Tell her I died with my face to the foe

SWMODave

Sergeant Major
Thread Medic
Joined
Jul 23, 2017
Location
Southwest Missouri
A single shot, followed by a loud shriek, told us that one of my best men, Bradley, was wounded. He proclaimed his agony with a loud voice, turned over on his back, and commenced kicking so vigorously that the surgeon had difficulty in getting within reach of him.

"Poor fellow!" said the doctor, as he saw a whitefish liquid oozing out, "Shot in the bladder; I'm afraid it's fatal," and he commenced opening his coat.

"O, my God!" said Bradley, "I'm a dead man; I'll never get over it."

"Keep up your spirits, my boy; never say die," said Captain Johnson, bending kindly over him.

"Doctor," asked the wounded soldier, feebly, " will you write to my mother, and tell her that I died bravely doing my duty, with my face to the foe, and that I thought of her when I was dying?"

"Yes, yes," said the doctor, with dim eyes and husky voice ; "I will write to her, and tell her, too," but suddenly springing to his feet with an indignant and angry voice, added : "Why, confound it, man, you are not hurt a bit ; it's only your canteen that's shot., and that's the water from it; get up, will you?"

Bradley rose up slowly, felt himself all over, and, with an exceedingly foolish countenance, crawled back to his position, amid the uproarious laughter of the whole regiment. For some months after that, on the march or in camp, and sometimes in the stillness of the night, you would hear a voice in one direction demanding, "What shall I tell your mother?" and perhaps half a dozen responses would be heard, "Tell her I died with my face to the foe," and " Canteen" Bradley would come out and angrily hunt for the man who said it.

He seldom found him, but when he did there was certain to be a fight.

Rifle Shots and Bugle Notes
 
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