Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1861-08-16
Panic g+ricken soidiers.

The question IS often asked, will troops that
have fed from a battle field in panic ever
get over the demoralizing effect We have in
reply only to say that panics are not uncommon
things in war, aud are not confined by any
means to new levies, such as composed our
army at Bull Run Napoleon I, with an
army composed Of his best veterans. suffered
from two panics, among the most disgraceiul
recorded in military annals, yet the same
troops few days afterwards achieved Brilliant
victories
In the month cf July, 1913, the italian ar
my under Charles Albeit was marching to-
ward Mantua for the purpose of bescigng
that important Fortress the Piednontesc
Secretary of War, General Bava commanded
the advance. eleven thousand strong. All
went we'll with the italian army, aud victory
seemed within its grasp. The enemy, under
the Austrian Mi.rshal Caletzky, was fortified
in Verona. AMI an Austrian Governor was
there. One ino moruing. (so Gen. Bava, re-
lates in his reFort to the Parliament at Turin
as the advance troops marched along, {. shot
was fred out of a solitary house, a mill seat :;
the tiraileur raised the cry OF '-rne AaStrians
The Austrians,' and precipitdtely rctrcated.-
The cry was repeated by a whole battalion
which at the same time wheeled about and
narched back at double quick time The
movement soon soon degencfated into wild
run. The fright communicated itself to the
other troops, and in a short time the whole
advance corps Of eleven thousand men were
dissolved into an,igDominious rout, and in
spite of their commanding general fed for
more than ten miles, until their course was
arrested by the approach of reinforcements.
Gen. Bava resumed his march the next, day
and it was ascertained that tie shot was purely
accidental on the part Of the people in the
mill. There were no -AustrianS within sever.
al miss.
The battle of Rosbach, which was fought
November 9th, 1T57, bears a strong resemb-
lance in many particulars to Bull Run. On
the occasion referred to Frederick the Great
with twenty-five thousand men attacked the
combined army of the French and Imperial
lists, fifty-four thousand strong, under COM
mand of the French Duke de Sonbse Two
French regiments fought for half hour and
then the whole army began to waver, and f.
naly the entire force broke abandoning arms
artillery. and camp eqnippage. The rout was
continued for more than four miles rom the
battle 6el3.
Pancs have even seized men in fortified
camps and cities. Alter the battle of jena
October, 1906 Nurat came with three caval-
ry regiments before the Fortress Steittin, and
asked an unconditional surrender. He had,
strange as it may seem, no infantry or artiIle-
~, still the PruSsians at the moment were so
panic stricken that they surrendered the
strong fortress to weak cavalry force
Renrbcrg, the commander, had six thousand
men, one hundred and fifty cannon and plenty
of provisions. Napoleon was so aston7shed
ut the result that he wrote Mufat iestingly,
that he Toald melt his guns as Rrussian
fortresses were best taken by cass.lry.''
Ii must be observed that these strange pan.
les, every one of them to X place among We
@terdn regular troops Te+e 9'ithout cause
They did not as at Ball Run, follow q severe
ly fought battle, where the enemy was rein
forced, but from the effect of pure haliucina-
tion Of the mind. Beside these mentioned in
stances of panic5 OUR disaster at Bull Run
properly takes its place as a repulse of q re-
connoissance in force. 1t was nothing more
and would never have assumed other impor-
tance If twenty-fou hours had elapsed before
any report had been made to the public. We
repeat that in every instance the panic strick
en- European soldiers subsequently fought with
superior valor; in the case Of our own troops
Bull Run will serve as a stimulous to new
dseds OF heroic actiUn.-NeIC York CONNER
ciai.