HOW IT FEELS TO BE SHOT WITH A SHRAPNEL BULLET. 



MASON MITCHELL. 



Editor Recreation: I don't suppose the 

 effect of a wound on any 2 men is alike. 

 The modern small calibre bullet, with full 

 nickel jacket, is a merciful bullet and its ef- 

 fect on human beings is very much the same 

 as on big game. In many instances in the 

 late war men received flesh wounds from 

 Mauser bullets and kept un marching or 

 fighting, feeling little inconvenience or pain 

 for some hours afterward. When this small 

 bullet strikes a bone it often drills a neat, 

 clean, little hole that produces slight shock 

 to the nervous system. As long_ as the 

 Mauser bullet is not stripped of its steel 

 jacket, or is not split at the point, it is about 

 the best missile a man can be hit with. 



As for shrapnel, that is entirely different. 

 This is a round, leaden ball, usually about Y\ 

 of an inch in diameter, and I understand the 

 shells the Spanish used against us contained 

 about 100 shrapnel each. When the shell 

 is fired from the gun a time fuse in its point 

 is lighted. This burns down until it reaches 

 a hole in the shell and ignites the powder in 

 the shell; this and the shrapnel being mixed 

 in the same chamber. The length of the fuse 

 is regulated to explode the shell at any dis- 

 tance from the mouth of the cannon that is 

 desired. 



I can imagine no greater strain on a 

 man's nerves than to be subjected to a heavy 

 fire of these missiles without being able to 

 return it. The worst of it is, you can see 

 them coming, as they leave a white trail of 

 smoke in the air, and their hissing sound 

 can be heard long before they reach you. If 

 they burst directly over your head no dam- 

 age is likely to be done; but if they burst 100 

 or so feet before reaching you, they simply 

 tear up everything in your neighborhood. 



It was to such a fire as this that we, the 

 Rough Riders, were exposed on the morn- 

 ing of July 1st, at San Juan. At first we lay 

 flat on the ground, but were ordered to arise 

 and march down a trail to the left. I started 

 down the side of the hill, bending over as 

 much as possible, when a shell exploded 

 about 15 feet above us. The Sergeant of my 

 squad received a shrapnel which shattered 

 his arm. Another man was hit in the leg, a 

 third in the side, and I got one in my back, 

 under my right shoulder blade. 



I plunged forward on my face, rolled over 

 twice, and came up against Sergeant Sweet, 

 who was lying flat on the ground to escape 

 the fire. I did not lose consciousness, al- 

 though the pain was intense, and it seemed 

 to me my back must be torn wide open. It 

 was some time before I could get my breath 

 and during that time, which seemed an age, 

 I firmly believed my end had come. 



When at last I was able to get to my feet, 

 I found I was alone. The troop had moved 

 down the trail and halted about 200 yards 

 to the left. I managed to get to them and 

 found them lying on the ground to escape 

 the heavy fire to which we were still ex- 

 posed. I reported to my captain that I was 

 hit, when my comrades laid me on the 

 ground, cut my shirt open and 2 of the boys 

 wet their handkerchiefs from their canteens, 

 and tied them over my back to stop the 

 blood, which was flowing profusely. 



MASON MITCHELL, WHO WAS WOUNDED AT 

 SAN JUAN HILL. 



I don't remember much after this for a 

 time, for I was getting faint. It was not un- 

 til the next day, over 30 hours from the time 

 I was hit, that I was carried to the hospital. 

 There the shrapnel ball was cut out from 

 my breast. 



It had struck a rib under my shoulder 

 blade, glanced and followed the rib clear 

 around to its intersection with the breast 

 bone in front, lacerating the flesh badly and 

 making a most painful and dangerous 

 wound. 



You will understand that on account of the 

 bullets and powder being simply mixed to- 

 gether in the cavity of the shell the former 

 are not given any high velocity or penetrat- 

 ing power when the shell explodes. This 



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