The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-14

may know, are very aggravating in cases
or Inflammation. Certain people are so
constituted that they are naturally cow
arcs, Just as others have uncomfortable
tempers.
I'm my own regiment there was a ser
geant, who at the battle of Rich Noun
tain, West Virginia conducted himself
with exceptional GOODNESS, and as result
OF 1t was promoted to In a lieutenant;
but at Shiloh he was so frightened that
he actually fed from the field and did not
return to the regiment for several days.
lie was such an excellent officer in every
other respect that we thought we would
give him another chance but whenever
we went into fight no exercise of the
VIII power or any amount of entreaty
or persuasion or intimidation could bring
him to his senses, and he was finally
placed IN a position on the staff where It
was not necessary that he should be in
the line of battle during an engagement"
Ex-Representative Forney OF alabama,
who was a lieutenant general in the con
federate service, says: Il have seen men
were totally lost to their surroundings
and Indifferent to their fate. and had any
of these men been subject to heart disease
1t would have resulted fatally. l have
seen men who were subject 10 vertigo
and apopleXy tumble over in The excite
ment of battle, but never new a sound
man to die that way, and | do not know
that these cases can be attributed TO
fright. l recollect, for instance, al the
battle of Gettysburg, when we charged a
battery, number OF men in my division
gave out entirely from heart failure and
exhaustion and were found dead upon
the neld without a wound upon them >"
Il have never known men to be scared
to DEATH" said Col. w. w. Dudley, the ex-
commissioner of pensions, but l have
seen them SO scared that they did not
themselves and their own comrades in
stead of the enemy. Courage and coward
ice are Unborn, so that / have always felt
a great sympathy for a cowardly man.
Il had an example in my own regiment
the Nineteenth Indiana-a young fellow
of the name of Woods, who was intelh-
gent, well educated and belonged TO an
excellent family. While he was good SOL
der in camp, we were never able to get
him into battle. The smell of powder
the sound of an explosion or the sight Of
blood caused such terror in him that he
was perfectly uncontrollable-he actually
became insane for the moment. While we
were lying on the Rappahannock he de-
serted to the enemy, and then, getting a
suit of gray, deserted again to our side,
expecting to be sent as a prisoner to some
barracks in a northern state, where he
would not be exposed to danger and could
escape identification until the close of the
war He didn't care where he went, so
that he got out of the reach of bullets
But he was caught and taken before Gen.
Patrick, chief provost marshal, who or
dered a court martial that condemned
Woods TO be shot as a deserter. He met
his fate like hero. never saw a man
show more nerve, more self possession or
meet his fate more like a hero than he
did. He would not even have his eyes
looked straight into the barrels of the
muskets that were fired at his heart. He
made an ante-mortem statement in which
he confessed that his desertion was from
no lack of loyalty, but from physical cow
ardice; that he had tried TO control his
emotions, but was unable to endure the
sight of blood or the sound of musketry"
Il never knew a soldier to be scared to
DEATH said Maj. Conger, formerly rep
resentative in congress from Iowa, but
l did know man who was very badly
wounded at the battle of New Hope
Church without being struck by a bullet
This may seem strange, but it is true. 1t
was Maj. Hagan, of the SEVENTEEN Indi-
ana regiment, of which ex-President Har-
rison was the colonel and the latter was
present at the time. We were standing to-
gether, our regiment beside his, when
Mai Hagan was doubled up as if by con-
vulsions and fell upon the ground. Harri- !
son and myself both ran to him and asked
If he was hurt. He could not speak for
some time, and held his hands across his
stomach. We finally got them away, and
removing his clothing found that his
stomach was black and blue, and that |
the blood was bursting from the pores. A
cannon ball had passed few inches from
him, and the windage had produced this !
result"
Mai. James A. Bates of the United
States army (retired), who had command |
of company at the second battle of Bull |
Run. tells me that a man in his command |
probably died from fright or at least
from the effects of fear upon a weak !
heart The regiment, which was lying !
behind earthworks, was ordered to charge |
a. battery, and as they arose from behind |
their protection one of the privates re- /
fused to get up. The sergeant endeavored /
to stir him by pricking him with his |
sword but the man was sobbing and cry |
ing in a historical manner, and Capt.
Bates told the sergeant to let him alone, |
as he would probably do more harm than |
good If he accompanied the other troops !
in that condition. The charge was made, |
and III an hour afterward the command |