers All! man down-two
or three Of theml II dead we can do
them no good; if only wounded they
nu.t crawl away to the rear or lie
ouiyering and grooming in some of the
boll0ws until we are relieved. Our
side of the creek also has its fringe of
bushes. and at intervals there are
rocks and iogs and stumps. Like eats
we Green forward ike cats we crouch
behind cover and peer over the logs
or TO the right or left OF the rocks.
"Popl Popl Zipp! Zipp! Thudl
Thud"
A hundred men on each side are
blazing away, and the heavy bullets,
fired almost at random, strike the lows
and slumps with mufflrd lhud or
gmash against the rocks TO be hatlened
Ike waters and drop into The grass,
That bullet was fired by an old veter-
an. almost felt the burn Of it as it
vlizzed by my cheek. That one was
fired by recruit who is probably on
the sIiirmish line for the first time. 1t
went at least twenty feet above my
head, droning like a huge humble bee,
and it will fall among the troops far to
our rear. Who uttered that Scream
The man on my right is safe-the one
on my left has turned on his back His
cap-has fallen off, and there is blood
on his head and face. Iie is not dead
not even fatally wounded. a bullet
plowed his scalp as he looked out from
behind his cover 10 find human tar
get for his bullet. He cried out with
the burning pain, but he mutters and
curses and seems ashamed of his weak
ness as he feels for his handkerchief
and binds mp his bleeding head.
The man opposite me is not over
sixty feel away. but so screened that !
cannot see him. can judge of his
position, however 10y the line of his
fire. Al, the bullets which come whiz-
ling by HE rock to the right and all
those which smash against it with a
sound to make your teeth grit, are
from his musket. Those which cut in
from the lett or pass over are random
snots, BY accident have the cap
Jams tield-glasses. ldraw them from
the case, rub up the lenses and cau-
tiously level them from the left-hand
side OF the rock For few seconds
ian see nothing but blur Of foliage.
Then the details begin to come out.
There IS a stump among the tanglc on
the other bank. and as ] hold the
glasses on it | each sight of an elbow
and a shoulder and hat. A muSket
barrel is thrust forth aud sheet of
tame darts over the creeping black
berry bushes, and "smash~ comes a
bullet against the rock. There is no
mercy in war. From the skirmlsh
line to the rush of a division it means
cripple or kill,
| lay down on the grass and pick up
my musket. | reach up and pull at
the limbs of bush to form a screen,
and then carefully arrange for dead
shot. Now that / have located my
man ] can follow his movements with
the naked eve. | have not fired shot
for live minutes, and he is emboldened.
He argues that have been killed or
wounded or driven away. He fires at
the man on my right and then at the
one on my left, and know that the
third one will come my way | am
ready, with my finger on the trigger
and eye glaucing along the sights,
when the elbow appears in view. IL
is q small mark to fire at. Now the
shoulder is pushed out--now / see the
hal-now the head aud half the body
is uncovered. In his anxiety to get
sight Of me or learn my fate he is TAX
inc chances. Kill him. Why not?
He is seeking my life, He is my en-
envy! | enlisted with the object of
killing. There is no trembling-no
quic6euing of the pulses-no hutter
of the heart. / cannot look into his
eyes, but | imagine them fastened on
mine as pull the trigger and peer I'M
der the smoke. There is a shout-a
haOd is thrown uD and my enemy falls
backward to fire no more. Dead, or
only wounded? What matters it?