Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-08-28

Until the Vesuvius tried her dyna-
mite guns at the bombardment of
Santiago there was nothing radically
new in the matter of war missiles.
The same sort of death-dealing mes
sengers were fired from musket and
cannon hundred years ago, and if
they did not produce the same de-
struction as to-day it was owing 20 the
inferior guns. 1t would seem as if
the nations Of the world had come to
an agreement to wound and kill only
with certain agencies. The inventor
who should bring out some explosive
to wipe whole regiment off the face
of the earth at a swoop would have
to look for secretary of war to give
him encouragement. While was has
always meant to kill, it has seemed
for the last fifty years to also mean
that men should be killed as merci-
fully as possible.
The BULLETS OF THE IMAM
TRY.
AS infantry is the right arm of
war, so the musket bullet is depended
on over all other missiles to win bat
ties. If soldiers could be come mere
machines in battle the slaughter would
be something appalling. They are
machines only up to a certain point.
AS soon as the firing opens, it is il a
great measure each man for himself.
The soldier in battle-line, in seven
instances out of ten, fires too high or
too low At Stone River, for exam
pie, there was low, but heavy top
ped shade tree standing out in the
Eo1l -, 0e III
ment. After thirty minutes of firing
the tree was almost denuded of its
branches. At least eight-tenths OF the
bullets had been fired SO high that
they fell in the Confederate rear and
Gid no harm, and yet every man prob
ably believed that he was shooting
point blank. This battle was fought
early in the war, but at Louisa Court
House, in the last year of the war,
brigade of veteran soldiers kept up
such a persistent lew fire that the
earth foi forty rods II their font
seemed to have been under the drag
for a week. 1t is the excitement of
battle that does it. There is also an
distinctive dread against killing. A
soldier detailed as a sharp-shoCter had
much rather wound than kill, and
would be better satisfied to frignten
than to harm.
There was what you would call cool
fighting at Gettysburg, especially on
the last day, and yet when the mus
kets We're gathered up after Lees re-
treat over 1900 Of them had been
loaded two, three and even four times
without being once discharged. A
large number were loaded clear to the
muzzle. Many others contained only
tae cartridge first rammed home.
When Pickett's Virginians advanced
the musketry fire was so terrific that
it seemed as if the last man must go
down before the first stone wall was
reached. As afterwards shown, two
thirds CT this hailstorm Of lead was
fired too high or too low to do the
slightest damage From the battle
field of Malvern Hill the junk dealers
OF Richmond bought tons and tons of
bullets, ard eight cut of ten We're as
perfect as when mOideG. They IL /
been fred too high. On that same
battlefield stood half a hundred wal
nut tTeea, which We're cut down and
used after the war. Bullets by the
turdred were found imbedded in the
trunks from ten to forty feet above
the ground. An infantryman, unless
behind some sort of breastwork, will