FEELINGS IN BATTLE.

Timaru Herald, Volume V, Issue 109, 13 June 1866, Page 3

FEELINGS IN BATTLE.

[From the Louisville Journal.']

People often wonder how one feels m battle. All men are not affected alike. Some are cool, determined, and courageous ; some lose all judgement, and will, single-handed, rush upon hundreds ; others are entirely unmanned, tremble like aspens, seem dead to every emotion of honour, or feeling of shame, and will slink into coverts, or run from the field. Lord Forth, m the Crimean war, is an instance. If skirmishers engage prior to a general battle, and a desultory firing is kept up for a while, one becomes used to it ; and, as the battle warms, it frequently becomes exciting, and meu that trembled at the first few shots, now rush on like heroes.

I remember well my feelings during the first battle m which I was engaged. The night before, we received orders to prepare to attack the enemy early on the morrow. All was now bustle, hurry, and anxiety. Guns were cleaned, ammunition inspected, straps adjusted, canteens filled, knapsacks lightened, letters written. We had several m our company who had always boasted of their bravery aud prowess ; ineu who had been "spoiling for a fight," as they said. These were now as still as mice ; they didn't peep. One of them, who had taken a master's degree m all kinds of profanity, now borrowed a Bible, sat down and read it for some time, and intimated to his messmate the propriety of praying before going to sleep th.it night. It is not your blustering, profane bravado that is the brave man on the field of battle; it is your quiet, patient, retiring man. 1 confess a feeling of dread and anxiety stole over me. Battle was certain, the enemy was strongly posted, and we had desperate work before us. 1 wanted to go into battle ; yet I dreaded it like death. I slept but little .that night. The first intimation we had of the enemy, was the skirmishing between his outposts aud our vanguard, the former falling back as the latter advanced. We passed out of the wood, aud rapidly deployed into line of battle, a. gentle sloping hill hiding the enemy from our view A part of our force had been sent round to make a flank aud rear attack on the enemy ; and while so doing, it was of the utmost importance that we should hold his attention m front. We marched steadily up the hill till the whole line of the enemy burst upon our view ; there we halted, and for some minutes not a gun was fired on either side. There stood the two armies, each waiting for the other to begin the work of death. The faces of onr men looked pale and determined ; some of them stood like statutes, others were nervous and uneasy. It was the time to test their courage. A line of cannon was bearing directly upon us. Death to many of us was certain. Who will it be ? thought I. A singular feeling cume over me — a confused image of a mother and sister appeared, flitting and floating before my imagination like dissolving shadows, while the tremendous reality m front oppressed me with dreadful forebodings. A few moments passed, like those that intervene between drawing the cap over the criminal's face, and letting fall the drop, when a puff of smoke from one of the cannon, followed by a crash, and a bomb went screaming over us. Our men ducked down their heads like a flock of geese. Fire was now opened on us along the enemy's entire line. Their first shots were aimed too high. They gradually lowered them. Every discharge brought their balls fearfully nearer. We were impatient to return the fire, but dared not until the command was given. Our colonel passed along m front of the line, and urged us to stand firm till the proper time, and the day would be ours. It is a task to hold men exposed to an enemy's fire ■without allowing them to return it. They will soon run, one way or the other. The enemy's shot now began to howl around us, plough through onr ranks, and tear up the earth about our feet. A six-pound ball hit off the bayonet of my messmate on my left ; a moment more, and one struck him m the breast, severing him almost m twain. He reeled, and fell like a log. The hot blood from his heart spirted full m my face. Great God, how I felt ! A faint, sickening sensation came over me. I stooped down over him. He smiled faintly, spoke my name, gasped, and expired. He was frightfully mangled. 1 was maddened to desperation. All thought of fear vanished ; I could have fought thousands. The command " Fire ! " ran along the line, and a tremendous crash of musketry answered the command. We now loaded and tired for life. Dense volumes of sulphurous smoke hung like a pall over us, and shut out the enemy from our sight. The battle grew warm and bloody. The rattle of musketry, the screaming of shells, the thunders of artillery, the whistli.ng of bullets, the shouts of command, commingled with curses, prayers and groaus of the wounded and dying, filled all the air. Our men, block with smoke and powder, looked like devils incarnate as they piled their work of death.