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New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVIII, Issue XVIII, 1 May 1897, Page 539

In the excitement of battle the recruit, and the wellseasoned soldier, sometimes, will do many queer things —things which seem incomprehensible. He will load and fire his gun as rapidly as it is possible to load it, not aiming the gun in the direction of the enemy, but straight up into the air, and not being aware of the fact that the gun was not discharged, put in another cartridge, and so on till the barrel is nearly full of unfired cartridges. By the adoption of the breech-loading rifle such a thing is impossible to-day, but after the battle of Gettysburg there were picked up on the battlefield about 27,000 muskets, of which number over 24,000 were loaded. About half contained two charges, one fourth held from three to ten charges, while one musket held twenty-three charges. Yet the troops in this battle were seasoned soldiers of exceptional experience in war. After Konigratz the Austrian rifles found on the battlefield were ina similar condition. A veteran thus describesthe feeling of going into battle. He says that he believes the feeling of emotion is the same with all men. To the recruit the crash of small arms and the roar of cannon are simply appalling ; he feels that he is going forward to certain death. With clenched teeth and pale cheeks he goes forward to his place, determined to do his duty. If very much excited, he loads his gun, forgetting to put on a cap, goes through the motions of firing, only to ram home another load on top of the first, and when using a cap for the first time is kicked flat on his back by the recoil of the gun, he believes himself badly wounded. Finally, finding that everyone does not get killed in an engagement, he goes on regaining coufidence and passes through successfully bis baptism of fire. To the veteran this is different. He knows too well that every battle reduces the average chance of his escape, yet so habituated has he become to the rattling fusiladeand desperate charges he scarcely heeds the danger around him. The shriek of the shells over his head, the buzz of the bullets by his ear are now familiar sounds, and, trusting to the chances of war, the infantryman Area rapidly with his musket, or the artilleryman calmly rams home another charge of grape and canister as his battery opens at close range on an advancing body of the enemy. All men are naturally afraid of death, but the trained soldier learns to keep down that fear, and nonchalantly do what is required of him.