Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1898-08-13
rME HUMAN VOICE IN sArriE.



The human voice in battle has =
peculiar, . precise value That value
does not lie in the giving of orders.
II requires no great mental strain TO
understand that in the heat of an en-
gagement the guns do all the talking
that's audible. The youthful author
of The Red Badge of Courage
represented a Corporal conversing
freely with a comrade at least thirty
feet away in n line thst was repeliing
a fierce Confederate onslaught. Any
one who has spent Fourth of July
in an American city can appreciate
the. absurdity of that, and any one
who has ever stood in line of soldiers
firing knows that after the first shock
to the tympanum he seems TO hear
nothing whatever-the individual dis
charges are wholly indistinguishable
70 him. and his Captain close behind
him might screech his throat out aud
vet make no impression. Then "a the
smoke settles back there is an almost
overpowering sense of isolation. You
don't realize your inability 70 distln
guish sounds. If you give II thought
you find simply vague idea that the
atmosphere Is mOss dense and oppres-
sive, that you are sort OF shut IN by
some impenetrable substance which
YOU can neither see nor feel. National
Guardsmen who have been IN firing
drills will remember that sensation
With the modern rapid firing guns
there's little firing by men In mass ex-
cept when the company rallies TO
repel an attack Then acircle or semi
circle Is formed around the officers and
. the bullets are sent IN every direction
: a. fast As they can travel. In the Eek
tended order" on the skirmish line 1t
Is possible for a man 20 hear himself
= think" but with a line extending rods
,uav 20 the right and left, and with
. strong wind blowing. % say nothing
= If the musketry. the officer : voice can
y not be equal 10 the emergency. 30 he
- resorts TO signals visual, with his
-. sword. when smoke and landscape viii
y allow: otherwise with the bugle. or
- with a hoarse whistle in the hilt OF his
sword. Properly drilled soldiers Of
- 1895 readily interpret the signals.
Those with the sword are simple,
those bv bugle or whistle are combina-
~ tons of long aud short blasts. as, foI
example. One long one, Halt
u Two long ones. Forward Two
% short ones and one long one. ''rc
- the rear" Two long ones and tive
short ones. Commence firing" One
= long and and two short ones, "Ceas'
iringr' The non-commissioned OF
-, fcers along the line, hearing thes'
signals. repeat the commands 20 tn
!, men.
- Aboard ship there also is grea
economy OF vocal power. IL the stee
sides OF the vessel are not belni
pounded by sho. aud shell, the officer
can make themselves heard betwee
shots. but their words are few. A
for the men. the experience OF an OF
server aboard one of our vessels at 10
"'S destruction of Cervera's feet Is TO th
49, point. He said he expected 70 he's
-, the men rush 70 quarters with We
and then cheer as they saw the enemy
=, discontinue. On the contrary, I'll
only sound was the boom OF the gun
the men going on with their work III
silent machines.
Yet the human voice has its valu
Who shall say that II Is any less thu
c those from metal thrOats? IL com
to when there's lull in the firing, VIII
p OF bayonets are fixed, when men ner
san themselves and start forward az IA r
YER over the short but shot-swept spa
cant between them and the enemy. Tn
SON the voice will make itself heard
sort rules or regulations ever could prevt
was it if they tried. Seemingly. 1t Is
-hite sbopt that carries the men onwa
seTs. upward. over the breastworks-
.raps we heard considerable about
oldly differentiation between the South
p, an- crv and the Northern cheer during
the C;y,l War The former was a hi
acme keyed, piercing yell, the latter
deeper-chested "Hurrah, leaving
Of the word all but the vowel sou
alton. ~ 40 tbav sound now. blend
Wales Americas foemen will never stop
'nn.' tell.