Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-09-15
SOLDIER WRITES Of
FEELINGS IN BATTLE
Boys JOked as Bullets Whis'
tied, but Stopped This as
Comrades Began to Fall

London, Sept. 7.-(By mail to New
York. )-One of the most vivid stories
of actual fighting on the continent has
reached here in a letter from wound.
ed Frencn soldier to a friend in London.
81 am in the field hospital, ~ wrote
the wounded man, "with nice little
hole in my left shoulder. 1t feels as
if someone had touched my shoulder
with a lighted cigar"
Of the fighting the writer said:
81 For some time the rattling of vol
leys has been audible. Then at dis
tance a heavy detonatiOn is heard. Ar.
rived at the crest of hill we drop our.
selves and right in front of us, on an
opposite hill, is the enemy, engaged in
a fight with division of the allies
troops.
" / can distinctly see the German ar.
tillerymen moving about their guns.
see a flash and the report is re. echoed
from the surrounding hills. 1t is strange
but, IN the face of death, | catcn my.
self trying to make out where the shell
has fallen, as if | am an interested
spectator at rifle competition.
% | am not the only one. | see many
curious faces around me, faces with
expressions just as if their owners
formed the audience at highly enter.
tanning theatrical performance, without
having anything to do with the play
itself.
" In the midst of the fiercest fight.
ing later | heard iOcular remarks and
funny expressions used around me
which proved the speakers thoughts
were far from the terrible happenings
about them.
1T is not heartlessneSs or ANYTHING
like that. ! don t know what it is.
We fired volley after volley at the
enemy. The German shells and bullets
passed over our heads, Tae Germans
may he and in fact are our superiors
at execution parade steps but they are
internally poor shots
lnStinctively we stopped as the bul.
lets passed, though when one hears
bullet it has passed already.
1t is queer sensation the first
time you hear hail of bullets. 1t is
like a fever, but this soon passes.
1.-The earth was shaken by the in
cessant cannonade and tne air was torn
by the rifle fire A comrade on nv
right stumbled, dropped forward with.
out a word, and lay dead, killed by a
bullet in the breast. A man in front
OF me threw his arms up, fell, struggled
to his feet and fell again.
. A shell exploded near us and there
was terrible cry. Five Of us were
lying in little square. One man had
both legs blown away and was still
alive, conscious, and begging us to kill
him.
" An officer opened his mouth to give
a command and at the same moment
got a bullet in the mouth. He turned
around twice and fell heavily close bv
me.
a good distance behind MS Red
Cross soldiers and friars were stooping
over the wounded A shell exploded
and only two of the Red Cross men
were left.
In the meantime more German
troops had been advancing. They had
uttered heavy iosSes, but on our side
the casualties had been never numerous
ana our position seemed to be very
critical. We began to retreat. Our
men showed remarkable self control
Notwithstanding the terrible scenes
now FELT perfectly calm.
,.,,Ihe Ihe retreat was carried out splen.
had Just reached the crest of
mll when | felt a slight shock in NV
lett shoulder nothing else. | did mot
"eS' II, out Some moments later | fen
turning pam, ! saw that was
wounded. The weight of my arm seem.
ed to increase.
some time afterward | found my.
sen neatly installed in a field hos
pital,