The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1890-05-21
THE TERROR OF BATTLE.
A PANIC WHICH SOMETIMES OVER
TAKES BRAVE MEN.

and Tlmid i'm the NeNt-Not Cow
ardice, but Terror.
During the war, says a writer in the
Detroit Free Press, we used to hear of
falling back, regiments giving
ground, and brigades becoming demor-
llized, and the average reader took it
for cowardice and openly expressed his
contempt. No man ever went into battle
twice alike. No company, regiment or
brigade were ever situated twice alike.
A man may be very brave in one battle
and very timid in the next. His physical
and mental conditions have much TO do
with it. A private soldier knows the
,osition of his entire brigade in a fight.
the position is n strong one he is en-
juraged; if the flanks are exposed OF
ne defenses are weak he is nervous and
apprehensive.
1t is the grand stake the soldier plays
for in battle. If ne wins he may live on
until the next fight. If he loses he gets
headstone in national cemetery. l
.aunot make you understand the situa-
ion better than to give you personal ex-
,eriences. The great majority of sol
liers had the same feeling and passed
Trough the same experiences.
At first Bull Run my brigade gained
ground for several hours. This, with a
mall loss of men, kept us encouraged.
indeed, it was hard for the officers to re-
train us. Every man was hopeful and
determined, and any single company
would have charged regiment. The
janic had upset thousands before it
ouched us. Indeed, the retreat had
,een going on for two hours before we
cot word We were well in hand and
eady to advance when the news reached
IS. In five minutes every man was shaky.
n ten minutes men whose faces were
iowdcr-stained were sneaking out of the
anks to gain the rear. In quarter of
an hour half company of Confederates
could have driven the whole brigade like
ii flock of sheep. saw men cry like
children. l saw others tremble and sit
down from weakness. Every fresh re-
port added to the feeling of terror, and
by and by pride and discipline gave way
to a grand rush, and it was every man
for himself No one would stop to
reason. No one cared whether his COM
"ade was ahead or behind. This was
allied cOwardice, but it was not. 1t was
anic-the terror of battle-a senseless
,ut powerful something which seizes the
Jravest men and makes children of them.
In the streets of Fredericksburg l saw
federal soldiers discharge their muskets
nto the air, when the enemy was within
,oint- blank range. | saw plenty of them
drop on their faces and tremble and
groan and cry. This was a case where
every man saw the hopelessness of attack.
lie felt that he was pushed forward to be
shot down. There was no way for re-
treat until the lines should fall back. On
the other hand, the Confederate troops
Of Mayre's Hill joked and smoked and
were in the highest spirits, feeling them
selves secure from bullets, and knowing
they could beat back any force. One of
them told me that after taking dead aim
On thirteen different men and dropping
every one of them he refrained from
iring the next quarter of an hour out of
.heer pity for the human targets being
showed up to meet death.
At Malvern Hill my regiment lay in
the dry bed of creek at the foot of the
elevation. 1t was a natural rife-pit, and
,hetered us so well that we had only
slight loss in killed and wounded. As
he Confederates charged across the
fields we felt to pity them. We poured
in our volleys without fear of danger in
return, and out of five Contederates who
rushed into our lines in their bewilder-
ment three were crying and sobbing. 1t
wasn't cowardice but terror. No coward
could have been induced to march across
those meadows in the face of that terrific
fire from cannon and musketry.
AT Cold Harbor, after beating off
everything in our front, aud while most
of the men were cheering, some one
started the report that the Confederates
had gained our rear. Two thousand
men broke back like lot of boys, some
even throwing their guns away, and the
jeers of other troops had no effect until
the frenzy had had time to cvaporate
At Gettysburg my regiment had the
cover Of a stone wall, and we knew that
we were well supported. We hoped for
a charge, and when it came every man
was cool and calm and confident. One
band of prisoners, numbering about
thirty, was led past us on their way to
the rear, and | noticed that many were
crying and all were whitefaced. l have
seen the best soldiers and the Oldest
fighters win their medals in one battle
and show the white feather in the next.
| saw Second Lieutenant almost cry for
the privilege of leading a charge at
Antietam, and yet at Chantilly he fell
into a ditch and pretended to be hit so
as to drop behind in the charge.
Cowards never 90 to war. 1t is only brave
men who face the grim monster on
field of battle, and next to the foe his
worst enemy is a terror which seizes him
as chill or fever might come on, and
there is no remedy for it except to- yet
away from the screaming missil
death until ones nerves and sand re
Killed a Monster West India Liza. =.