The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-09-15

Observation OF a Soldier Who Fought
in the Great Rebellion.

"If you want to know how men die
In battle.ask some of those who have
been atsWison's Creek. on one side or
the other said Judge David Murphy
of the Criminal Court.
Il was in Totten's Battery. and saw
them. wounded and dying, falling thick
and fast around me. You may say that
saw not one man funk In the face or
death on that terrible day OF fight and
bloodshed. While 1 was firing my gun
than 20 years old. suddenly jet'ked his
leg. He uttered a sharp, quick cry,
then bent down and tore the trousers
Away from the place on his shin where
a Mimic bali had struck him. He looked
up with a smile, patted the wound with
his hand pulled the torn trousers down.
and went on shooting. Five minutes
later he yelicd again and his Nand went
up To the fieshy part OF his arm. Hit
again.. he said. sat down behind the
battle ranks, and examincda his arm.
The wound was only skin deep, and that
seemed To please him hugely, for he tied
his handcrkerchief around IL and went
again forward into the ranks with his
musket.
You're fighting In bad luck today
Pete said a comrade. The youngster
turned his face TO answer back, and by
the swapping OF his eyes IL could be seen
that his mind framed saucy. defiant
reply. Just then his jaw dropped. A
bail ploughed its way through his
mouth, leaving nothing but a bloody
tongueless cavity. With "A hoarse 6ur-
gle the fellow threw his gun on the
ground and He'd back OF the lines lie
was found in hospital aftcrward, but
never recovered.
ION that same day Encountered three
men under tree. Their faces were
ashy gray, showing that they were NOR
tally wounded. j asked them why they
were not attended to, and one of them
said that IL was all over with them:
they wanted the surgeons 10 attend
first To those who could be saved. One
wood pipe.
What are you doing, my friend?' l
asked
Taking my last smoke he an
swered. his CLASSY eyes looking steadily
| at me- Another was reading letter.
He held il up 10 his face, but l could
| see that he WAS not making any head
/ way. His eyes We're growing dim, and
| his weak. trembling hands folded the
missive and thrust II into his breast
pocket. He was perfectly resigned to
| his fate and had not a word TO say.
When | returned in the evening after
! a lull I found the three men dead. Their
! faces were white and set in the shadow
of the tree under which they lay. BY
the placidty of the features ] knew
that they had met death without funk
| ing.
That'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 delirious, entirely out of their
minds. The faces of these were fire.
| quently distorted, and gave every evil
| dence of the mental and physical
agony they unconsciously had endured.
| lone thing struck me as peculiar.
/; Nearly all the regulars exhibited an in
| stant desire to examine their wounds
when they were hit. and the expression
| OF their faces indicated in moment
l whether they were slightly or mortally
! wounded. They seemed to know with
unfailing certainty. If the wound was
| slight and In a place where they could
tie 1t UP conveniently, they did so. and
| then went back TO the fighting lines.
II 1t was mortal. their grave, pale faces
betrayed their knowledge. The volun-
| teers were not so well posted, but they
| were brave as lions and seldom gave up
unless seriously hurt."-St. Louis Re-
public.