The Portland daily press., 1898-09-13
HOW MEN DIE IN BATTLE
Mortally Wounded Await Death Calmly
and Bravely.

eff you want to know how men die in
battle. ask some of thoss who have been
at Wilson's creek on one side or the
other said Judge David Murphy, Of the
Criminal Court, to St. Louis Republic
reporter,
at was in Totten's battery, and I saw
them, wounded and dying, falling thick
and fast around me. You may say that
l saw not one man funk in the face OF
death on thatsterrible day of fight and
bloodshed. While was firing my gun
from Bloody Hill youngster, not more
than 20 years old, suddenly jerked his leg.
He uttered sharp, quick cry, then bent
down and tore his trousers away from the
place on the shin where a mimic had
stru ok him. He looked up with a smile.
patted the wound with his hand, pulled
the torn trousers down, and went on
shooting. Five minutes aalater he yelled
again, and his hand went up to the fieshy
part of his left arm. chit againl" he
said, sat down behind the battle ranks
and examined his arm. The wound was
only skin deep, and that seemed to please
him hugely, for he tied his handkerchief
around it, and again went forward into
the ranks with his musket.
"You're fighting in bad luck today,
Pete,' said colnrade. Tho youngster
turned his face to answer back, and by
the swapping of his eyes it could be seen
that his mind framed a sauey, defiant an
swer. just then his jaw dropped. A ball
ploughed its way through his mouth,
leaving nothing but a bloody, tongueless
cavity. With a hoarse gurgle nthe fellow
back of the lines. He was found in a
hospital afterward, but never recovered.
ION that same day I encountered three
men under tree. Their faces were ashy
gray, showing that they We're mortaIly
wounded. asked them why they were
not attended to, and one Of them said
that 1T was tall over With them; they
wanted the surgeons to ATTEND first to
those who GOULD be saved. One q the
"What are you doing, my friend2' I
MTaking my last smoke, he answered.
his CLASSY eyes looking steadily ct me.
Another was reading letter. He held 1t
I'D to his face, but could see that be was
not making any Roadway. His eyes were
Qr0Wlu& ulu1s ehuQ LIB WC0h, UkOtl0A1At5
bends folded the missiye and thrust it in
to his breast pocket. He was perfectly
resigned to his fate, and has not a word
to say, When 1 returned in the evening,
after lull, found the three men dead.
Their face were white and set in the
shadow of the tree under which they lay.
By the placidity of their features I knew
that they had met death without funking.
iThat's all bosh about men raving
about mother, home and heaven. All the
men | have seen die, or near death, were
quiet and perfectly rational. They made
no fuss. Those that did were usually
deiirious, entirely out of their minds.
The faces of these were frequently distort.
ed. and gave every evidence Of the lpenta
and physical agony they unconsciouly had
end ured.
Zone thing struck me as peculiar.
Nearly all the regulars exhibited an in
sta MT desire to examine their wounds
when they were hit, and tho expression Of
their faces indicated in moment whether
thew were slightly or mortally wounded
They seemed to know with unfailing Ger
tainty. If the wound was slight and in 6
place where they could tie 1t up conven'
iently they did SO, and then went back te
the fighting lines. If it was mortal, theil
grave, pale faces betrayed their knowl
edge. The volunteers were not SO well
posted. but they were brave as lions, ant
seldom gave up unless seriously hurt.