The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-22

Observations of a Soldier Who Fought in
the Great Rebellion.

Observations 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 at Wilson's Creek, on one side or
the other" said Judge David Murphy
of the criminal court.
II was in Totten's battery, and I saw
them. wounded and dying. falling thick
and fast around me. You may say that
/ saw not n man funk in the face of
death on that terrible day of fight and
bloodshed. While / was firing my gun
from Bloody Hill a ~youngster, not more
than 20 ears old, suddenly jerked his
leg. He uttered a sharp, quick cry, then
e down and tore the trousers away
from the place on his shin where a
Mimic ball mad struck him. He looked
up with a smile. patted the wound with
his hand, pulled the torn trousers down.
n went on shooting. Five minutes
later he yelled again and his hand went
up to the fieshy part of his arm. Hit
again. he said. sat down behind the
battle nj and examined his arm.
The wound was only skin deep, and
that seemed to please him hugely. for
he tied his handkerchief around it and
went again forward into the ranks with
his musket.
You're fighting in bad luck to-day.
Pete said a comrade. The youngster
turned his face to answer back. and by
the swapping of his eyes it could be seen
that his mind had framed a saucy.. de-
fiant reply. Just then his Jaw dropped
A ball ploughed its way through his
mouth, leaving nothing but a bloody.
~tongueless cavity With a hoarse CUR
gle the fellow threw his gun on the
ground and fled back of the lines. He
was found in a hospital afterward, but
never recovered.
"On that same day I encountered
three men under a rec. Their faces
were ashy gray, showing hat they were
mortally und / asked them why
they were not attended to. and one of
them said that it was all over with
them; they wanted the surgeons to at
tend first to those who could be saved,
One of the men was smoking a short
brierwood pipe.
What are you doing, my friend?' 1
asked.
Taking my last smoke he an
swered, his CLASSY eyes looking steadily
at me. Another was reading a letter.
He held it up to his face, but / could
see that he was not making any head
way. 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 ldle anu, Hdu not a WORD TO saw
When 1 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 lay. BY
the ~placidity of the features I knew
that they had met death without funk
ing.
That's all bosh about men raying
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
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
unconsciously 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 a momen
they were slightly or mortally
wounded. They seemed to know with
certainty. If the wound was
slight and in a place where they could
tie 1t up conveniently, they did so. ard
hen went back to the fighting lines
If it was mortal, their grave. pale faces
betrayed their knowledge. The volun-
teers were not so well posted, but thew
were brave as lions and seldom gave
Up unless seriously hurst. Louis
Republic.