The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-12-25

ana every military commander has had more
or less experience with them"
Gen. Wade Hampton said be never knew a
man TO be scared 70 death in battle, although
there were a great many cases Of death which
might be attributed TO this cause. Men WERE
repeatedly found dead upon the field without
wounds upon them, but in the haste Of burial
and making reports no one stopped TO inquire
the cause OF their death. lie does recOllect,
however, a case OF n man whose death was
caused by his being drafted into the Con-
federate army. He had an intense horror Of
being forced into the service, aud Immediately
after he learned that he had been conscFipted
he was taken IN. The Provost Marshal be-
lieved that he was fegning, and attempted %
punish him, bat the man kept growing worse,
and finally died, from no disease but the dread
OF going into the army.
Gen. Hawley saws: al think it is entirely
possible 10 scare a man 10 death, although /
must say that have no knowledge of any par
ticular case. A man OF strong imagination aud
susceptible 10 external influences, might be
easily frightened into commissions, or his mind
might be SO worked upon as 20 drive him in.
sane. i have known several men 10 die of
homesickness. or nostalgia. which is a distinct
disease and one of the most terrible that per-
son could be afflicted with"
Gen. Charles 4. Henderson said: 81 have
known men 10 be dreadfully scared, and have
heard Of cases where they were frightened TO
death, but never saw one. have also known
men previously courageous in battle, to become
completely demoralized without apparent
cause, aud so frightened that they lost all self
control. i have known, too Of men who died
OF slight and insignificant wounds, when was
sure that the cause of their death was only
fright, anxiety or homesickness, which, as all
may know, are very aggrevating in cases of IN
Illumination. Certain people are so constituted
that they are naturally towards Just as others
have uncomfortable tempers. In my own regi-
ment there was a Sergeant who, ut the battle
OF Rich Mountain, w. Va, the first field fight
OF the war, conducted himself with exceptional
GOODNESS and bravery, aud as the result Of and
reward for il was promoted TO be Lieutenant;
but at the battle of Shiloh he was so frightened
that he actually fed from the field, and did not
return 10 the regiment for several days. He
was such an excellent officer in every other re-
spect that We thought we would give him
another chance; but whenever we went into a
tight be was overcome with fear and totally
helpless. lie understood himself as well as
any Of us, but no exercise of the will-pOwer or
any amount ofentresty, or persuasion, or intim-
idaJon could bring him 10 his senses, and he
was Enally placed in a position on the staff,
where il was not necessary that he should be
in the line Of battle during an engagement. On
some occasions when that man was brought
foTcibly into danger his
EXHIBITIONS OF TERROR
were not only Imaginable but painful. He was
very candid about IL. Frequently talked with
him, and he would express his utter disgust and
shame at this nervousness, which he could not
control"
Representative Foney, Of Alabama, who was
Northumberland in the Confederate ser
vice, says: II have seen men entirely para
lyzed by fright so that they were totally lost
TO their surroundings and Indifferent TO their
fate, and had any of these men been subject TO
heart disease, IL would have resulted fatally. j
have seen men who were subject to vertigo and
apopeXy, tumble over in the excitement Of
battle, but ] never knew a sound man 10 die
that way, and j do not know that such cases
can be attributed 10 fright. recolect for in
stance, At the battle Of Gettysburg, when we
charged a battery, a number of men in my
division gave out entirely from heart failure
and exhaustion, and were found dead upon the
field without a wound upon them"
:" have never known men 10 be scared 20
death" said Col. w. w. Dudley, the exc Com
missioner Of Pensions, "but have seen them
so scared that they did not know what they
were doing, and shot themselves and their own
comrades instead Of the enemy. But fear and
courage are just as much natural attributes Of
man as memory or a talent for art. One man
is born with q gift for acquiring languages;
another with gift for music, while his brother
or his cousin may not be able TO tell one note
from another; and courage aud cowardice are
Unborn in the same way, so that have always
felt great sympathy for q coWardly man. !
knew he could not help it. i had an example
IN my own regiment, the 18th Ind.-a young
fellow by the name Of Woods who was intelli-
gent well educated, and belonged 10 an excel
lent family. While he was a good soldier ia
camp, we were never able 10 get him into a
battle. The smell Of powder, or the sound Of
an explosion, or the sight Of blood, caused such
terror in him that he was perfectly uncontroll-
able-he actually became insane for the mo-
ment. While we were lying on the Rappahan-
mock be deserted 10 the enemy, and then getting
suit OF gray deserted again 10 our side, ez-
pectinR 10 be sent a prisoner 10 some bar
racks in Northern State, where he would not
be exposed 20 danger, and could escape identif-
cation until the close OF the war; he didn't
care where be went, just 90 that he got out Of
the reach Of bullets. But he was caught and
taken before Gen. Patrick, Chief Provost Mar
shal, who ordered q court martial, that con-
demned Woods 20 be shot as q deserter. He
met his fate like hero. ] never saw q man
show more nerve, more selfpOssesson or meet
his fate more like hero than he did. Te
would not even have his eyes bandaged, but
stood before his coffin and looked straight into
the barrels Of the muskets that we're
FIRED AT HIS HEART
lie made an ante-mUrtem statement in which
he confessed that his desertion was from no lack
Of loyalty, but from physical cOWardice that
he had tried again and again 10 control has
emotions but was unable 10 do so, aud could
not endure the sight Of blood or the sound of
musketry."
81 never knew a soldier to be scared TO
DEATH" said Maj. Conger, now Minister
10 Brazil, but / know a man who was
very badly wounded at the battle Of New
Hope Church without being struck by a
bullet. This may seem strange, but il is
true. il WIS Maj. Hagan. Of the 10th Ind,
Of which President Harrison was the Colonel,
and the latter was present az the time We
were standing together, our regiment beside
his, when Mai. Hagan was doubled up as if by
nyulsions, aud fell upon the ground. Harri-
son and myself both ran TO him and asked IL he
was hurt lie could not speak for some time
and held his hands across his stomach We
finally got them away, and removing his cloth
ing found that his stomach was black and blue
and that the blood was bursting from the pores
A cannOn-ball had passed few inches from
him and the windRge had produced this re-
suit"
Maj. James A. Bates, Of the United States
Army (retiredl, who had command OF a com
/ pany at the second battle Of Bull Run, reports
| that man in his command probably died from
fright, or at least from the effects Of fear upon
a weak heart. The regiment, which was lying
behind sarihworks, was ordered 10 charge a
battery, aud as they arose from behind their
! protection one OF the pTivates refused 10 get
! up. The Sergeant eudeavorod 90 stir him by
| prickng him with his sword but the man was
sobbing and crying in a hysteTical manner, and
! Capt. Bates told the Sergeant TO let him alone
I A.. n - l. IL a.