Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1884-06-14
AN ARMY PANIC.
HOW sOME WE'RE OCCAslONED IN
THE LATE WAX.
A Slight OiaaTranGement Of Affairs May
Cause q serious One.

The panic which seized upon q por-
ton Of the Federal army at First Bull
Run, says NJ. Quad, in the Detroit Free
Press, and resulted in demora]izing the
whole was. repeated many times after
ward in both armies. Place a regi-
ment in ever go favorable o fighting
position, and give it the best officers in
the service, and one thing more is
needed. Unless men are driven to des-
peration they will not fight their best
until possible disaster is provided for by
an avenue Of escape to the rear. Troops
can he quickly and steadily half-faced to
meet o flank attack, but if it continues
long q panic is almost certain to be the
result. The soldier fears his retreat will
be cut of. Even if he has no thoughts
Of retreat, this feeling forces itself upon
him and demoralizes the bravest troops.
The slightest cause hos led to gravest
results in battles. Let q battery change
position with a rush, running through a
brigade, and those men must be handled
firmly TO prevent o falling back. Gals
sons in search of ammunition have
stampeded regiments time and again.
Let one regiment fall back hastily to Sc
cure q new position, and it is a cool line
Of veterans indeed which will open to
to let the men pass and her close up
firmly after them. It is not the fear of
being killed that unnerves q man fight
ing in the ranks. Men who have fired
seventy-five rounds at close range have
been afterward stampeded by the fear
OF being surrounded and captured.
With veteran fighters the fear Of being
made a prisoner is perhaps stronger than
that Of death itself. man falling dead
as a line advances produces no conster-
nation. The gap is closed as quick as
the men on either side can move up.
But, let O man be wounded and call out
at the top Of his voice, as was sometimes
the case, and a sort of culver runs up
and down his whole company. Let o
second and a third be hit, and it requires
the stern "Steady, men!' of the cap
tain to prevent disorder in the ranks.
The teamsters were the direct cause
OF more than nj panic. Being non
combatants and unarmed, they were, OF
course, helpless, and for this same
reason easily frightened. Let one single
shell fall among the wagon-train, and
nine out of ten wagons were bound to
move. II one teamster abandoned his
wagon, others we're certain to follow his
example, no matter how slight the dan.
ger.
When Gen. Sturgis had his fight q,
Guntown, Miss, the wagon-train was by
some blunder brought TOO near the front
and parked near Al open field. AS the
fighting grew hot the C~onfederates
brought forward a single section OF artil.
lery and got the range OF this train.
-Four or Ave shells did the work. A panic
seized the Transfers, and the few who
got their wagons out of the field aban-
doned them along the only highway.
This action blocked the road, preventing
any movement OF artillery along the
thoroughiare, and in half an hour there
was . panic among the men who had
all alongsbeen fighting with the greates'
bravery. The panic resulted in q rout
entirely uncalled for, and the Confeder
ates gathered in from 900 to 1,2Ut
prisoners, eighteen pieces of artillery
go wagons and ambulances, 500 horse:
and mules, and rations and ammunition
in immense quantities. The bursting O
five or six shells half a mile in rear O
the lines OF battle lost Sturgis that fight
and came near being the destruction O
his whole command.
G1~s Cy