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[The following takes place during the American Civil War.]

What it was like to be in a battle with bullets whizzing all around comes across even more strongly in this next account by Private Oliver W. Norton of the Pennsylvania Volunteers. Amazingly, he survived the fierce all-day battle at Gaines’s Mill on June 27, 1862, which was also during the Virginia peninsula campaign. This account is from Norton’s book, Army Letters, 1861-1865 (1903).

[…]

I returned to the fight, and our boys were dropping on all sides of me. I was blazing away at the rascals not ten rods off when a ball struck my gun just above the lower band as I was capping it, and cut it in two. The ball flew in pieces and part went by my head to the right and three pieces struck just below my left collarbone. The deepest one was not over half an inch, and stopping to open my coat I pulled them out and snatched a gun from Ames in Company H as he fell dead.

Before I had fired this at all a ball clipped off a piece of the stock, and an instant after another struck the seam of my canteen and entered my left groin. I pulled it out, and, more maddened than ever, I rushed in again. A few minutes after, another ball took six inches off the muzzle of this gun.

I snatched another from a wounded man under a tree, and, as I was loading, kneeling by the side of the road, a ball cut my rammer in two as I was turning it over my head.

Another gun was easier got than a rammer so I threw that away and picked up a fourth one. Here in the road a buckshot struck me in the left eyebrow, making the third slight scratch I received in the action. It exceeded all I ever dreamed of, it was almost a miracle.

Source:

Stephens, John Richard. “Eyewitness Reports.” Weird History 101: Tales of Intrigue, Mayhem, and Outrageous Behavior. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2006. 18, 19. Print.

Further Reading:

Peninsula Campaign / Peninsular Campaign

Battle of Gaines’s Mill / First Battle of Cold Harbor / Battle of Chickahominy River

American Civil War
[**The following takes place during the American Civil War.**] >What it was like to be in a battle with bullets whizzing all around comes across even more strongly in this next account by Private Oliver W. Norton of the Pennsylvania Volunteers. Amazingly, he survived the fierce all-day battle at Gaines’s Mill on June 27, 1862, which was also during the Virginia peninsula campaign. This account is from Norton’s book, *Army Letters, 1861-1865* (1903). >>[…] >>I returned to the fight, and our boys were dropping on all sides of me. I was blazing away at the rascals not ten rods off when a ball struck my gun just above the lower band as I was capping it, and cut it in two. The ball flew in pieces and part went by my head to the right and three pieces struck just below my left collarbone. The deepest one was not over half an inch, and stopping to open my coat I pulled them out and snatched a gun from Ames in Company H as he fell dead. >>Before I had fired this at all a ball clipped off a piece of the stock, and an instant after another struck the seam of my canteen and entered my left groin. I pulled it out, and, more maddened than ever, I rushed in again. A few minutes after, another ball took six inches off the muzzle of this gun. >>I snatched another from a wounded man under a tree, and, as I was loading, kneeling by the side of the road, a ball cut my rammer in two as I was turning it over my head. >>Another gun was easier got than a rammer so I threw that away and picked up a fourth one. Here in the road a buckshot struck me in the left eyebrow, making the third slight scratch I received in the action. It exceeded all I ever dreamed of, it was almost a miracle. __________________________________ **Source:** Stephens, John Richard. “Eyewitness Reports.” *Weird History 101: Tales of Intrigue, Mayhem, and Outrageous Behavior*. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2006. 18, 19. Print. __________________________________ **Further Reading:** [Peninsula Campaign / Peninsular Campaign](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsula_Campaign) [Battle of Gaines’s Mill / First Battle of Cold Harbor / Battle of Chickahominy River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gaines%27s_Mill) [American Civil War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War)

2 comments

[–] PhunkyPlatypus 2 points (+2|-0)

Man that guy is either incredibly lucky or just the opposite.
[–] [Deleted] 1 points (+1|-0)

I don't think anybody was lucky in that war. But considering that this guy fought for the Union and they lost that battle (heavy casualties on both sides), he was fortunate to have survived.

This got me reading about that battle here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gaines%27s_Mill

I thought it was interesting how many more men from the Confederacy were wounded or killed, but they captured 28x more prisoners from the Union. Makes me wonder if the Confederates were just that much more willing to die for their cause or what other factors were at play.
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