Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1899-09-23
MEN HIT IN BATTLE.
Observations of Soldier Who Fought
in the Great Rebellion.

in the Great Rebellion.
eff you want to know how men die
in battle, ask some of those who nave
been at Wilson's Creek, on one side
or the other" said Judge David Muir
ply of the Criminal Court.
Il was in Totten's Bakery, and I
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 a
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 ! mimic belt 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 yelled again and his hand went up
to the fleshy part of his 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 it and
went again forward into the ranks
with his musket.
"'Your fighting in hard 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 framed a saucy,
defiant reply. Just then his jaw drop
ped. A ball ploughed it's way through
his mouth, leaving nothing but
bloody tongueless cavity. With a
hoarse gurgle the fellow threw his
gun on the ground and fed back of
the lines. He was found in a hospital
afterward, but never recovered.
con that same day I encountered
three men under a tree. Their faces
were ashy gray, showing that they
were mortally wounded 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
attend first to those who could be
saved. One of the men was smoking
a short brierwood pipe.
"'What are you doing my friend? I
asked.
"'Taking my last smoke he answer
ed, his CLASSY eyes looking steadily
at me. Another was reading a letter.
He held it up to his face, but l 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 it into his breast
pocket He was perfectly resigned to
his fate and had not a word to say.
When l 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 placidity of the features
I knew that they had met death with
out funking
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. Tkcse t t:2s:a IiitGs
were usually delirious, entirely out of
their minds. The faces of these were
distorted and gave every
evidence of the mental and physical
agony they unconsclously had endured.
"One thing struck me as peculiar.
Nearly all the regulars exhibited an
instant desire to examine their wounds
when they were hit, and the expression
of their faces Indicated in a moment
they were slightly or mortally
They seemed to know with
certainty. If the wound was
slight and in place where they could |
tie it up conveniently, they did so, and
then 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 they |
were brave as loins and seldom gave |
up unless seriously hurt"