Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1908-08-22
SOLDIERS IN BATTLE
How Men Feel and Act With
Death All About Them.
THE STORY OF A PRIVATE.
With the Beginning Of the Fight
Comes Fear. bot That Soon Passes
Away In the Easerness For Killing.
Varying Effects Of Wounds.

AWAY W kuu 6&SetHoss tVt FNHltUHs
Varying Effects Of Wounds.
A narrative of the battle OF Solferi-
no as told by veteran survivor to
Robert Shackleton appears In Har-
pers II Is. word for word. u chapter
Of history as seen by u man In the
ranks. Incidents which impressed him
are curious:
the ground cried out I am dying
Give me to drink Whereat my com
panion stopped TO offcr him Gask.
and as he stopped the Tyrolese struck
savagely ut him with his bayonet. but
my companion jumped back. and it
missed him. and he said. You Tyro-
lese. you said you wanted drink be
fore you died. and now you shall die
without the drink Aud he stuck his
bayonet through him as boy would
stick pin through Il fly.
The fighting soon began again. and
IL was very fierce lt'was soon that
we came 10 know that we were 10 cap
turc "a little village and the hills about
San Maritime. and there were walled
barns and gardens. and the Austrians
were very strong there.
The bursting OF the shells was very
bad. Sometimes all of US close by
would he thrown down and be Gov
cred with mud and earth. but most OF
Us would jump up again. not wounded,
but always there were some who
would not jump up again. because they
were wounded or dead.
AT the beginning Of II battle II sol
der feels afraid At the beginning of
this battle I felt afraid. and | know
that other men felt afraid. though II
was not our first battle. and we knew
what IL was To he under fire.
$50 II was that at the beginning
We commended ourselves: we felt like
death. but soon that passed away. and
We thought no more 81 death. but only
OF the killing Of the Austrians
IAN around me men were killed.
There were heads and arms blown Off
and men few into pieces like the
smashing Of jug But We did not
care. We thought nothing OF II. |
do not know that We even knew we
saw such things. but some of them
come 10 me as ! sit with you and talk
OF that long day. We did not notice,
and we did not think that NJ any mo
ment we too might have our heads
blown OF ar he smashed into little
pieces like the breaking of a jug
once. when We rushed over the big
guns and killed the men who still
| fought with us we turned the guns
| 10 fire OF the Austrans as they flew
away. but they had driven bits OF steel
Into the touchholes. and SO we could
lot fire them. They were OF II cour.
age, those Austrians
Only once In all that battle did |
think much of what saw or heard.
and that was when there was the
terrible screaming OF Il captain who
had his foot shot of. He twisted and
turned as h. cried out. and II Was Il
very bad sound But 1t Is just as II
chances. ! saw many men who were
hurst worse than that captail aud
many who were blown lato H,le bits.
but did not trouble about them. II
Is just II II chances So
1T is very often that II man does
not know that he Is hurt. remember
that once there was man near me
! with great hole In his forehead. but
he ran right on with us with his la!
onet. aud thought. He will fall dead.
But after TINT saw him no more. for
there was ways the lighting
The storm and the blnckness. they
made Of MS n great mixing Yes; II
was very great tangling. for all lines
were lost. and know that sometimes
Ausirians struck at Austrians aud
sometimes Italians struck at Italians.
and very fierce IN the blackness ~ thar
storm.
I'VE were told To lie down and sleep
So we lay down where We were. amon.
the dead and the wounded among the
Italians ana the Auslrians
And we slept Yes. We were tired
for we had fought hard for all thai
long. long day. aud ON thar hin that ri
last We had gained We slept. aud ",
gave no heed to the dead men ar th,
wounded
THE wounded they made very great
cries. aud there were uicn scut to ~
among them with lights Some were
surgeons. and some were men 10 carry
them to the field hospitals. But the
most of Us We lay there and slept aud
we were very tired. and we knew that
with the morning there might be an.
other hght"