The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-08-18
Battlefield PAN|CS,
Odd Events That at Times De
moraIize Veterans.
HORRORS INCIDENT 70 WAR.
Two Terrifying Episodes That oo-s
CURED During the Franco Prussian
campaign-Madnsss May ssizs Even
the Most Hardened Troops.

through q long ight surrounded by
Ill the horrors that are inseparable
from war without ninching and with
the utmost apparent c%allousness and
the same men Will be struck terrified
by a single triding incident.
Every war Of any Importance. par
ticularly wars between civilized ma
lions. is prolific - incidents d trivial
character Ii themselves, but % IN
usual and u%nnatural that they appeal
to the natural instructive horror Of
men more suddenly and intensely than
perhaps the main terrors Of days Of
carnage. Such an incident Is the one,
for example. which occurred at the
battle Of Worth, n the early days Of
the Franco-Prussian war.
In the heat of the great battle 2
wing OF the Prussian army was charg-
ed BY the regiments OF French cuiras-
siers Id the hope 81 turning the wing
and facilitating tho falling back Of the
French infantry. But the c%uirassiers
were driven back by the unflinching
Prussians. Again the c~uirassiers
charged, and again they were driven
back BY the whitening fire.
For a third time they came down
again. and as the enemy waited for
them to draw ne1rer a horrible. blood
freezing terror seized the Prussians.
and for the moment 1t looked az II
they would turn and fly Or be cut
down without defending themselves.
But in a moment they had pulled
themselves together and beaten back
for the third and last time the gallant
cuirassiers.
The sight that terrified the Prussians
appears nothing very much In black
and white. It was regiment Of cui-
rassiers led at q dashing rate toward
them By a headless officer sitting up
right ii his saddle and apparently j.
%couraging his men 1t was no less
q person than Futxum de Lascarte Of
the Third regiment Of cuirassiers.
whose head had been carried COM
pleteiy on his shoulders as the troop
broke into the third desperate charge
BY a cannon ball, which also took OF
another oficer's hand and cut the
bugler II two. n
It ID remarkable and singular that at
J the battle Of Fofbach. which took
place the same day Is Worth, q very
similar incident occurred and did
to shake the nerves OF the Germans
than bours Of roaring cannon end
lighting had done.
While q regiment OF Prussian infanr
Try were standing III reserve watching
the fight al we'll - they could from
their position Of shelter 4 charger be-
longing to ! French dragon regiment.
one which III practically destroyed In
the battle. galloped Right Into the midst
Of the men, who rushed to arrest It
and Immediately fell back In alarm.
for swinging to the bride was the
whole left arm Of the chargers rider.
the fingers Of the hand firmly grasping
the relns. The arm appeared to have
been severed a few inches below the
shoulder and was certainly that Of an
omcer. but who the odicer was has
never been satisfactorily established.
So moved were the hardened men Of
battle ut the horrible sight that no n
would touch the horse. and the animal
was allowed to gallop on to be killed q
few minutes later in crossing before
some Prussian guns. Thrilling as the
incident was, many Of the brave fell
lows who witnessed II declared that
their first. almost irresistible, impulse
was to throw down their arms and
bolt. Yet 1t was with the help Of just
such men that General Won Cohen
routed the French that memorable day
in August. 1870.
finest and bravest troops the world can
produce have no immunity from that
strange and mysterious madness known
to military history ass'war panic" A
heavy war, frequent s~ansuinary en-.
sagements. night marches and il.
prises sometimes play havoc with SOL
diers' nervous systems and render
them more like high spirited colts than
men who have taken the ield prepared
to suffer immeasurable horrors and
take death cheerfully.
During the p%eninsular war two Brit.
.ish regiments. the very pick OF the
army and seasoned veterans, were
marching along in good order when a
rumor ran down the lines that the E
my was at hand. The next moment
the line Of orderly soldiers was changed
into an elongated mob Of armed men
Throwing away arms. baggage and all
they carried, running away In every
direction, blind terror in their hearts,
their faces blanched and their ear
deaf to the numbered commands Of
their officers.
For the moment they knew but one
sentiment, one emotion, : sudden. pas
si6nate. blind terror. and they hed
without thinking whether they were
running into the arms Of the thing
they dreaded or not. It WAS q, terror
that was madness, and only its mad,
ness redeems 1t from dishonor. II
anything were necessary to demon
strate the unnaturalness Of the panic
it would be done by the grand fact that
the moment 1t became known that the
enemy was really at hand the men In
stantly fell In and showed the utmost
eagerncss to attack.
Such war panics are mysteries.
Even the most experienced military Of
deer cannot satisfactorily explain them.
, "A Bishop In Anger.