The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1908-09-10
BATTLEFIELD PAN|CS,
Odd Events t at Times De-
moraINeterans.
HORRORS IbENT TO WAR.

sWo '""N
Cured Durinte Franco PrussIan
campaien-Me ss May Seize Even
the Most Haired Troops.
1t is q pecuI circumstance that
hardened and tned troops will go
through a lonGght surrounded by
nj the horrorsba t are i~nseparable
from war withd finching and with
the utmost apItnt ~callousness a
the same men / be struck terrified
by a single trif. incident.
Every war ofny Importance, par
ticularly wars tween civilized ma
lions. is proli6cl incidents of trivial
character I'm t~tnselves, but SO un-
usual and unnaral that they appeal
to the natural distinctive horror OF
men more suddjy and intensely than
perhaps the mn terrors of days OF
carnage Sucbh incident Is the one,
for example. nich occurred at the
battle Of Wort in the early days Of
the Franco rsian a
In the heatbf the great battle a
wing Of the PRsian army was charg-
ed by the regbents Of French cuiras-
siers in the hpe Of turning the wing
and facilitatin the falling back of the
French infanG. But the cuirassiers
were driven lack by the unfinching
Prussians. Again the cuirassiers
charged, andIagain they were driven
back by the tithering fire.
For a thin time they came down
again, and Is the enemy waited for
them to drat nearer a horrible, blood
freezing terbr seized the Prussians,
and for the moment 1t looked as IT.
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. II was a regiment Of cui-
rassiers led at a dashing rate toward
them by a headless officer sitting up
right In his saddle and apparently en-
eouraging his men. 1t was no less
. person than Futzum de Lascarre Of
the Third regiment Of cuirassiers,
whose head had been carried COM
OF his shoulders as the troop
broke into the third desperate charge
By a cannon ball, which also took of
another officers hand and cut the
bugler In two.
1t e. remarkable and singular that nj
the battle Of Forbach, which took
place the same day as Worth, a very
similar incident occurred and did more
10 shake the nerves Of the Germans
than hours Of roaring cannon and
fighting had done.
While a regiment OF Prussian infan-
try were standing In reserve watching
the fight as well as they could from
their position Of shelter a charger be-
longing to a French Dragon regiment,
one which was practically destroyed in
the battle. galloped right into the midst
Of the men. who rushed to arrest II
and Immediately fell back I'm alarm.
for swinging to the bride was the
whole left arm Of the chargers rider.
the fingers OF the hand firmly grasping
the reins. The arm appeared to have
been severed a few inches below the
shoulder and was certainly that Of an
officer. but who the officer was has
never been satisfactorily established.
SO moved were the hardened men of
battle at the horrible sight that no one
would touch he horse, and the animal
was allowed to gallop Off to be killed a
few minutes later In crossing before
some Prussian guns. Thrilling rs the
Incident was. many of the brave fell
lows who witnessed 1t 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
the French that memorable day
n August. 1870.
IL Is a well known fact that the
and bravest troops the world can
produce have no immunity from that
strange and mysterious madness known
10 military history as "war panic" A
heavy war. frequent sanguinary en-
sagements. night marches and sur
prises sometimes play havoc with SOL
diers' nervous systems and render
them 0 like high spirited colts than
men who have taken the field prepared
to suffer Unreasonable horrors and
take death cheerfully.
During the ~peninsular war two Brit
ish regiments. the very pick Of the
army and seasoned veterans, were
marching along In good order when a
ruInor ran down the lines that the enc
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
no carried, running away In every
dltection. blind terror IN their hearts.
Aar faces blanched and their ears
Cen to the Numbered commands Of
their officers.
tpf the moment they knew but one
~senezpent. one emotion, a sudden, pas
sionete. blind terror, and they fed
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