Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1861-10-11

How THE UNINITMTED FEEL UNDER IRE.
"A newspaper writer at the Bnll Run fight
speaks Of his feelings and impressions Ia
battle.
1t was always fashionable to give first im-
pressi0ns. Shall give nine2 | shall as
sumo an Affirmative, without afiOrdinE time
for a rebuff First, was dispelied lifelong
illusion, that battles were Ike the orderly
moves of ch,s-. Campaigns may be lik5ned .a-
| have heard them, u the tlauuulatl1Ls %
that game; but battles are made Up o' So
RES OF experiments, more or less lrJtract@d
according to the ingenuity Oh the commander
and the experiences Of hIs officers al - sa.
The results OF faro bank can be calculated
with as much accuracy rs the results 0t
| battle field. 1t is the yeriest ance--.he
victory, as in all games, Of course, luclining
10 those who ale most cJ<l, and therefore che
most likely to perceive advantages
Second, [ have ov, rated the dangers f
battles. Here for five hours we have tx
changed cannon balls, and MIME bullets,
and bIyOuot thrusts, and sabre strokes, and
/ literally there is " nobody hurt the loss
/ IN killed and wounded on our Side being bar
( about one in two hundred Of those engaged.
/ These are myimPre,siJns. Are they not the
c uuterpart of all first experiences On the bat
/ c field 4 friend asks me the feeling ola n
| co .tant under fire. Were you ever caught
/ in the open fields when heavy thunder storm
was raging? Ii you have, and had no spe-
/ ciIl fear, you have, nevertheless, entertained
/ an opinion that possibly Lightning might
/ strike where you were standing.
/ For three quarters of an hour that | was
/ under iire,-aud there was almost a contIn-
/ uous thunder OF SIX pounders-I could real
/ lie no special danger, but only ill-deincd
/ thought that possibly some Of those flying
missiles might come over where | stood in
/ the way. On comparing views with Others
situated ike myself, encJuntering the same
opportunities, and with similar purposes
/ tud they had the same sensation, 50 that
may fairly assume that the mass of men I'M
/ der fire have little or no thought for personal
/ consequences, and that cowardice Is not a
normal character Istic Of the human mind
The Phii4delFhla Ngr.I Amerir4e says
We Yesterday stumbled upon 4 }Jl1n,cer
+ on furloush, who fist sme!t powder az E7l'
Run. nuIin; an hours chat with hiu. ae
gave ms d very good general idea OF the way
/ eoemys gun Our friend dilu I claim % be
especially courageous Ho placed due value
. uvou She integrity of tho American slsl
+ Iu. enlisted mainly because he had No other
/ empl vment al the time lie did camp duty
faithfully, ana endured the hardship OF long
/ marches without any special CTumulu,.
, iuat be dreaded - confront the enemy ne
freely admits While willing at any time %
- B.. q e. o.
+ fable proyscltiou, he di-hkcd tie idea % tie
/ sudden sensation impaired uy -ly-uet
/ thrust In the abdomen, while second only G.
this was ms horror of being cut down w.,h d
rila bail ike an uususrectfug squirrel.
When his regiment was drawn up IN line,
he admits his teeth chartered and his knee
pans ratified like pot closet in a hurricane.
/ Many Of his comrades were similarly affected.
and some ct t.em would have lain down had
thew darci ID d. 50. W hen the first v0i.ey
had been InttrchauscI, our friend informs Us
every tIaco OF thas. feeling passed away from
mm s reaction took place, ana hc 2-cIme
alm b. savage irJm excitement. BIS Wills
e-.cl all about him, 2ut d cannon shot cut 10
half q companion at hi, SIDE. Another was
>trucs by som explosive that splttared the
brains over the clothes of our tJrm ant bur
- far from Inum dltinE, al these tatfE~
ulr;ci mp MS resolution. The fitlc.t.
Q4akia- CIVILIAN in halt an hour b.-.m 81
veteran. His record shJ g. dat be lty.1---I
of us rebel enemies and discharged r.u4-,
ofhis piece with as decisive ao aim as though
be had selected a turkey Tor his marx. C.p.d
the eutlre line 4 an amy come az tja same
tune into collision, lie says there v0 III BE DO
running except alter hopeless defeat.
The men who played the runaway at Boil
Run were men who had 1,t participated IN
the action 70 any extent, and who became
pauic--triCkcn where, a.. Juce smelling powder
IN the manner above j scribed, they would
nave been abug-lrtlv victorious. In the
roar Of musbeuy ouI the laundering dis
charge Of artillery, there Is a music that
baulshes even innate c0warlIcc. The sight
of men struggling together, the clash Of
sIbres, the tramp OF cavalry, the gore stained
grass of tho battlefield, and the coming
charge of the enemy dim.y visible through
the battle -nokc-all these, says our inform
ant, dispel every particle Of fear, and the
vcrie,t ward in the ranks, perhaps becomes
the most tiger-lke. At the battle OF Bull
Run the chaplain G, one Of the regiments, a
man of small stature and delicate frame, per
s0nally cut down two six feet grenadiers in
single combat. II these things are SO, and
we incline to think they are-the best cure
for c0wardlce IS to crowd Il man into a fight
and there keep him The fugitivcs from
Bull Run were men who imbIbed panic be-
fore it could have reached them.
Srrgv.N.- Mann CTTS.~ Of the prtt,.,r.t