[4V50 Gary]

Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.

The following account is from an officer of the 95th Rifle Regiment.

The occurences of this life are certainly very, very changeable and uncertain; for instance - a rifleman of ours was married the other day, and the regimental band played the new couple to and from chruch. the day following, we went out to fire ball at the target, when this same rifleman was shot through the breast bya ccident, and died immeidately on the grond: strange to tell, the band that played before him to church when married, now played the Dead March in Saul, to the same place, for him to be buried, within the short space of fifty-eight hours.

Our regiment was at exercise, firing ball at the target. I took a loaded rifle from one of the men, to try the range, and with the intetnion of explaining to the men also the new mode of firing recommended to riflemen, the piece went off in my hand, by accident, while holding it by my side, and instead of its killing me, which might have been the case, the ball passed through the body of a fine young man, who was placed to marke the target, about the distance of 150 yards from me. I heard him cry out, and saw him fall instantly, never to rise again in this world!

Words cannot, express my unutterable anguish on reaching the spot, God forgive me when I say, I envied the poor dying soldier's situation at the moment. O! ineed, could it have saved the life of the unfortunate victim, freely would I have given my own. A short time before this melancholy catrastrophe, I was rejoicing at the near prospect of joining the British Army in Spain - I am now inconsolable! How very defective is our foresight, in this world of trouble and sorrow! How has my ambition been laid prostrate!