The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-12-25
Army Panies.


ahR recorded incident of this nature,
~ Hhich Robert Cfauford's celehra.
ted Light Division--consisting OF
fll*e three distinguished regiments,
fbeFiity-third, the Fifty second and
the Niney-fifth-were seized and put
~ hght hy an attack of fear so sud-
afR and causeless that the historian
nak es no attempt whatever to ascribe
Rasnn for 1t. "The Light Divi
z'ua y he writes, 'sencamged in pine
wood, where happened one of those
exlraordinary panics attributed in
Ni}kent times to the influence of a
'ffH. No enemy was near, no alarm
given, when suddenly the troops, as
~ ksized with frenzy, started from
lSseep and disappeared in every direc-
tioh !; nor was there any possibility of
ailaying this strange terror, until
some persons called out that the
enemy's cavalry were among them
when the soldiers mechanically ran
together. and the illusion was dissi-
pated." 1t seems odd that so diffuse
a writer should have seen fit to say
20 liule of so extraordinary an Orcur-
renee, more especially when we re-
member that this same Light Divi
sion was the flower of the British
army in the Peninsula, and that he
writes Of it not many pages before as
'composed of three regiments singu-
larly fitted for difficult service. Long
and carefully disciplined by Sir John
Moore, they came to the field with
such a Knowledge of arms that six
years of warfare could not detect "A
flaw in their system, nor were they
ever overmatchel in courage aud
skill"
In South Africa the disaster of
Island-lhwana gave the soldiers
nerves severe shaking. and it often
happened that false alarms at night
led to the rouSing of whole camps,
and sOmetinpS even to a reckless dis
charge of firearms. In some cases
friendly natives or even comrades
were taken by the excited imagina-
tion Of sentry for enemies in others
unOffending cattle even a bush or a
shrub, became the innocent cause OF
a fusilIade sufficient to have dealt
widespread destruction to a host OF
Zulu.
An odd incident. Illustrative of the
slghtncss of the cause-Or even, per-
haps, of the absence of any cause at
all-that gives rise to a panic, occur
red on the night Of Tel el-Kebir,
amidst small corner of the force
that was bivouacking on the battle
field. The narrator had craW led into
a marquee, in which, with other
cOmmisSariat stores. were the rum
casks from which the troops mad re-
ceived their liquor ration after the
fat gues ana excitement Of the day.
fight and the 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,
preferring to rest under its shelter,
amid the casks and biscuit. boxes,
than under the open sky with the
sand for a bed. Suddenly, in the
middle Of the night, when all were
sleeping, a noise and c0mmotion be-
gan in the bivOuac outside. Before
the inhabitants of the tent were suffi
ciently awake to understand its cause
the curtains were thrust aside by a
relocated soldier, who shouted to us
to get up: "The Arabs are in the
are upon us!" Then he
disappeared as rapidly as he had
come. Every one sprang to his arms,
and probably experienced that espe-
cially uncomfortable sensation that is
caused ly vague feeling of an un-
seen. though Imminent danger,
against which one is ignorant how to
guard. Outside every one around
was aroused and up, eagerly striving
to discover from what quarter attack
was to be expected. Nothing, how
ever. more unpleasant occurred than
the advent of staff officer asking the
cause of the confusion. Probably the
truth never did reach headquarters.
Afterward, however, a report gained
gruund-nO other or better reason
was ever fOrthc0ming-that the al
arm arose from the screams of a
sleeping s. ldler. who, overWr0ught,
perhaps, 10y the horrors of the day,
had been fighting his battle over
again in his dreams. - Chambers
Journal.