Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-08-13
BATTLEFIELD pAN|CS.
Odd Events That at Times De-
moraIize Veterans.
HORRORS INCIDENT TO WAR.
Two Terrifying Episodes That oe-
CURED During the Franco-Prussian
Campaien-Madness May Seize Even
the Most Hardened Troops.

1t is a peculiar circumstance that
hardened and trained troops will go
through a long fight surrounded by
all the horrors that are inseparable
from war without fllnching and with
the utmost apparent callousness and
the same men will be struck terrified
by a single trifling incident
Every war of any Importance, par
ticularly wars between civilized ma
tions, is prolific in incidents OF trivial
character in themselves, but so I'M
usual and unnatural 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 in the early days of
the Franco-Prussian war
In the heat of the great battle a
wing of the Prussian army was charg-
ed 10y the regiments of French cuiras-
siers in the hope of turning the wing
and facilitating the falling back of the
French infantry. But the cuirassiers
We're driven back 10y the unninching
Prussians. Again the cuirassiers
charged, and again they We're driven
back by the withering fire.
For Il third time they came down
again. and as the enemy waited for
them to draw nearer a horrible blood
freezing terror seized the prussians,
and for the moment it looked as If
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. 1t was Il regiment of cui.
rassiers led at n dashing rate toward
them by n headless officer sitting up.
right in his saddle and apparently en-.
couraginG his men. 1t was no less
n person than FutZum de Lascarre of
the Third regiment of Cuirassiers,
whose head had been carried com
pletely off his shoulders as the troop
broke into the third desperate charge
by n cannon ball, which also took off
another officers hand and cut the
bugler in two.
1t is remarkable and singular that at
the battle of Forbach, which took
place the same day as Worth, a very
similar incident occurred and did more
to shake the nerves of the Germans
than hours of roaring cannon and
fighting had done.
While n regiment of Prussian infan-
try We're standing in reserve watching
the fight as well as they could from
their position of shelter a charger be-
longing to a French dragoon 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 in 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 the horse, and the animal
vas allowed to gallop off to he killed n
few minutes later In crossing before
some Prussian guns. Thrilling as the
incident was. many of the brave fell
lows who witnessed it declared that
their first. almost irresistible. impulse
was to throw down their arms and
bolt Yet it was with the help of just
such men that General Won Cohen
routed the French that memorable day
in August. 1870
Ii is n well known fact that the
finest and bravost troops the world can
produce have no immunity from that
strange and mysterious madness known
to military history as "war panic" \
heavy war, frequent sanguinary en-
night marches and sur
prises sometimes play havoc with sol
diers' nervous systems and render
them more like high spirited colts than
men who have taken the field prepared
TO suffer immeasurable horrors and
take death cheerfully.
During the peninsular war two Brit.
ish regiments, the very pick of the
army and seasoned veterans, were
along in good order when
rumor 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 ana all
they carried, running away in every
blind terror In their hearts.
their faces blanched and their ears
deaf to the Numbered commands of
their officers.
For the moment they knew but one
sentiment, one emotion. n sudden, pas
'ionGte, blind terror, and they fled
without thinking whether they were
into the arms of the thing
hey dreaded or not. 1t was a terror
hat was madness, and only its mad
less redeems it from dlshonor. If !
were necessary to demon
;trate the unnaturalness of the panic
t would be done by the grand fact that
he moment 1t became known that the
enemy was really at hand the men In |
tantly fell in and showed the utmost |
'agerness to attack.
Such war panics are mysteries |
Even the most experienced military of |