Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-07-14
FACING FIRST FIRE.
A FIRM GRIP NEEDED ON ONES
NERVES AND WITS.
Pluck Which Lasts Until the Ball Opens
Has Scored Nine Points-Keen Interest
In the Iron Game Makes For Courage.
When ShalSy, Fight.

a'kh's
Copyright, 1898, by American Press Asso-
citation Book rights rcservcd1
<>~ o PHASE of a
70 MSEt soldiers expert
SLcI &HNbEence causes the
(N'eS <1AfNS&4ks novice as much
VIII SNES anxiety as that
,tpmd TX X of getting broken
N VI With the mass
N&)a)l of young Amer
'T"' leans it is outside
tho realm of anything ever before OK
pcrienccd. 1t is not so much the fact
that missiles are flying, for many have
faced dangers like that in some form,
but that an armed enemy is making
them target, bent on destroying life.
The other day heard u young fellow
who never had gun in his hand and is
about to start for the scat of war, say
ing to some friends, "I'll see you again
if the Spaniards don't get me" a little
later his thoughts will be on the Span
iards hitting him, still later on, their
aiming at him and last of all, the mo-
ment when the color of his liver is to be
revealed to himself and fellows, that the
Spaniards are not only aiming, but ac-
tually shooting at him.
1t is perfectly useless for that young
man or for any one so situated to at
tempt rehearsal with the imagination
that will do the duty of Il real breaking
in. Scared he will be when he comes to
the realism of it. / have sounded the
experiences of the best fighters known
in our armies and all agree that the sol
dicr is not only afraid in his first fight,
but in every fight. How much he shows
it is another matter; SO also is the qucs-
ton whether it affects his bearing so as
to weaken execution. Phil Sheridan de-
clared that the man who says he ism t
afraid every time he faces the enemy s
fire is a liar. Similar statements come
from all who are frank enough to tell
the truth and manly enough to be nat.
ural Why, it is the height Of absurdity
for civilized human beings TO attempt
to so dcspise life that they can go into
battle without thought Of the conse.
qucnces.
The Turks, who seem to have no fear
Of bullets and rush to certain death with
ardor, are not brave at all in the sense
that we look upon bravery. They expect
to be- translated by the lethal stroke into
realms Of eternal bliss. Tho deadly bull
let and sabo~ stab of their enemy is to
DO priceless boon, beside which mo-
mentary pain is nothing. The American
soldier risks life worth living when
he goes into battle
Now, it never happens that a man
must make supreme wrestle with him.
self under the cncmy's fire. At least it
never should happen to soldier ben,
ON doing his share of the firing l will
make II fine point Of it right here. \
soldier whose mind is upon his calling
will have so much that is practical and
incidental to think about when he comes
to face the music that he'll not bother
himself much about the danger nor the
extent of his fear. The first that he
knows he find himself under fire and
will SEQ that it doesn't hurt at all. Or
if he is hit that will give him some.
thing else TO think about than the firing.
For his further encouragement just at
that time he can recall the old saying,
Lightning never strikes twice in the
same place"
If soldier has nothing better to dc
when he comes under fire. he can set to
work keeping tab on the enery's bulls
eyes. 1t will help him out nightly to
discover for himself that it takes man S
weight in lead to kill him. knew one
soldier, who was an officer and there
fore anxious not to show his trepidation
to the mon, who got grip on his shaky
nerves by tnEing ont a dry hard tacl;
aud munching at it, He declared that
hard tack was never before so dry. 1t
almost chokcd him, but even the chok-
ing was Il godscnd, for it made him for
get the enemy's fire
Once the new recruit has lived
through that first moment, or second
perhaps, when it becomes plain that the
Sraniard of imagination is not shooting
according to plan, or that if he is shoot
ing his aim Is bad, for he doesn't land
his lead, then it is all over. The dread
cd baptism Of fire is passed. There is a
lot of self clarifying aftcrward over the
passing of the ordeal, and that is all
right. y man may be proud of tho fact
that he has voluntarily stood up to be
shot at in righteous cause. That is
also the supreme test of soldier mettle,
but my experience has been that the
xt.hn h,Nllp ,ntl hA TO la
battlefield is all right anyway, If he'd
but think so himself it would remove
u load of doubt and help greatly to give
him firm bearing under first fire. EX-
perience varies in different wars, but as
a rule there is so much Of stern soldier
work put upon man before he comes
to the field that he is not likely to funk
over an evil purely imaginary. Taking
regiments as body, this rule will not
apply. So much is made on the drill
ground of keeping formation and doing
this or that cut and dried thing ut all
times that the organization is On tenter-
hooks for fear Of n wrong move, and ev-
cry man in the ranks shares the anxiety,
1t is well perhaps that the mind is SO
preoccupied, except when unavoidable
accident causes the line to break. Each
man, having depended on the organiza-
tion to carry him through, is lost when
the touch of elbow is broken.
Leaning upon the courage of others is
the proper thing for novice up to a
certain point. When ono is uncertain as
30 1, OF. al.