The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-10-15
THE HORRORS OF WAR.
Il Federal Soldier Tells Hts Experi-
cnco in Battlc-He Don't Want to
Shoulder Muskct Again.
Atlanta Journal. J

s Shoulders II Muskct Again.
o Atlanta Journal.
IL a boy with q rife and cartridge box
l. got on the car tho other morning.
Fall in according to height, right
face ~ facetiOusly remarked q man who
. used to drill on tho university campus.
Il Fall in ?" said mddlc.aged man
u u with gruff voice. Il mover want to
5 fall in again. | would rather fall
out every time"
: / could not help contrasting the boy
, and the veteran. Here was tho rosy
anticipation Of youth side by side with
! prosalc, pessimistic and battlc-Scarrcd
experience. The veteran seemed to
be very much in earnest, and | con-
cluded to draw him out.
' "ThatS very nice for the boys" said
, he, "but war is horrible. Tho moro \
saw of 1t the worse it got. \ boy OF Is
goes into battle with fewer qualms
than a man OF &c. who realizes the
danger, and it takes less grit for fresh
: troops to stand fire than it does to keep
them there after thoy have seen men
shot down and mangled. In my first
battle, | was without fear at the first
fire. Pretty soon COmrado fell over
on my breast the blood gushing from b
mortal wound and spattering all over
me. That madc mo weak. | wanted TO
get out. Awhile aftcrward q sergeant
near mo was struck on the head by Il
: solid shot. His brother close by was sDat-
tered with the poor fellows brains and
some OF Lhem sputtcrcd me. Ugh
1t WAS horrible. [ turned sick and
faint
| did not wonder that he didn't want
to fal! in uny more. But this was not
4 ali OF it.
1 "Whcn YOU hear u man describe 81
Il hatt 1c - Sni,l l,n r
: that he wasn't in it. 1t is impossible.
3 After 4 little while you can't SEQ 20
y feet from you. You can't tell whether
y your gun is firing. The roar Of battle
J, browns IL single report, even from your
+ own gun. The rebound makes your
5 shoulder so numb that you can't feel
|, it, Our guns were muzzlcd-lOader
- and sometimes they were half tull Of
IS loads. The soldier didn't know his
: gun had refused to fire.
o "Tnlk about manual OF arms and
i beautiful company movements" said
3 he, "thcy don't amount to the snap Ci
c my finger in BATTLE. All you can do is
n TO keep somewhere in limo and kocp
IN on firing. You can't sec far and you
as can't hear anything but tho awful roar
IL Of battle. IT IL move is to be made,
Y you get notice Of it by motions, or by
seeing the mon near you moving out,
n, and you get out a. quick as you can.
n, "This talk about general loading
"a his men ia baltic is all nonscnsn. II
es tho men saw general in front OF tNon
CD hey wouldn't stay there minute.
st They would know something WAS
to wrong. Tho general has his hcadquar
10 ters away back perhaps mile or two
Is and there his nag is Ayng. Tie must
In have place where he can be found
g. like the mayor Of q city. Else it would
n DO impossible 50 get orders when q
re flank is turned. | have been in many
't q battle and mover saw a general yet
he I have seen brigadier generals, but
y, not a division or corps commander, OF
IN tho general Of an army. They arc
re away back in the rear, where they
ad ought to be-"
be Tho veteran had personal expert
ng ence to relate He was on the Fedora
as side, and was one Of those who charged
TN the Confedcrates in tho confusion i'm
m mcdiately following the explosion 0
Wy tho mine under the fort at Petersburg
lld His account of the sensation OF being
Is shot is an interesting one. "a shee
of fire shot out from the opposite line,
cc said he, land five Of us fell forwart
ad at the same instant. II was q rain 0
nd bullets that cut us down. | WAS sh0
Id in my leg. in my arm and in my head
ad "A didn't know that vas shot, ant
re thought that had fallen down through
res the weakness OF excitement | wa
to- numb, for tho bullets struck the bon,
and paralyzed nc, but did not LOSE
mt my senses. The wounds did not pail
nd me, at frat. In tho course OF hal
he hour, when the excitement had w0r,
co OFF, my wounds began to hurt. | die
ad not know that my leg was shot till
he saw the blood running out over my
)st shoe. A c0mradc who was bad
re wounded tied q handkerchief aroun,
at my leg and stopped the fow OF blood
cd But for that would have died. Whilt
&C | lay there another shot strnck mo il
.c- the side. 1t was two or tbrco hour
nd before help came. J suffered grcn
nj pain. | wanted water and was death
lis iy sick. 1t vas year after tho wal
d. before go, well. and carry ininnit
nc bail in my side 10 this day.
X thought he bad given me cnougf
sc for q fall realization Of the horrors o
az var, but he had one more picture
10 more moving still.
lie ",rhc night before | was shot," sait
hc he, - went on the field ao1 saw those
b3 poor devils lying there. a boy OF Il
ii wns crying for his mother. Oh, the
o! pity Of IT Then rcnlzcd tknt cvcry
fr! man there was somebody's SOD or some
lr- body's brother. God protect Us from
,cs another war;
or, Hestcppcd of the electric car briskly
i'm aud walked to his daily round OF bust
do ness in the Equitable building. The
OF lad who had not heard this convcrsa
ed tion went on to schoO! with his ride
lat and his cartridge-box. Then thought
ow Of the scenes on the field OF the first
ot. Manassas, whore the hover of the
,he Eighth Georgia lay weltoring in blood
MS as the sun went down, apd J wondered
Us II this hoy was son or grandson
.ri- Of one Of those men. | thought Of the
hat time within my own recollection wher
all black was tho prevailing color in the
top dress Of women, and hardship the 10
seq OF the average youth. 1t has boen 81
ich ih years siIeo that time and you heal
Ign boys and fools talk Of var 9s @ goot
aw, thov NAV neyor know tho meaning O
lted Popo's line:
'' t"Man's inhumnnity to man makes count
)esB millions mourn"