The Sunday herald., 1886-11-21
Army Panics.

Napier, in his uPeninsuiar War; devotes but
some eight or nine lines TO an account OF the most
which Robert Qranfords celebrated Light Division
consisting OF those three regiments, the
Fity-thrd, the Fifty.second, and the Ninety.nfih-
were seized and put TO night 10y attack OF fear so
sudden and causeless that the historian makes no
attempt whatever to ascribe a reason for It, "The
Light Division" he writes, "encamped In a pine
wood, where happened one of those extraordinary
panlcs attributed In ancient times TO the influence OF
god N6 enemy was near, no alarm was given,
started from sleep and disappeared In every direc-
ton; nor was there any possibility OF allayng
that the enemy's cavalry were among them, when
tue soldiers mechanically ran together and the H.
writer should have seen ut to say little OF 80 ex-
traOrdnary an occurrence, more especially when
We remember that this same Light Division was the
n0wer OF the British Army In the Peninsula, and
that he writes OF II not many pages before az "cOm-
posed of three regiments singnlary lifted for DIM
John Moore, they came to the Held with such a
knowledge OF arms that six years OF warfare could
not detect naw IN their system, nor were
they ever oyermatched In courage and skill"
In South Africa the disaster OF Isandlhwana gave
the soldiers nerves shaking, and II often happened
tnat false alarms a. night led to the ronsng OF whole
camps, and sometimes even to a reckless discharge
OF hrearms. In some cases friendly natives or
even comrades were taken by the excited imagina-
tion OF sentry for enemles In others, unonending
cattle, even bush or shrub became the innocent
cause OF fusillade sufficient TO have dealt wide
An odd incident, illustrative OF the slightness of
the cause or even, perhaps, Of the absence OF any
cause at all-that gives rise to panic occurred oh
the night Of Tel-el-Keblr amidst small corner Of
the force that was bivouacking on the battlefield
The narrator had crawled into marquee, In which,
with other commissariat stores were the rum casks
from which the troops had received their quor ra.
iion after the fatigues and excitement OF the days
nght aud previous night march. Besides one or
two commissariat issuers IN charge OF the stores,
several "odds and ends" OF other corps had found
their way into the marquee, preerrlng to rest under
Its shelter, amid the casks and biscuit boxes than
under the open sky with the sand for bed sud-
denly In the middle Of the night, when ali were
sleeping, noise and eomm0Il0n began In the
biyouat outside Befdre the tnhhbItants Of the teni
weresuipolenily awake to understand It's cause the
curaiIis were thrust aside by red coated soldier
who shouted TO US to get up. "The Arabs
are In the camp-they are upon us! Then he dis
appeared as rapidly az he had come. Every one
sprang to his arms, and probably 6Nperlenced
that especially uncomfortable sensation that IA
caused by a vague feeling OF an unseen though
Imminent danger against which one IL ignorant
how TO guard. Outside, every one around was
aroused ana UP, eagerly strl?ing TO discover from
what quarter attack wis TO he expected Moth
Ing, however. moro unpleasant Occurred thal the
advent OF a stall -otncor askilg The cause OF ihe
confusion. Probably the truth never did reach
headquarters. Afterwards, however, report
gained ground-no other or better reason was
ever forthcoming that the alarm aroao from Inc
screams of sleeping soldier, who overwrought
perhaps by the horrors OF the day, had been lqht.
Ing his battle over again In his dreams