Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1862-11-21
VOLUME 80, NO. |.
Bayonet Charges.

A recent article in the Portland Tran.
script. thus speak. Of bayon't charges. We
have abridged it slightly. 10 suit our ool.
umns:
To read the graphic descriptions IN the
daily pres, Of 6sreo charges and sanguinary
encounter, with this deadly WEAPON. ono
would suppose that these were among the
most common occurrences OF The war,
wberca. a, i. q stubborn fact that not Gin.
Gle instance can DO found 10 the whole bis
tory Of IL where opposing iorce.. OF ahv
considerable number. have stood for mo-
ment in close quarters with ihl, terrible In
.trument Of death. This may seem bold
statement, but it 10 one which We think can
be .ub.tan,iated. On the bloody fsld OF
Fair Oaks. where sickle'' Brigade di'pers-
ell twice their number in . charge, saw
perhap, two thousand dead. among these
there were bu, three that ! noticed pierced
by bayonets since then ! have participated
in two charges, the last that OF iioosers
Division, q, Manassas, August -, 1869.
one Of the mos, saneuinary OF the var, ous
our line wa. at no time nearer than ten pa
ec. to ,ha, OF the enemy. and the only ,~o
instance, in which ] saw the bayonei used,
was tha, OF two rebel. Who bad got beyond
the line, and refused to surrender. | have
bceu informed by those who were IN 'hs
grand charge Of Ilaneoek's Brigade at vii.
liam.bursh. that they did no, see one man
Injured by the bayoucs. Tho Old Guard at
Waterloo, IL will be remsmbereti was led
against the French by Wellington him'elf.
yet the mex, morning bu, Eve bodies could
be found on tie entire 6ed pierced by bayo.
ne, thru,,s' And yet an English historian
rray,,y relates, a. an in.,an-s Of John
Bulls provs.., tha, gigantic member OF
the Guard was surrounded and killed, alter
having bayone,ed five OF hi. enemies. Theso
facts, however well substantia,ed, do pot
ietrae, in che least from the value OF tho
weapon in question as an instrument OF as
sault, but they create sad havoc Hi'h the
flowers Of rhetoric. and tho glowing Ian
euaes which "Our own corc'pondenss
make - ireQuen, and ialsOme u. OF. aud
which. while they delight the low and vile.
create the creates, anxiety IN the breasts OF
those whose relatives are IN peril. bot The
reader may K. II the bayone, $50 eel.
dom used, in what manner does u 90 often
decide the tate Of battles and OF nations "
To which We answer. in its moral effect lies
the secret Of Its efficiency. The attacking
party always have tho advantage. as 1t IL
reasonable 20 suppose that they know the
number AMI strength Of those whom they
assault. The ycli-, the iniuriaiod faces.
the approach on the " double quick al
give such an exaggerated idea Of the force.
that the assaulted usually discharge their
pieces At .hor, range and AZ. Even should
they make bold stand. the chances are
greatly in favor Of the a;tacsin: party com.
in. to hal, and di.pu,ins the ground with
powder and ball thus the biyonet, though
seldom drawing blood, performs an impor-
tant par, in every engagement.
H. amusing to tho soldier 10 sec what
precise mathematical line, newspaper art
lets mako in their picture. Of eharse', as II
1, were po..isl, for exhausted men to ad'
vance in regular order over hsld'. dI':he',
and through woods. IL is no, possible A
charge 4. much like the rush Of an infariA.
ted mob through the streets Of city. ,ho''
with the bc-, pluck AMI lonce', legs lead.
ing Oa. Il i, particularly difficult in Vir.
cinia, where there is % much woodland.
to maintain a good organization after being
once engaged"