Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1910-02-18
The Mule In the War.


Down in North Carolina, writes
Capt. Henry A. Castle, of st. Paul, IN
the National Tribune, a squad OF Sher-
mans "bummers," mounted on mules
and straying miles in advance of the
column, accidentally stumbled on
brigade snugly encamped, into whose
ragged, decollete bosoms and d1scOuf-
aged souls the clangor and bray OF the
onset smote such terror that they
swiftly pulsated out of sight, leaving
the inyincible mules and their aston
ished riders in unlitigated possession
Gen. Grants Memoirs tells us that
similar event occurred in Lookout val
ley in 1868. Otherwise, this splendid
achievement is unprecedented, perhaps,
since Gideon attacked the MidianiteS,
lying along the valley like grasshop-
pers for multitude" leading a battal-
ion of 400 Hebrews, with trumpet
in every mans hand, with empty pitch
ers and lamps within the pitchers.
In the innumerable miscellaneous
episodes of military sphere, the mule
was marked high as to department.
To the hospital and the guard-house
those Siamese bugbears Of honorable
service, he was a stranger. NO Venldi
dereliction subjected him to stoppage
of pay or reduction to the ranks, even
when the fodder that he longed for
never came The proneness of his
voice apparatus to go off at half-cock
untitled him for the crooked work or
strategy; he could never be relied on
either to lie in wait or to steal on
the enemy A geological riddle, off
spring of amalgam and miscegen, as
undesirable as a combination frees
cape and corn-sheller, he had, never
theless, too much beastly selfrespeet
to ever Incur censure for getting hui
manly drunk Patient in toll, silent in
suffering, serene amid confusion and
alarm, he was in no sense grumbler,
and in no objectionable sense a kick
err"
If to his straight enduring back a
mountain howitZer was sometimes
strapped, and fired without unslinginG,
he accepted the indignity, went to
grass with the recoil, and rose unruf-
fed as a Doodle alderman ticketed for
Montreal Oh! dimless, unknowable
mule!
Dodging Bullets I'm Battle.
The physical effect produced upon
different men in the presence of dan
ger forms an interesting study, but in
many cases the outward signs AS ind1-
Gated by the actions Of the individual
in no wise measure the degree Of cOur
age or his fear. The practice, for in
stance, of lodging shots, 'jack-knif1ng'
under fire, proceeds from a nervous
ness which Is often purely physical,
and has but little more significance
as a test of courage than Winking
when something is thrown in our face.
The act is entirely Involuntary. A
general officer, who was killed at the
the most gallant soldiers that ever
drew a blade. Everybody had predict
ed his early death from the constant,
and unnecessary exposure to which he
subjected himself When under fire
the agile lodging he performed was
a whole gymnastic exercise in itself.
His head would bob from side to side,
and occasionally bob down to his
horses neck, with all the vigor Of a
signal flag in waving messages. These
actions were entirely beyond his CON
troll. and were no indications whatever
of fear Dodging to some extent under
a heavy infantry fire is very common.
/ can recall only two persons WHO,
throughout a rafting musketry ,5firel
always sat in their saddles without
moving a muscle or even winking an
eye; one was a bugler in the regular
cavalry, and the other was General
Grant.