THE WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 272, 23 November 1870, Page 2

THE WAR.

FRENCH PANIQS. s,.'.'.'Tli'e-'FreiK^soldiera appearj&jbe singulady. liable to panics". [TlipiSticl£"recentlj,,ga,Te an account of a false alarm at Bouzonville, some miles to the east of Metz. A sentry who bad lost himself came suddenly upon another, who immediately fired and shot him dead. The contagion of firing set in, and the whele cordon of sentinels discharged their rifles. Many other instances in which French soldiers have given way to such sudden impulses can be mentioned. In the Crimea, in January, 1855, at break of day, after a perishing night of snowstorms, the advanced posts of a regiment encamped on the Intermann plateau, believing; themselves to be suprised, cried, " Aux armes !" In a few seconds they saw that they had raised a false alarm, but it was too late. The regiment, which was eucainped in column, took up the ciy, tumbled out of bed, and rushed' to the piled arms. The locks were frozen, and on being put on full cock, which was done by the men at once, would not remain so ; the hammers, net catching, fell, and the rifles went off. ,The first division of the column thought it was attacked in rear ; the second believed itself surrounded, and so on for the other divisions. For some^ time disorder was at its height, and the officers were powerless." The panic was ; communicated electrically to all the neighbouring regiments, in which the same things were instinctively ! repeated. Curiously, no one ■ was wounded, JWha^ was most worthy, of remark on this occasion was the iostapt cocking of the rifles. The tumblers of almost all Itpe. locks held a little moisture, which, .mixing with the hard? iened grease, caused an obstruction, arid so the hammers fell and the guns went off. On the :30th jof May, 1 859', Canrobert's 3rd"corps was at Prarola, on-the: right bank of the Sesiflj; a storiii came on, and after, it was over the men went to the piles of; arms to dry and clean, them. Finding some of the'charges moistened by the.raini they discharged the rifles, which in many cases missed or hung fire. One after, another the whole corps of 25,000 men fired off their rifles, battalion after battalion, in all the divisions. The most positive orders not to fire' were unavailing, and all this occurred when a great strategic movement, which tf as to be kept secret from the Austrlans, w& in progress. Jt was impossible to stop the firing, if it 'ceased at one' point; it'began at another, and agitation consequently prevailed during the whole evening and part of the night "On the, 31st? of May, 1859■•: (says a "Garde Rationale Mobile in;tke]£>pectateur Militaire), we crossed; the, Sesia .after Palestro., ,At 4 o'clock we y wei^e ' all on the right bank; -; The change was- so; rapid thdt we l migh£' well believe ourselves without a line of retreat ;'in large corps such things are divined by instinct. On returning to camp after a; reconnaissance the cry 'Auv armes' was heard.throughout ; 6ur division,- and all the troops round Palestro were on the alert.. It. was a false alarm. Such a panic often occurs during a campaign, and always "without reason. Sometimes it gains- the old troops, who are less susceptible than the young" and untried.. Afew; minutesi • ■.. generally , restores the', sense of security, ,' biit; 'in." ' meanwhile some seize. 'their' anna'i through* pKu'derice,) although,,acting on ihe'generalimpulse, others do so without motive, the vest' through inexperience, all reading a surprise, which..-. isgenerally quite improbable." The "Garde Nationale" makes a -practical suggestion for the abatement of such panics, and says that-jit would be suflieent if the trumpeters,sounded "la baroque,"-, which calls .'the soldier ta {§& meals or : to his rest. He also adds that' an' assured iine of retreat singularly increases'the confidence of .troops. It is riot enough thatthei staff: should ' have this confidence ; they, should kn6w'h6w to communicate it to the; troops they direct. Incessant marches.and counter-marches'always leave the soldier in doubt and- dread. The longer action is delayed the more terrible becomes suspense, the^ unknown; and the, apprehended.— Tall 'Mall Gazette.- -' ■ ?