The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-26
c9puld!, asked one OF the shareholders.
here. take my rifle and tryl''
A SHARpGun0u1rp

@--N say AaitC anu Try.
A SHARPSHOOTER
1 accepted the rife: got down beh,ra
log, as was the sharpshooter's custom;
leveled the piece. and waited for the nuff
Sharpshooters on the other side were pitted
against ours. Every few seconds bullet
whistled near my head. or struck the log
with an ominous thud that suggested sud-
den mortality. Birges men often drew the
hre of the Confederates by exposing a can
OF a bit of an old garment. which was all
ways duly punctured And the rebel veil not
ttlIrcquentiy denoted that the enemy had
oSen deeelved into thinking that another
odIous Yankee had been DISPOSED of
Several times l Tired at the Invisible o,,n-
net, ana the familiar puff at the regular
htefFai lndIcated that / had still missed
s,lea naTaer ana harder, though I did not
PINdtely assume 10 be anything OF a shot
AT last L fired once more. after nrenaring
myself FOR several minutes 7 had a fainf
t nope tnat LAD succeeded. The interval Of
tie pun passed. The sharpshooter looked
at me significantly and said: 1T rIiess
you've fetched him this time. / felt II in
my bones you would" -
l had idea that I had. hut T dia MT
Wlsn to disturb the faith of the Illinoisian
90 l replied, I shouldn't wonder looked
III anu Withdrew to another part of the
tered. ''00 "eeh siial-
MY limited experience as a sharpshooter
mad benefited me. 1t had greatly steadied
my nerves, and felt was gradually GET
ting used to being urder fire. So
Inc tnlrd day / borrowed a musket, as I
nau done before on SeA eral occasions and
did such service on, my own accounts as I
Ielt inclined to. Strictly speaking | was NOT
rIght IN SO acting. for a military core
Spohdent is supposed to be a noncombatant
But as | was liable TO be shot any time.
gong where chose, where | had no bust
h ness i felt' II l should be hit, that would
nave the satisfaction of knowing that / had
snot at me enemy repeatedly. Such a thing
YOU'D not have been allowed in the Army
al pine the aot4:nac. Nor was it allowed in the
army OF the Tennessee, but If not winked
at, 1T was not forbidden. Each and every
man In that field had the broadest liberty,
If he did not abuse it, so long as he kent ont
of trouble. The freedom of the correspon-
dents under Grant was delightful and he
and they never clashed.
DANGER FORGOTTEN.
On the third day, on the left, several
Western regiments scaled the breastworks
at Donelson. After they had got inside the
lntrenchments a Confederate battery OPEN
ed on them, and there was fear lest they
might eventually be driven back, though
they stood their ground firmly. Several sub
ordinate officers saw the threatening peril
We knew that Union battery was needed
to counteract the Confederate guns. But
where could it be found and who could
order it up? 1 volunteered to perform the
service, which was urgent, knowing where
a missouri battery and General Grant had
OOSii q lllliS Willie DeIOT6. f1OrSSleSS as L
vas, L started on run to hunt them up
Grant, on being found listened attentiveiy
TO the me ssage brought, and sent an or
DER by NE to the captain of the Missouri
battery to hasten to the place indfca ted. The
circumstance so flattered me that l ran
back, over mile, through fire of shot and
Sneil, never needing, never thinking of it,
l was big, for the moment, with my own
Importance, with the responsibility of my
mission, which was faithfully discharged,
and the Missouri battery rendered good
service.
1t is plain from what has been written
that courage, as clearly comprehended. is
chiefly the result of familiarity with danger.
Experience and observation both teach this
bravery and courage, used indiscrimnately
regarded generally as synonymous, are very
dlfterent; Bravery is much the rarer; cour-
age much the higher. One is inherent tenn
peramental; the other at first unusual, in a
sense accidental. 1t is difficult to under
stand why courage is so much praised so
universally indeed, by none more than the
Anglo-Saxon to whom it is particularly at
trlbuted. One might think it rare gift, an
exceptional endowment, from the en-
comiums constantly bestowed on it. But it
Is common enough, and 1t may be taught by
discipline and example. The man of thought,
of culture, of character, may be spontan-
eously timid; but his qualities, natural and
acquired, enable him to conceal his timidity
The most ordinary mortals, without edu-
cation, Intelligence or pride, may be drilled
into courage. Many of the raw recruits
VINO, yielding to panic, ran like hareS at the
first battle of Manassas. afterwards proved
themselves heroes. Having grown used to
udHsef IHey ueSplSeu IL, as men are apt 10
do. We soon learn to discriminate between
actual and apparent peril. What we have
often escaped from we come in time to dis
regard. Soldiers eventually grow almost
unconsciously into fatalists. They are dis
inclined to thought. which is troublesome,
profitless, undesirable in their calling. They
determine to do their duty and let results
take care of themselves. Determination
ultimately settles into something like in
Stinct and becomes the ruling power
Physical courage alone is needed for the
soldier. for the army. Moral courage, as
much rarer as it is better and higher is
needed for the long, hard battle of life
whose grardest and permanent victories are
always spiritual