The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1898-09-24
now MEN DIE IN BATTLE.
Braveiy, Invariably, Though Regulars First
Examine Their Wounds.

Bravely, Invariably, Though Regulars First
Examine Their Wounds.
IF you want to know how men die
In battle, ask some of those who have
been at Wilson's Creek, on one side
or the other" said Judge David Muir
ply OF the Criminal Court.
II 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 of
death on that terrible 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 a sharp, quick cry,
then bent down and tore the trousers
away from the place on his shin where
a minnie had struck him. He looked
up with smile, patted the wound with
his hand, pulled the torn trousers down
and went on shooting Five minutes
later he yelled again, and his hand went
up to the fleshy part Of his left arm.
Hit again!' 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 1t, and
again went 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
| tie swapping of his eyes 1t could be
seen that his mind framed q saucy, de-
| faint reply. Just then his jaw dropped.
A ball plowed it's way through his
mouth, leaving nothing but a bloody,
| tcngueless cavity. With a hoarse CUR
| gle the fellow threw his gun on the
ground and fed back of the lines. He
| was found in hospital afterward, but
never recovered.
ION that same day encountered
three men under a tree. Their faces
were ashen gray, showing that they
] were MORALLY wounded. / asked them
why they were not attended to, ana
one of them said that IS it was all over
with them they wanted the surgeons
| to attend first to those who could Do
/ saved. One of them was smoking
| short briar- wood pipe.
"What are you doing, my friendf" l
asked
Taking my last smoke he an
swered, his CLASSY eyes looking stead
fastly at me. Another was reading q
letter. He held it up to his face, but
could see that he was not making any
Roadway. His eyes were growing dim,
and his weak, trembling hands folded
the missive and thrust 1t 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. / found the three men dead.
Their faces were white and set In the
shadow of the tree under which they
law. BY the placidity of the features
knew that they had met death without
flunking.
THAT'S all bosh about men ravina
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 theiI
minds. The faces Of these were ire
uuently distorted, and gave every EVIL
dence of the mental and physical agony
they had endured.
One thing struck me as peculiar
Nearly all the regulars exhibited an In
slant desire to examine their wounds
when they were hit, and the expression
of their faces indicated in a moment
whether they wer slightly or mortaliJ
wounded. They seemed to know witr
unfailing certainty. II the wound was
slight and in place where they couic
tie it up conveniently, they did so, ane
then went back into the fighting lines
II it was mortal, their grave, pale races
betrayed their knowledge. The volun'
teers were not so well posted, but the!
were brave as lions, and seldom gave
up unless seriously hurt.