Daily Honolulu press. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1886, 1886-02-09
BRAVERY In BATTLE.
HOW 1T FEELS TO STAND UP AND
BE SHOT AT.
Some Queer Experiences on the Field In
the Confederate Ranks-No Muir
derous Feeling in Long
Range Fight.
Murray in washington Republican.

Many a time l have been asked, How
does a soldier feel when in actual combatP
From my personal experience l can only
say that il depends upon circum tances
Tue feeling of vengeance Is utterly absent
in close contest between opposing regi-
ments. As rule, during our civil war the
men never approached within twenty yards
OF each other-one side or the other giving
WY When it is considered that our
rifles carried ball nearly mile,
and that the tactics were TO advance
fiig, it may be seen that a great
los of life might happen before the actnal
grapple Of the contending forces.
don't mean TO say that there were no
bayonet fights or actual personal encoun-
ter, but they were few and far between.
When they did occur it was with blind fnry
Nor instance. on the occasion Of Pickett's
charge at Gettysburg) where crossed bay
onets and dubbed mu>kets were brought
into play. There neither side asked quar-
ter nor gave it. 1t was a simple knock
down and drag out fight in which the Vir-
ginian3 hal to give wey because of the
empowering numbers and artillery
brought against them.
A NRw EXPERIENCE.
Now, recollect distinctly without NAM
ing the battles) that during the seven days
battles in front of Ricdmoni in 1859 we
were on the offensive. Before that we had
been strictly on the defensive 1t was a
new experience, too, to u.s. because before
that period we had always been on the de-
fensive. That country Nhe Chickahominy
and its aff1usnts) was densely wooded with
scrub underbrush, and In marching in bat
tie rider regiments, aud even companies,
would be separated from each other in
avoiding the obstacles to an advance That
sort Of thing was very trying to the nerves
of the men, because the skirmishers were
out of sight OF the main advance, and even
when they met the outlying posts of the
enemy the infantry line was not notified.
Now, there was a situation in which the
best troops might be tried.
1t is of the subsequent battles, including
all the battles Of the army of northern Vir-
ginia up to the campaign of 1854 that can
deal with. recollect the preliminares Of
two or three battles as distinctly as 1 do the
events OF yesterday, and / recollect more
over how felt when the order to strip for
battle was given. But what wish to give
an idea of is the conduct of regiment
when in actual battle. There are three
battles in which l was engaged that especi-
ally recur to my memory, for the reason
that the fighting was fierce anI the loss on
both sides heavy those were Frazier's
Farm, second Manassas and Seven Pines-I
mean TO state that in these battles our regi-
ment lost most heavily. Before the latter
OF these battles some of my comrades were
Immediately behind the fighting line, and
before they conld roll up their blankets
they were called into the fight by their off,
GERS.
THE PASSION OF BATTLE.
The old story to the effect that the boys
learn in the columns of the "iEneid"- when
speaking of the soldier eement-"furor
iraque mentem precipitant," had no exhibit
tion in the contest OF tine war between the
states. or between these men in line OF bat
tie The men as rule stood off and shot at
long range at each other. When they got
to close quarters, and they were fighting
body TO body and man to man. then OF
course, as have above stated, there were
angry passions developed by the contest
ants which did not apply to the body proper
of the armies on both sides in any oc-
casional engagement In the old days it
was shield TO shield, and spear to pear, and
sword to sword. The best man was he who
was the strongest and most skillfuL Now,
we can kill each other 1,000 yards range. l
don't know that can better give an idea of
the improved methods of modern warfare
than when l state that In the charge of
Pickett's division at Gettysburg the entire
force was decimated long before they got
within reach of the opposing batteries
wish to give instances of the peculiar
bearing OF the men in the battles wherein
my regiment was engaged. For instance:
When after the battle of GaineS Mill (the
second day of the seven days fight in front
OF Richmond) there were numbers of the
Union dead an wounded around and about
our bivouac, we did what we could for
them in the way of giving water and NELL
cines, etc. but, as far as I can recall my
sensations, We paid no moro attention to
them than Is usually done by spectators to
herd Of slaughtered bullocks.
recollect well the bu'ning and crowding
attendant upon an advance over rough
ground 1t was almoit impossible to keep
the alignment OF dress parade, and under
the fire of the artillery gaps wers con-
stantly being male in the rank. Friend
AMI foe we pushed over. disregard ).
appeals for help until wa had tame the
summit of that which wa had been oriered
to drive at by onr generals. IL is certainly
a fact that, as a rule the men on the other
side when they were drawn up to fight had
a pretty good inkling Of the work mapped
out Tor them.
R0FANITY-DISoRDER
Finally, as for troops in actual battle, l
have this much to say, that never saw
mnre profanity than in the standing up OF a
regiment anywhere. A missionary would
have but small chance for conversion 1t
is distinctly in my memory, for instance,
that at the battle of Williamsburg and the
battle of the Seven Pines thereafter, the
men In my brigade swore "like the army in
Flanders" In fight the men We're like @wild
bulls OF Bsshan,' and the file-closers, Of
whom | was one at that time had hard
work to keep them in order. Before the
order was given them to advance they were
quiet enough; but thereafter, in spite of all
orders abjurgations, and prayers of the Of
hcer', commissioned an non commi stoned,
they would crowd in toward the centre, and
thus were rendered in measure incompe-
tent with the best action Of our whole force
Again l recollect that in the middle OF
one Of the hottest battles of the war, in
1862 the captain of company told SER
geant that the ammunition was giving out
The sergeant left his position and darted for
the ammunition train. He got his cart
ridges and started back, but on the way
shell exploded near him and ignited his
cartridges, wounding aud decorating him
severely about the face and body. When he
was lifted from under the debris the first
question he aslkel was, add get 'em in all
rightP
Now, it has been my fortune to have been
in more than q dozen pitched battles and in