The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-03-30

cFci sd Iieui pIlSlcu NiiiouS VIC tIoUpS
in place of danger. No one ever
h .ard Of a general officer being killed
in camp. We are told that these gallant
men habitually rode the battle line or
line Of trenches, and that they smiled
at humming bullets and laughed solid
shot and bursting shells to scorn. 1t is
true that brigade commanders were con-
spicuous by their absence, and the
presence of q divisions commander
among his troops was so unusual that it
attracted the attention Of the soldiers,
and was always remarked upon. What
business has an officer commanding
from ten to forty thousand men to be in
the heat and smoke of battle ? He
cannot direct the troops if he is on the
battle line. He could not see how the
fight was going. Brigade commanders
could not find him. OF course, or if
his troops were charging, or if they
were advancing he could be with
Them
We arc told of general officers, griev-
ously wounded, waving aside their aids
and lightly dismissing the medical at
tendants, and saying in effect: "Let the
battle proceed, l cannot abandon my
troops. We must save the Union"
Pah ! Much they, under these circum-
stances, thought Of the Union or of
their troops. The truth is, that they,
one and all, got themselves lugged off
the field as quickly as possible, and
they We're exceedingly glad to get to
the rear and into an ambulance and be
driven to place Of safety and sur
geon. TO have rifle ball weighing an
ounce driven home in the groin, or shat
ter the thigh bone, or mash the knee
joint to splinters, or smash the bones of
the arm, or to have solid shot or
ragged chunk of she'll lop off an arm
or leg, knocks the fight out of man.
lie wants to go home at once. 1t was
possible for general oticsrs to 90 home,
and they went. At least never saw,
nor did any of my comrades see, gcner-
al officers swathed in bloody clothes
fighting their division or corps.
General officers, corps and army COM
manders, these are pictured as speaking
words of cncouragem snt to their waver-
ing troops. which, clearly heard above
the awful roar of a pitched battle, caus-
cd men to nerve themselves for supreme
efforts, and they Won the fight. These
childish tales are pobably rehash of
mythical military legends of Napoleonic
era. The great Corsican statesman and
military genius was ever represented as
talking to ON army Of from 10000 to
3Oo,OoO men. Then, too, Wellington is
said to have blated "up guards and at
them" to his troops on the field Of
Waterloo. The noise Of the battle is
terrific, and one human voice could not
make itself heard for any great distance.
Suppose battle is in progress. The
infantry Is firing. The artillery is in
action. Solid shot and three inch bolts
tiy screaming through air. Shells are
bursting. The hum Of bullets is loud
and steady. The wounded shrek as
they fall. The dying groan. And we
are asked to believe that general Off
Ger spoke to his men in the midst of this
deafening uproar, and inspired them.
lie could sneak and SDeak md ifho vn;co
did not have the compass of fifty fog
horns he might as well whistle into his
boot for all the inspiration his troops
could draw from him.