Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-08-20

Ognizes for the time being as MS petDers.
He will keep. saying to himself, : can
20 as far as any one dare go.
In taking this view, that a soldier Will
emulate, and If he cannot exactly emu
late, at least initiate, the bravery Of his
more seasoned fellows / have in mind
the point already drawn that a soldier
with pluck enough to get as far as the
battlefield has the making Of brave
warrior in him. If he is among seasoned
fighters, he may cast off all thought OF
himself and simply do as the rest do.
we'll remember how picked ont CON
spicuously brave men and sided up to
them with the feeling that it was good
to be in their company.
My own initiation in battlefield ex-
periences came somewhat gradually, but
it SO happened that / was suddenly
pumped into the midst Of CALLING
fire, first from artillery, then, weeks
afterward from bullets. On both occa-
sions | had no chance to shoot back.
Under the artillery fire ! lay with my
company in support of battery and
close behind it. The enemy's balls and
shells were aimed at the guns in our
front and as q rule passed the target.
Our guns answered the fire, but the sup
porting line lay idle, exposed to the
missiles 1t was my first close acquaint-
ance with artillery and ! was so absorb
ed in watching the iron game that
forgot all else. The duel lasted two or
three hours and at the close of it was
sound asleep.
When / first faced a fire of bullets, it
was in an attack upon mountain posi-
ton. As skirmishers we led the column
and at one dash came within view of
the enemy. For time the bullets flew
over our heads, and had already learn
ed not to fear the high fliers. Again
the strangeness of the situation gave me
food for thought to keep my mind from
fear The enemy was only few hun
bred rods from us and was well shell
tered behind stone walls. We had clev
erly passed the danger line without los
ing man and by another sl1illful ma
newer flanked them and captured what
seemed an impregnable stronghold.
These initial strokes gave me such con-
fidence that we would win the game
that all danger from flying bullets,
which soon became murderous, was for
gotten.
Veteran officers adopt every means to
keep the minds of their men employed
lest fear get the better of them. The
possibility of fear getting the mastery is
recognized among seasoned troops as
we'll as among novices. In fact, the men
who finch just enough to show shade
of white in the face and then brace up
are the ones for daring deeds and plenty
of them. They count the danger and
willingly meet it. With them the know
ing no fear is the refusing to give way
to it. What at first is resolution be-
comes a habit and then soldier is as
near to perfection i'll courage as can be
asked Of men who prize the heavenly
boon of life.
There are many theories expounded
on the drill parade about conduct under
fire. but they vanish from the mind of
pupil and teacher alike as soon as the
line comes to the danger point One of
the volunteer colonies fighting under
Old Rough and Ready Taylor at Resaca
de Ia Palma lectured his men about
lodging when the Mexican bullets were
whistling at safe distance over their
heads OF course he thought and said, as
theorists always do, that lodging is al
very unsoldierly habit. Taylor at last
came within hearing of the reproof.
Riding up to the colonel and punctuat
ing every word of his protest with a
dodge of the head and suffering
pause, he said: "Don't-stop-the-
men-colonel Let-them-dodge-
-they-want-to. It's-perfectly-
neutrality-suspicious."
General Sherman also tried to give
his raw volunteers a lesson upon dodg-
ing at the first battle of Bull Run.
When the men heard bullets whistle