The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-04-04

tuy duu COuIdSC W uO Oui WuOiS
duty, ito face the music" as we
used to say.
Aye,.yes; it is one thing to re
gard ind fferently and to speak flip
PANTY of the terrors OF war in time
Of peace, but quite another to 20
ones whole duty bravely when you
see cannon and musketry manning
for life or tearing the very vitals
out of comrades near at hand, as
we certainly did very soon after
reaching the frou. at Bermuda.
Here, as if to augment Our trou
BILE and lessen Cur fun. you remem.
be: the chills and fever many of us
got from drinking surface water.
milk white from Virginia clay and
decayed vegetation. We had to get
water as best we could before we
found spring in ravne some
what exposing us to rebel sharp
shooters.
Among other troubles there we
got the old-fashioned shakes that
shook us punc.ually every other
day for quite awhile. We shook in
spite Of quinine and blue mass. l
was one of number shaking, and
there was nothing funny about
those shakes. Quinine, blue mass
and jallap were the kill or cure
remedies given for everything that
allied you. What constituted dose
was about all the young drug clerks,
hospital stewards and 50 called sur
geons had to know. If they didn't
know the proper dose they guessed
at it and either killed or cured the
suffering soldier. No doubt for
want Of knowledge and experience
they often killed him.
Another occasion giving us much
trouble with the fun left out was
when we we were ordered to mount
the b-eastworks at Bermuda Hun
dred and face rebel cannons just a
dead sure shot across the meadow,
you remember. We knew of course
that we were simply targets for reb-
el cannoneers to shoot at, and this
they did very promptly. For the
time being this plain exposure (only
calculated to make a feint and at
tract the rebels fighting OIL our
right) created a peck of trouble for
us which was TOO serious to be fun.
ny. But it was command and of
course we obeyed it. Aud I'll bet
that Shaffer for the moment forgot
the girls he left behind him. Con-
sidering that our muskets were no
good rs against their cannon, I felt
that it would be better for us to
charge at once, rather than stand
there like ten-pins in bowling al
ley only to be knocked down and
out while unable to shoot back to
any advantage whatever.
When The rebels cut loose on us
Gas they did very promptly you
remember we were ordered to dis
mount and take shelter behind the
breast-works. This alone saved us
from utter destruction during the
artillery duel thus started. l need
not say we promptly obeyed the or
der to take shelter" If any dis
obeyed it'll failed to see them on
the breast-works three seconds after
the rebels commenced to play bali.
Of course those poor fellows in di
rect iange caught the balls on the
fly aud were torn to pieces without
stopping the balls which passed
through them and also through Our
lines in the rear in some cases.
These balls were too hot to be sue
cessfully caught on the fly; nor
could they be disposed of as our
worthy Lieutenant Karns a.tually
disposed of burning she'll thrown
among the boys who were in
the captured fort at Petersburg.
Through his remarkable presence
OF mind he bravely tossed over the
parapet of the fort a shell which
was about to explode and which
did explode in an instant after
leaving his hands. This is a fact
we'll worthy historical mention, and
also worthy medal of honor by
special act of Congress. If medals
are issued to Others for heroic ac-
tion Company f should see to it
that honor is given to whom all
honor belongs for meritcrious con-
duct i'll battle. Who can tell how
many lives that heroic act saved.
Comrade Bittenbender was close
enough to see the danger.
There was more trouble than fun
for those OF us who escaped alive
from the breastworks at Bermuda,
and also from the captured fort re,
ferred to. When a piece of shell