New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-14
NOW MEN DIE IN BATTLE.
THE MORThI.LY WOUNDED AWAIT DEATH
CALMLY AND BRAvELY.

From The 81. Louis Republic.
III Won want to know how men die in battle,
ask some 81 those who lave been at ils"h
Creek on one sid" or the other. sad Juus'
David Murphy Of the Criminal Court
Il was IN Totten's battery, and ! saw theiI
wounded and dying. falling thick and fast
around me. You may say that saw not one
mn dunk In the raco of death on that terrible
dav Of fight and bi1odshod. While was iirinR
my gun from Plo,dy Ii a youngs'tr. not more
man twenty years old. suddenly Jerked ms les.
Ile uttered sharp. quick cry, thei p'nt uoNil
and tore tn" trousers away IRON u" pdcf u''
his shin where "A mimic had struck MN he
looked up with a smile pattcd the wound WIN
his hand. pulled the torn trousers d"wh. ana
went on shooting Five minutes later ne !'II'u
again and his hand we II w TO the feshy part
nf his left arm Hit again he said. sat down
hohiud the haiti ranks and examined ms arm
''he wound was only skin deep and that seemed
f. pleas. him hugely. FOR hc tied hs handhet-
chief around IT, and again went forward into
the ranks with his musk"t-
"'Youre lighting In bad luck today. Pete
said a comradc The youngstcr turned his race
t. answer back. and by the swapping or ms
eyes IT could be seen that his nind framed
saucy. defiant reply Just then his ia"
dr"ny.s 4 hall ploughed It's way through his
mouth leaving nothing but n bloody. tongue
less cavity with hoarse gurgie the ie,'ow
threw his gun on the ground and fed back or
the lines. II. was found in hospl'a ai'e'
ward. but never recovered
ION that same day | encountered ihrce men
under a Their faces were ashy gray;
asked them why they were not attended TO-
and one OF them said that II was all over win
them. they wanted the surgeons to attend hrs'
10 those who could be saved. one ~ the men
was smoking "A short hriarwood pipe.
what are you doing. my friend asked.
Taking my last smoke he answered. his
CLASSY eyes looking steadily at me. Another
VAS reading "A letter. He held II ny TO ms race
hu. | could see that NJ was not making any
hradwav His eyes were growing dlm ana ms
weak trembling hands folded the missive and
int, nc hrcl
fcc.ly resigned to his fate. and had not WORD
TO SAY when | returned in the evening, after
a lull found IN. three men dead Tfelr faces
were white and set in the shadow OF the tree
under which they lay. BY the placldity OF the
features | knew that they had me- death with
out nunHing.
THAT'S all bosh about men raving about
mother home and heaven. All the men have
seen die or near death were quiet ana per
f.ctIv rational They made no fuss. Those
that did were usually delirious, entirely out or
Is distorted and gave every evidence Of the
mental and physical agony they unconscously
had endured.
zone thing struck peculiar. Nearly
all the Regulars exhibited an instant desire to
examine their wounds when they were hit. and
the expression of their faces Indicated In a
m mcnt whether they were slightly or mortally
wounded They seemed to know with unfail-
ing certainty II the wound was slight and in
a place where they could tie II ny conveniently
they did So and then went back lrto the night
faces betrayed their knowledge The volunteers
were not SO well posted but they were brave
as lions, and seldom gave up unless seriously
hurt"