Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1862-04-05
HOW ONE FEELS cE GOING INTO
BATTLE.

The following animated sketch Of the
soldiers feelings, when about to engage the
enemy, is from correspondent of the Lou
isville Journal, who had been there:
People often wonder how one feels in
battle. This depends to considerable eX-
tent on the nature of the conflict, the kind
of troops engaged, the weapons employed,
und the duration of the battle. All men are
not affected alike; some are cool. deter
mined, and courageous; some lose all judg-
mcnt, and will single handed rush upon
hundreds; Others are entirely unnamed
tremble ike sspens-scem dead to every
emotion of honor or feeling of shame, and
will slink into coycrts or run from the field.
Lord Forth, in the Crimcan war, is nm in
stance. If skirmishcrs engage prior to a
general battle, and dcsultOry fight il kept
UP for while one becomes used to il, and,
as the battle warns, it frequently becomes
exciting, and men that tremhled nj the first
few shots, now rush on ike heroes.
remember well my feelings during the first
battle in which | WAS engaged. The night
before the battle, We received orders to pre-
pare to attack the enemy early on the
morrow All WAS now hustle. hurry and
anxiety. Guns cleaned, ammunition inspcc-
ted, straps adjusted, cantcrns filled, KNAPP
I sacks lightened letters written, dc. We
had several in our company who had always
boasted of their bravery and prowess-men
who had been spelling for fight" as they
said. These were now as still as mice-they
didn't peep. One of them, who had taken "a
masters degree in all kinds of profanity,
now borrowed Bible, sat down and read it
for some time, and intimated to his mess
,I. ,,rr in,
lay me, &c before going to sleep that
night 1t is not your clustering, proiane
brayado. that is the brave man ON the field
man.
confess felt uneasy--a feeling Of dread
and anxiety stole over me. Battle was
certain, the enemy WAS strongly posted, and
we had desperate work before u.s. WANTED
to 90 into the battle, yet l dreaded il like
death slept but little that night. The
morning came and our columns moved
quietly and stenly through Il wood. The
first intimation We had of the enemy was
the skirmishing between his out posts and
our vanguard, the former falling back as
the latter advanced. We passed out Of the
wood and rapidly deployed into line of
battle, gently sloping hill hiding the enemy
from our view. A part of our force had been
sent around to make flank and rear attack
on the enemy, and while so doing il was OF
the utmost importance that We should hold
his attention in front. We marched steadily
up the hill till the whole line of the enemy
burst upon our view; there We halted and
| for some minutes not gun was fired on
either side. There stood the two armies,
each waiting for the other to begin the work
of death. The faces of our men looked pale
and determined some of them stood like
statues--others were nervous and uneasy
1t was the time to test the courage of mer.
A line of cannon were bearing directly upon
us. Death to many Of us was certain. Who
will it bel thought l. A singular feeling
came over me confused image of mother
and sister appeared fitting and floating
before my imagination like dissolving
shadows, while the tremendous reality in
front oppressed me with dreadful forebo-
dings.
! A few moments passed, like those that
intervene between drawing the cap over III,
criminals face and letting fall the drop
when puff of smoke from one of the cannon
followed by crash, and bomb went
screaming over US. Our men dncked down
their heads like geese. Fire was now opened
on us along the enemy's entire line. Theil
fret shots were aimed too high. They