The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1905-04-13
THE FIELD oFBATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
The Veterans Of the Rebellion Tell Of
Whistling Bullets, Bright Bayonetat
Bursting Bonbs, Bloody Battlso
Camp Fire. Festive Bugs, Etc, Eto

yOI, tHut oHc III Muhueu Was HOl NCiy
different from some we had in our own
army in the Civil War. Given ex-
hausted and excited men, and a crisis
in the rear Of an army, and there Is
bound to be great scare, involving
men and horses and mules. / don't
suppose either the Russians or. the
Japanese run heavily to mules, but in
panic l fancy thousand or two Chi
nese coolies would be as unmanage-
able as that many mules under similar
circumstances. Therefore 1 conclude
the panic in Mukden was not any the
better for the absence Of mules.
an western Virginia I saw a COM
pany that had fought for hours against
regiments Of rebs wilt when one of
our own regiments dashed up and pep
pered the boys in the backs. This was
too much, and for the first time that
day the men on the firing line were
scared. AS they turned to bolt they
saw the Captain shaking his fist at
the Twenty-sixth Ohio in our rear,
and heard above the confusion the
Captains voice in a swearing stunt
that beat the band. He didn't order
his men back into line. Their scare
was over, and they went back without
orders, shouting compliments at the
Captain, who was still in action.
"At Stone River our regiment faced
the enemy for hours without sign Of a
NJ Of MI
gades, changing front under pressure,
ran over us, the boys lost their grip
for about five minutes and were join
ing in the foot race when the Colonel,
who had been unhorsed, scrambled to
his feet and roared, I can lick the
man or the regiment that did that.
But you men, as you were. as you
were!-if any man has sense enough
to know where we were This quieted
the panic In our own line, but the
stampede involved other regiments,
and I saw men act like frightened
squirrels and try to squeeze their bulks
into holes in the ground or creviceseip
the rocks.
TT was all over in a few minutes,
the panic-stricken men returning to
the firing line on their own motion.
The next day there was panic of an
other kind, when men were swept off
their feet by a rush Of the enemy.
Dazed by the sudden onslaught, hum
dreds of men drifted rearward, to the
decentralization Of other regiments.
General Thomas rode across the line
of retreat, and, pistol in hand. checked
the panic, the men, after cooling of a
little returning to their regiments.
"There was panic at Chickamauga,
caused by Longstreet's headlong
charge; but 1t was only local storm
the main part of the army knowing
nothing of it. There was a panic
among stragglers at Shiloh, but the
men In front were fighting as coolly
as ever they did in the whole course OF
Tie war. There is always more confu
sion and excitement in the rear of al
army than in front, but the excitement
means as little as the confusion. Ar
army itself engaged in fierce confiict
Is rarely Influenced by what occurs a
the rear; and yet the incidents in thu
rear are more often than otherwise ex
! plotted as indicating conditions in the
army ITSELF"
"There have been a good many ref
erences lately" said the Doctor. ito the
improved sanitary regulations Of mod
ern armies. 1t is explained that the
sanitary corps Of the Japanese army
marks in advance the quality of thu
water to be used by the soldiers, ani
insists upon officers complying witt
directions as to camp sites and sanitary
regulations. In short, an attempt !!
made to have US believe that Japa
nese soldier never fills his canteen Of
gets his feet wet without consulting
the mIcrobe specialists, and that, be
cause of the superiority of moderI
methods, soldiers fight better.
"All this is very amusing to an ole
stager, and reminds me Of story. II
our own war there were doctors wht
assumed authority superior to tina
of the commanding General. The!
made a point of making health rule
for the troops which could not b,
and were not observed in the siren
uous campaigns or in time Of battle
On one occasion General Sheridan wa
fretting about one of his divisions be
ing slow in getting into position. H,
started, in rage, to see what was tn
matter, and found the men crossing
small river in single file on a foot log
HE asked In his own emphatic wa.
what all this meant, and was INFORMED
that the division surgeon had said tn
health of the men must not be jeopar
died by wading the stream. Then tn
wrath Of the General found expression
and. jumping off his horse. he wade,
the stream, and said, Boys, want yo'
in this fight ct once. Cross the river
And he waded back, Tue men follow
ing him in a mass. The crossing wa
effected In five minutes. and the troop
went into battle unmindful of we
clothes and shoes.
an another case earlier in the wa
General William Nelson won the eter
nal enmity of the surgeons In his di
vision. Buelps army had come t
Duck River in its march through Ten
nessss to Pittsburg Landing, AM
found all the bridges burned. How
ever, there was necessity for haste
and Nelson volunteered to put his dl
vision across the river without bridges
He ordered Colonels to march thei
regiments to the river, have their me-
remove their outer clothing and shoe
and stockings, and wade the river i
their shirts and drawers. This wa
in March, and, on seeing the order
many surgeons protested, saying sue
exposure would kill more men tha
would be lost in battle.
General Nelson stood by his ordel
and Buell. approved 1t. Tie mex
morning when the order was read t
the regiments the boys laughed an
cheered. They marched down to tn
river quietly and cheeriiy. They stacl