The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-22

peL..H shot IN oruer 70 escape
Frequently dreamed Of capture and solitary
connnemenI Un tnree occasions when cut of
Win n uetaGnnIenL from tho main body j had y
sudden feeling that the dreaded hour was at
hand. and my sensations wero precisely like
perienced tho sitting aud choking which comes
on when one is caugh! in a dense crowd or is In
Pc f!SsS, I1,,'o sftsr "nNrtmsnt. Finally, at
trenches within easy range OF the encmy's shots
for Tor more mo Than one hundred days, with the con.
would be called upon to charge the strong and
seemingly impregnablc brcestworks OF the Con:
iederates, began TO wish TINT all was over. 1
had no doubt but that The attack would be sue
Sessiul and end the war. but at u cost OF many
INES s -, W u inc 9rdGr ZANE at last, somewhat
u finish then and there, | was suddenly troubled
Win a nrescntiment that 1t would all turn out
as we had fancied it; that there would be n DIES.
peratc struggle at close quarters md our cause
would win, but that would fall. This idea
was ordered into line to make n bayonet charge
upon one OF the encmv's strongest positions
a aSor saIXSihjy rods n front OF our works. and
We wore to form a line under cover, march a
row yards fairly sheltered from the encmy's
brcastworks into full Wow of The enemy. The
charge was to be = tentative or a test. effort. like
b bnws oTihE o. HeadiY poison to an animal to sec
should destroy our brigade within a given time,
the army would not be ordered forward to. tho
and it would 10 strange If The mind did not be.
;,a affected BY them. took my place in the
me oelieving That was going to my death;
MY misery was OF short duration, or Mt least
emotions, was forced to look upon misery
ercisc by drastic measures a forcbodinR OF evil
IN another. One. OF the soldiers OF my company
march n%% sfh'f "sainst 1 tSos 8 1c1 !GSf hS Srs %S11S hSvf IN
b. sho. as q %atinssr. Tor t. he must b.
tln' his own NJ people, wHa'" R efTS'sF th is order sS re for &G the
charge reached us he appealed first to one
that day because e he seIa he Shhi had a a. sudden pre-.
sentiment OF death. but the officers Thought
TINT this was a mere subtcrfuge to make good
ms FORMER boasts that he would never face
those frowning buttlcmcnts. The battalion
commander ordered me to soc to 1t that the man.
shared the, dangers with the rest. He told ME TO
place another soldier behind A. with n muskct
Il hn i s Ssy2hh im hart SaTrif ia At .ss q gsr,sIn l sSoajS Ip Eic iho or
sIrnRo me heGl OF the musket and drive tho
me upon a level with this fellow was most humili-
nting. and do not Know whether 1t was in,pu.
m mehf but WIZ" When my'. sa% or ,S anger ,h at so A. ih" w RS'i bed
been chosen TO hold tho bayonet hesitated l
pushed hun aside and took his place. At that
a.. VINO held his musket In hand, turned around
to me; Using his camp name, l said to him:
Bill. this i all nonsense; Do your duty like a
very firm. Said he: "Wiii YOU bayonet a fei.
10Y soldier for refusing to be murdered
BY that time my interest was all centred
around A. Still I can remember that as soon as
driving him forward at the point OF the bayonet.
there was q horrid vision came over me as a
S @hIp of an an ine sEeSptio fs,s being be q cn l%shsd BY Sod the
The plight was an awful one for me, worse
than charging guns. A. marched as coolly as q
to have chosen the fate in front as the better
part. fortunately we were both spared the
reached the breastworks. just as every mans
hand was upon the hcadlog to assist in the
spring. spring into eternity for the most OF us;
a halt and the order to charge was counter.
Imanded. One of the generals of high rank.
subordinate, and believing that it would DO a
waste Of life-a Balaklava blunder in fact
peremptorily put an end to 1t.
A Immediately sank Town upon the ban.
quette in a tremor and speechless. i never saw
a man with any OF the qualities OF a soldier go
and I was forced TO believe that he had told the
truth about the presentiment and had really
be called a living death.
Upon the whole l am led to the conclusion that
this matter Of presentiment is only another
phase OF the first law OF nature. Conditions,
the mind of an Individual involved ultimately
or days even beforehand the soldier would pre-:
dict evil for his troops or corps. or a universal
disaster to the army. tho shadow will grow
self only. There may be notifications OF this
selfshness. as where ones offspring. or
G Solsea. O sO%ath eE close 81 THE, iiss' mare ass Sis0 SEEN In,
In the case OF Clusters officers. There was
every reason why they should all have been
central, figure. and his conduct was so unusual
that the forebodins in their minds centred
upon him. Neither the officer who made the
prediction that Custer was going to be killed
nor the one who heard and recorded it went
forward to the scene of massacre. They be-
longcd to the detachment which separated from
Custer before the event.
And II there is n foreboding OF general disaster
WHICH comes true 1t is no argument for the
reality OF pr~esentiments: In general, as well as
l.. A. Grants presentiment in the Wilderness
was a compound one. and failed completely.
all the great battles and horrible slaughtcrs
thought out in the minds of susceptible soldiers
not one In a hundred occurs according to predic.
ton. The occasional ones that do occur are
noted; the many that fail are forgotten. Shiloh
happy sequel. were predicted by soldiers OF far.
sighted military Judgment. But again and
again during the war a great battle was vainlv
might be expected to take place. Wild guessing
is the best that can be said OF all of these gloomy
forecasts. even when the mind acts involun.
During the Franco-Prussian war Gen. Long.
street, sitting In his office in New Orleans. pre-
dicted that Metz would fall and Marshal Ba.
zaine's army be made prisoners within a given
time. Tho first element In the prediction was
not hazardous. but the last was bold. The Gen
eral worked 1t out as a military problem. using
represent the several corps OF the combatants.
which he moved from point to point as the tclc.
graph announced the routes OF march. Tho
French people around him believed that no had
Germany. GEORGE l.. kILMER.
n CORNER IN BARI Ell THREATENED.
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