The herald., 1896-10-11
How SOLDIERS FEEL IN BATTLE
Many of Them Are Frightened When the
Engagement Begins


With novelists who plume themselves
on their realism favorlte subject of study
latterly has been the feeling and conduct
Of soldiers under fire. Patient, psyche.
which the entnralled read'er catches his
breath and sighs, How true! have made
the fortune OF more than one work OF ne
tion. With such studies in mind it may be
Interesting 10 read what few actual sol
diers, chosen at RANDOM, have 10 say re-
garding their feelings in coming under
fire.
General u S. Grant said that the In
slant slant ne heard the first hostile gun when
down in Mexico with Taylor. as a sub
Shortly afterward he borrowed horse
and rode into the thick of the fight against
orders
Lea's "old warhorse," Lieutenant Gen
erai Longsireet received his baptism un-
der Taylor at the same time. He says that
10 or Se be- or rsg B ere Ma R
u lull before he was brought into action.
and in order to keep his thoughts from
a picture of the girl he had left behind. The
calm, frank face looking into his dispelled
All thought OF Ganger and he went ahead
like the man he aspired to be.
Governor Urban X. Woodbury., whose
mute. badge of courage is an empty sleeve.
recalled his first experience under fire with
put difficulty. for t was then that he lost
LAS I emerged from the. woods on the
open field at. the first battle of Bull Run
firing upon us with solid shot and shell.
If | were to .analyze my own feelings.
SHOULD say ] fslt great sense Of danger.
ing anything else than to march straight
ahead toward the enemy, which was do
ing at double-quick. when l received the
I realized perfectly we'll what was going
on about me. the troops who were going
off; and where the enemy were posted"
Tenth Vermont. received his baptism of
fire at Bull Run. with General Woodbury..
His chief thought and anxiety was to get
some wounded men before going in shock
his courage somewhat He saw. a. smell
burst and carry the MS
ter said he, but still l kept on, as well
as l could, bound to see the enemy. and
when under musketry fire my courage re-
turned"
In the old town Of Pattsburg, surround
a ey ass as Of f
emerad ems hs eS Was found ' anothsr s Green
1T of he New YorE volnn
teers.. General Moffit's badge of courage
is not an empty sleeve. A pair Of well.
turned m back nearly to the HIP joint are his
souvenirs Of the conflict. Like General
Longstreet and many. others, whom 1t
eral Moffit found that his best way to
avoid showing off as coward is to have
something to do, no matter how trlfing.
He said:
You ask me to give you my first exp,e,
etc. had my first experience ,,,s under fire
heavy timber after march Of twenty
opened upon us from a four-gun battery.
them passed over US. At the first note
Of the music of the flying missiles nature
very much in evidence; Yes, was fright;
ened, thoroughly frightened At once l
appreciated the fact that ] was trembling.
body and limb and fearing that my men
haversack and took from it piece of hard
tack and started to MUNICH it. Hardtack
was never harder or dryer and how 1 got
1t down and finally digested it. under the
circumstances, the Lord only. knows. Did
the fear pass off? Not until the last Whiz;,
zing shell had passed over my head. had
a like experience in every engagement,
with but two exceptions.
General Nelson A.. Miles answer to the
question was as follows:
"Concern!ng the effect of being under
fire for the first time, +! can say that the
first battle scene was inspiriting and ex-
hilarating, and I do not remember that 1t
produced the least trepidation-nothing
some more sanguinary engagements when
we had learned to realize the serious effect
of the enenlv's fire."
General sickles said; Before the bal,
and and had ,1o much to do to think about
danger. I've a colonel at that time. The
higher the rank the more responsibility.
and the man in the line with little to do
except to wait for the enemy to shoot At
him is in the most trying position of ALL"
-Nnu- Vcr1t SIn