Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1890-06-13
TERROR IN BATTLE.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES OF A
VETERAN.
Anecdotes of Bull Run, fredericksburg,
Malvern Hill, Antietam, etc.

During the war we used to read of
companies falling back, regiments
giving ground, and brigades becoming
demoralized, and the average reader
took it for cowardics and openly ex-
pressed his contempt. No man ever
went into battle twice alike. No COM
pany, 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
position of his entire brigade in a fight.
If the position is strong one he is
encouraged: if the tlanks are exposed
OF the defenses weak he is nervous and
apprehensive.
1t is grand stake the soldier PLAYS
for in battle. If he wins he may live
on until the next fight. If he loses he
gets headstone in a national cemetery.
cannot make you understand the
situation better than to give YOU per-
sonal experiences. The great majority
of soldiers had the same feeling and
passed through the same experiences.
AT first Bull Run my brigade gained
ground for several hours. This, with
small loss of men, kept us cncour-
aged. Indeed, it was hard for the
officers to restrain us. Every man
was hopeful and determined, and any
single company would have charged a
regiment. The panic had upset thous-
ands before it touched us. Indeed, the
retreat had been going on for two
hours before we got word. We were
well III hand and ready to advance
when the news reached us. In five
minutes every man was shaky.
In ten lninntes men whose faces were
Towder-stained were sneaking out of
the ranks to gain the rear. In a
quarter OF an hour half company of
confederates could have driven the
whole brigade like flock of sheep. [
saw men cry like children. ] saw
others tremble and sit down from
weakness. Every fresh report 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 rea-
son. No one cared whether his COM
rade was ahead or behind. This was
called cowardice, but it was not 1t
was panic-the terror Of battle-a
senseless but powerful something
which seizes the bravest men and
makes children of them.
In the streets of Fredericksburg |
saw Federal soldiers discharge their
muskets into the air, when the enemy
was within point-blank range. saw
plenty of them drop on their faces and
tremble and groan and cry. This was
n case where every man saw the hope
lessness of attack. He felt that he was
pushed forward to be shot down.
There was no way for retreat until the
lines should fall back. On the other
hand, the confederate troops posted
behind the stone wall at the foot of
Mayre's Hill joked and smoked, and
were in the highest spirits, feeling
themselves 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 firing the next quar-
ter of an hour out of sheer pity for the
human targets being showed up to meet
death.
AT Malvern Hill my regiment lay in
the dry bed of a creek at the foot of
the elevation. 1t was natural rife
pit, and sheltered us so well that we
had only slight loss in killed and
wounded. AS he confederates charg-
ed across the fields we felt 10 pity them.
We poured in our volleys without fear
of danger in return, AMI out of five
confederates who rushed into our lines
III their bewilderment three were crv-
ing aud so5bing. 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, and while
most of the men were cheering, some
one started the report that the confed-
crates had gained our rear. Two