The shell tore a hole in the ground, about ten feet from our line, immediately in front of our company, sufficiently deep to bury a team of mules. Several of the boys said, "No two shots, ever strike the same spot," as they jumped into the cavity, considering it a safe place. Scarcely had they entered it however, until another shot from the same gun, came rico-cheting in the track of the former, struck the ground and tore its way right through under them. The shell did not explode, fortunately, and no one was hurt, but such a "scrabbling out" of that hole, and scratching of dirt out of eyes and ears, was rediculously amusing.
TWO FRIENDS PART FOREVER.
was amusing to listen to Bill Mumper express himself under the excitement of Battle, when somehow, though brave as a lion, he lost control of himself.
At North Anna river, after we had crossed at Jericho fording, we lay in an open field, and the artillery were throwing shot and shell, to and fro, over our heads. One of the shells exploded prematurely right above us, and a portion coming straight down, struck Mumper's tin-cup buckled to his haversack, which was slung over his shoulder, smashing it into a shapeless mass. Bill got mad, and in his anger uttered words, something like these, "Make out a requisition for a new tin-cup, quick; d——d if that was'nt the last tin in the brigade;" then taking the relic in his hand, he soliloquized as follows.
"Good bye! old tin-cup, Good bye! You've been a faithful friend to me, ... I have'nt time to shed any tears just now, but I'll miss you like ——, and I'll often think of—" Just then a shell exploded right in our midst, and springing to his feet, as the order, attention! was given, he exclaimed finally, "H—— they won't let me alone in my sorrow!"
AN AWFUL DEATH.
At Charles' City cross roads, when lying down under the heavy cannonry, a solid shot struck a tree, twenty feet from the ground, cutting it off clean from the main trunk. It then dropped to the ground in an upright position, and in doing so, struck the prostrate form of a soldier, lying at the root of the tree, crushing him into the ground. The tree as it impaled the luckless soldier, rose thirty feet into the air, and stood upright by the parent stock.