The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-12-04
ARMY pANlcs.
sousc OF the Most Remarkable tucidcuts
of This Kind on RECORD.

sousc OF the Most Remarkable Incidents
of This Kind on Itecord.
Napier, in his "Peninsular War"
devotes but some eight or nine lines to
an account OF the most remarkable
recorded incident of this nature, in
which Robert Crauford's celebrated
Light Division cons sting of those
three distinguished regiments. the Fifty
third, the Fifty-second and the Ninety
iifth-were seized and put to flight by
an attack of fear so sudden and cause
less that the historian makes no at-
tempt whatever to ascribc reason for
it. "'rhc Light Division" he writes.
''cncamped in pine wood, where hap
pencd ono of those extraordinary panics
attributed in anc ent times to the influ-
encc of n god No enemy was near, no
alarm given, when suddenly the troops,
rs If seized with Il frenzy, started from
sleep and disappeared in every direc-
ton; nor was there amy possibility of
allayng this strange terror; until some
persons called out that the cucmy's
cavalry were among them, when the
soldiers mechanically ran together. and
the illusion was d ssipatcd." II seems
odd that so diffusc n writer should have
seen fit to say so little of so cXtraordi-
nary an occurrence, more especially
when we remember that this same Light
Division was the flower OF the British
army in the Peninsula, and that he writes
of itnot many PAGES before as ''composed
of three reg ments slnguiarly fitted for
| lxr
disciplined by Sir John Moore, they
came to the field with such q knowi-
edge of arms that six years of warfare
could not detect flaw in their system,
nor were they ever oycrmatched in
courage and skill"
In South Africa the disasterof Isand-
lhwana gave the soldiers nerves Sc
we're shaking, and it often happened
te"t false alarms at night led to the
rouslng of whole camps, and sometimes
even to reckless discharge of fire
arms. In some cases friendly natives
or even comrades were taken by the
the excited Imagination of q sentry for
enemies; in others, unoflending cattle.
even bush or II shrub. became the in
nocent cause of II fusilladc sufficient to
have dealt widespread destruction to a
host of Zulus.
An odd incident illustrative of the
slightness of the cause---or even, per-
haps, of the absence of any cause at
all-that gives rise to q panic, occurred
on the night OF Tel-el-Kebir. amidst q
small corner of the force that was
bivouackjng on the battlefield. The
narrator had crawed into marquee,
in which, with other commissariat
stores, were the rum casks from which
the troops had received their liquor ra-
ton after the fatigues and excitement
of the days fight and the previous
night-march. B sides one or two COM
missariat issuers III charge of the stores,
sevcrl ''odds and ends' of other corps
had found their way into the marquee.
.preferring 10 rest under its shelter.
amid the casks and biscuit-boxes. than
udder the open sky with the sand for Il
bed. Suddenly, in the middle of the
night, when all were sleeping, noise
and commotion began in the bivouac
outside. Before the inhabitants of the
tent were sufficiently awake to under
stand its cause, the curtains were thrust
aside by red. coated soldier, who
shouted to us to get up: 1.-The Arabs are
in the camp they are upon u.s." Then
he disappeared as rapidly as he had
come. Every ono sprang to his arms.
and probably experienced that espe-
ally uncomfortable sensation that is
caused by n vague feeling OF an unseen,
though imminent, danger against which
one is ignorant how to guard. Out
side every one around was aroused and
up. eagerly striving 10 discover from
what quarter attack was to be expected.
Nothing, however. more unpleasant OF
cured than the advent Of Il staff officer
asking the cause of the confusion.
Probably the truth never did reacl,
headquarters. Afterward however. 4
report gained ground-no other or bet
ter reason was ever forthcoming that
the alarm arose from the screams of !,
sleeping solder, who. overwrought.
perhaps. by the horrors of the day. had
been fighting his battle over again in
his droams!-C chambers Joarwaf.