The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-07


From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
battlefield coverediwith mangled and
bleeding men does not at first glance
offer much reinsurance of one searching
for amusing incidents. Yet If we should
go trifle deeper into the subject it
would be seen that the narratives OF
such affairs are full of almost laughable
anecdotes A shot wound at best is a
very grewsome sight; but there are
many examples of the queer pranks OF
bullets, and of wounds, which, in the
uniqueness Of their character or in the
veritable grotesqueness of their results,
cause the story of a battle to be shorn
OF half its horrors. Examples of these
queer casualties might be multiplied
without limit. The United Service Ga
zette, an English military and naval jour
nal, has collected quite number of these
incidents, and to that journal the writer
is indebted for a number of the following
amusing examples.
We are all familiar with the story of
the man who had both his legs carried
away by a cannon BAL in battle ana
alter being taken to the field hospital
said he felt no pain from the wound, but
complained of cramps in his feet Very
much IN the same line is the story of the
English officer who was struck on the
head by shot and rendered unconscious.
lie received the wound while giving
command to his men, and fell insensible
before completing it. He was carried off
the field, brought home some time after
ward and placed in a hospital, remain
ing all the while unconscious But when
the piece of depressed bone was raised
of his brain he started up in bed and
in loud tones finished the command he
nad begun some months before in for
eign land.
1t is related upon good authority that
during the Crmean war a man was
wounded in the lace. Upon examination the
surgeon was astonished to see the mans
lower jaw, teeth and all, firmly fixed in
the upper part of his face But looking
where his lower jaw should be. it was no
ticed that 1T was still intact and in place.
At first 1t was thought that the man was
a museum freak, being the possessor of
three jaws; but further examination show
ed that the jaw fixed in the upper part
OF the face was another mans possession,
having been carried away and imbedded
in the wounded mans face by the force of
a large shot.
Instances are frequent of mems teeth
being carried away by the force of a mis-
sile, and these organs being hurled in 9TH
er mems bodies. There was at one time
relic in an English museum of several
French coins found in an English soldiers
leg during the Crimean war. For time no
one could explain the queer freak, the
wounded soldier being well known to be
have a coin of any kind i'm his pockets, I'M
til it was at length discovered that
French soldier fighting beside him had had
his trousers pocket and all its contents
carried away by a fragment of a shell.
Everything that soldier wears or car
ries in his pockets is likely to be forced
into his body if struck by a shot end the
probing of wounds often brings to light
some curious articles. Pieces of knives
and of watches, of boots, belts, buckles,
swords canteens, keys, coins and the like
are often fished cut of arms, legs and
bodies after every battle; and no doubt
to-day many veterans Of our late war car
ry in their bodies curious relics of their
campaigns. A story is told of soldier
in the Franco-German war who had twen-
~ gold Napoleons in his trousers pocket,
and the whole score were driven into his
leg. The bullet that killed Lord Nelson
entered with it, carrying piece OF epau-
let with it, and the irritation caused by
this, more than the shot itself, was the
cause of his death.
There was curious case occurred dur
ing our civil war, and one that has never
been satisfactorily accounted for. a sol
der was struck on the head by what was
supposed to be a glancing shot, and the
man rendered unconscious. He remained
in this state so long that the surgeon sus-
pected the ball must have entered his
skull; yet there was only a small crack
through which nothing thicker than sur
geon's knife could pass. Finally they dis
covered a single hair sticking out of the
crack, a conclusive proof that something
must have entered to have carried the hair
in with it. Upon cutting away portion
of the bone. they saw bullet lying with
in pressing upon the brain. They remoV-
ed II and the man Instantly recovered con
seriousness.
round shot employed played many queer
pranks. At the battle of the Alma a soldier
was struck by a cannon ball and killed.
When they picked him up the huge mass
or iron rolled out of his body, having
been stopped by the elastic skin of the
back
soldiers by cannon balls merely grazing
them and leaving no appreciable external
mark gave rise to the popular fallacy that
death could be caused by "Windage, or
in other words, that the current of air
caused by the flight of a large projectile
was death-dealing in its effects. Spent
balls had a peculiar way of rolling over
mems bodies and causing great destruc-
ton without leaving any marks on the
body. During the great mutiny in India
it is said that fatigued English gunner
laid down on top of a cannon to rest. the
ground being wet. A shot from a Sepoy
cannon passed over his body, breaking his
arm and carrying away a portion OF the
back of his coat, but apparently doing no
other injury. A few days later, however
the greater part of his leg fell away. He
had pressed heavily on his leg; and died
firmly beliC, ing that his death was the
result of "windage.' similar case oc-
CURED in the Crimean war, when an of
ficer was struck in the body, fell and died
while being carried off the field. Not
trace of any injury was TO be seen, and
his comrades were convinced that 1t was a
bona tde case of "Windage." But on OPEN
ing his body il was found that all the
internal organs had been ruptured.
Though no examples are considered nee
essary to explode the idea of "windage"
when its fallicay cannot but be apparent
TO everyone at this day, yet one or two
might not be irrelevant. An officer in the
Crimea had his ear carried away and part
of his hair shaved off by a passing shell,
but did not even leave the field as a re-
suit of 1t. There was an excellent chance
for "windage," if there was such thing,
TO get in its work at Bayonne. While an
artillery officer was sighting a gun, an
other officer standing behind him saw
a bali pass between the formers legs and
take off the lapel OF his coat without his
knowledge.
The different degrees of pain caused by
different characters of wounds are often
quite curious If a bone is penetrated or
broken, or a nerve cut, the pain is often
excruciating, while IL the ball passes only
through a fieshy portion Of the body the
sensation at times may seem only Ike The
blow of the fist The temperament of the
man is often an important factor in the
sensations experienced. Some men faint
and even die OF a shock that others might
scarcely feel at first.
In one of our recent wars an officer had
the tip of his finger shot Off, and rushed
around like one demented, losing all con-
troll OF himself. while nearby another had
his arm carried away above the elbow
and rode a number OF miles before faint