The National tribune., 1893-07-06
IN TIME OF DANGER.
A Belief Expressed that Man is Abso-
IuteIy Fearless.


1uteIy Fearless.
= WAS very much interested in Comrade
Buell's piece on fear. Knowing some
| - thing by experience and also By close
observation, and having heard from
| others who were gifted with great courage,
/ will write about what consider is courage
| and fear
don't think there is a person lives who
is entirely without fear; and l do not think
there ever was soldier who went into battle
but had more or less fear before the battle
began TO rage the fiercest.
We had a Lieutenant belonging to our
regiment who had been through two battles,
Black burns Ford and first Bull Run, and
was also at the siege of Yorktown, without
showing any cowardice, but at the battle of
Williamsburg he conducted himself in such
a cOwardly manner that he was court
martialed and dismissed the service. He
afterward $50 was told enlisted as private
in another regiment, and said he would
show the world he was no coward. lie
ever after displayed great courage.
/ know by personal experience that men
will show more fear sometimes than at others
During the Winter of 1861 and 62 our regi-
ment was stationed on the lower Potomac,
opposite Quantico Creek, where there was
more or less heavy artillery firing. l was
present at York town during the whole siege,
and, of course, subject to heavy and light
artillery shot and shell. The Johnnies could
even throw very readily into our camps, and
from three to four days a week we were
working in the trenches within point-blank
shot of them. But / had an instance hap
pen to me soon after the battle of Williams
burg commenced, which for time COM
pletely unperved me. It was in front of
Fort Magruder in the fallen timber. Our
regiment was crawling mp toward the fort to
silence it with our long-range rifles, when
shell came over from the fort and struck a
soldier belonging to, think, the I'd N. I'll.
1t exploded just "a it struck him, and the
air for second or two was filled with flesh,
bones, and intestines. The fallen pine-tree
tops were covered, and considerable be-
smeared me.
l was uuperved for some time; so much so
that my cbum noticed it, and also several
others. Every shot and shell seemed to give
me the horrors. At last / said TO myself,
"This will never do; what am l here forp"
Ever after that, through the different ex-
periences, 1 controlled myself ] always
noticed that such things will unnerve one
much quicker when not holly engaged. l
was in nearly all the principal battles upto
Spottsylvania Courthouse, but never had the
thing happen with me again.
My chum, who enlisted with me from the
same city, and was with me up to the time
he was detailed as Orderly at Corps Head
quarters, heard Gems. Hooker, Kearny, and
others talking together upon this same ques-
ton. He told me they admitted that the
man never lived who was entirely without
fear and Gen. Kearny made use of these
words, as near as ! can remember, as it was
told to me: They say do not know what
fear is. 1t is not so. ! never 60 into battle
but what / have fear for my safety, and l
do not believe person lives but who does;
but govern my feelings to such an extent
that my fear is not perceptible."
Men in private life will face the greatest
danger lmost as great as upon the battle
field b., will become scared and complete
ly unnerved at smaller dangers, or 10 danger
at all. For instance | knew a wealthy
farmer who had a very ferocious bull. The
bull attacked him in the barnyard, but,
instead of putting the fence between him
and the bull, he caught up cart-stake that
was handy and showed fight, got the bull
by the tail, and belabOred him until he was
completely whipped. l have seen this same
man run from and curse person who had
a small, harmless green snake.
/ have known an engineer who would be
collected and stand to his post amid the
greatest danger ahead, but would cross the
street before he would meet small-sized
dog.-CHAs. w. HATHAWAY, Minneapolis,
Mimi,