St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-10-19
INCIDENTS or BATTLE.
Points Upon Which Depend the Fate Of
Armies and Nations.

Points Upon Which Depend the Fate Of
Armies and Nations.
A battle does not consist, as many
imagine. in a grand advance of VIC
torious lines of attack sweeping every
thing before them. or the helter-sael-
ter flight OF the unfortunate defeated.
The historian must 50 present it in his
descriptions. the artist in his paint
ings! Even the writer of an official
account must limit himself to the pre-
sentation OF such moments rs demand
special treatment, or to such episodes
as involve important and instructive
tactical movements.
All those events which are less strik.
ing. which pass more quietly, but
which nevertheless contribute to the
final result, can not be reproduced
without too much expansion. Those
incidents which no account of the bat
tie, official or unofficial. take any note
Of. the thousand and one events OBJ
served by the participants. the
innumerable cases in which the di.
rection and control OF affairs glide out
of the hands of the Otficers-these are
the little drops Of water that make the
mighty ocean of battle and determine
victory or defeat. The opening of the
day of a great battle is generally very
prosaic. After an uncomfortable night
passed in a wet or cold bivouac. where
the men, wrapped in their Overcoats,
have been gathered shivering about
the campfire. trying in vain to get
warm; after the simplest of break
fasts. of which perhaps the 1raught OF
pure cold water was the only palatabls
constituent. the soldier goes forth to
battle.
There he may never even see the
enemy; indeed, usually cnly long
halts. uncomfo rtable standing still un-
der shrapnel fire. or apparently use
less camping in mud and under small
arm fire await him. The feeling OF
being exposed to the invisible missiles
of the enemy, mingled with the un-
certainty as to what is going on
to right and left. often produces in the
best OF troops great depression and
a consequent falling off in offensive
strength. even when the battle in gen.
eral is making splendid progress. In
such moments tactics are eexhrusted, and
it is only a question Of grit and sense OF
duty. Sheridan tells us. Indeed,
the battle of Chickamaugua was some
thing like that Of Stone River victory
resting with the side that had the grit
to defer longest its REIMBURSEMENT OF
the field"
Still more pressing is the appeal to
the morale OF the troops when an un-
fortunate termination OF the battle
forces an army which has 1one its fun
duty to retire. Exhausted to the last
gasp, its resistance. pushed TO the
highest pitch. gives wa... and with
frigh;tul reaction the res:stless mass
plunces to the rear. This Is to-day no
longer an organizcd retrcat from posi-
tion to position, rs. our predecessors
taught and practiced. but an uncon-
ctrrent. like tho mountain
torrent which. franght WITH havoc and
disaster, ovtrHows its bcnka Woe to
lie land that can cpposs no other
dams to this stream th'n- strategy.
tactics and the instruction of the
troops; thdee viii be washed away |,
like sand heaps by tho roaring waters
limited Service Magazine. - -SlEs
Asia cohtains more than heE u