Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-04-02
Fata1ism in the Army.

49, -@~~-
Fata1ism I'm the Army.
Soldiers and sailors are proverbially
superstitious, and a writer in the At
lantic, treating of 1.-The Courage Of a
Soldier" declares that 1.-The soldier de-
rives great comfort from his cheerful
fatalism.' He recalls a beautiful Sep
TENDER day, which was devoted to one
of the fiercest battles ever known. The
color-guard of a conspicuous regiment
had been repeatedly shot down and re-
placed until sixteen men had fallen
most of them mortally hurt At this
juncture a captain Of gigantic stature,
the largest among ten thousand men,
seized the colors, and continued to
wave them defiantly until the position
was carried.
He escaped untouched, even to his
uniform, while away in the rear rank,
in the least exposed position on the
line, a little Irish fish peddler, known
| as Mickey the fish, received two ser1-
Gus wounds. Mickey was q dwarf,
whose enlistment had been regarded as
capital joke, and whose immunity was
taken for granted.
Somewhat puzzled by the elation
shown by the comrades of giant and
dwarf l. inquired concerning their
| blithe confidence, and found that they
regarded the double event as clear
proof that all casualties We're foreor-
| oCc11ro6 that ont
of this tranquilizing belief grew great
| peace in many hearts, which served
! them we'll when the storm Of battle
| shut out all ordinary means of refuge.
In illustration of a more serious kind
of fatalism / will relate the following !:
We were at Smokers Gap. Inc
| Eighth corps, under the White Wolf,
as the Indians loved to call Gen. Crook,
| had crossed the Shenandoah at Island
Ford, The sun went down in sea or
| delicious crimson, and even the most
cautious were so Influenced by the met
| aphor of peace suggested by the heaV-
| emily stiffness that they began to regard
as needless the precautions taken by
our chief. the White Wolf.
| Fires were lirhted on the river bank
coffee, the soldiers elixir of life, was
prepared and drunk. The twilight
| crept slowly on, and was deepening into
the cleaning. when a staff officer rode
| down from an old farm house In front
of us with a report that Gen. Gallatln
| Jenkins was advancing upon us with
heavy force.
A few minutes later there was scat
tering fire as of pickets, and mounted
officer was ordered to call in our sklrm-
ish line. Just before mounting, the
Young fellow detailed turned to me and
said:
81 feel strangely to-day. I wish you
do this for me. / cannot explain my
reluctance; but none who know me Will
think me afraid"
His face was ashy white; his lips
looked dry I saw that he was ILL.,
Mounting his horse, l rode rapidly TO
tho skirmish line and gave the order to
fall back.
On nv return I found this young
officer seated at the foot of tree, prop
ned ND against it. His eyes were liked
on the sky above him. and between his
parted lips was bubble of crimson
| foam. A bullet had passed through his
chest. and he had but a few minutes to
| live.
What premonition had possessed him,
from what mistaken motive ne had
chosen this place Of safety, which
proved so treacherous, will never be
| known. He was killed by sharpshoot-
or, from such a distance that his death
| MIGHT he considered accidental.