STRANGE ARMY PANICS.

Waikato Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 618, 9 April 1900, Page 4

STRANGE ARMY PANICS.

For the strange panics which frequently overtake an army, no satisfactory explanation can be given, unless the old saying that fear is contagious is any explanation. One of the most notorious army panics ever recorded occurred amongst the very men who had so devotely upheld the standard of Sir John Moore in his dogged but disastrous retreat to Corunna. If ever England posseased seasoned veterans it was in the heroes of the Peninsula. Nevertheless they ran, and ran badly too, although, so far as could be ascertained by their officers, there was never the slightest reason for panic. The circumstances of the case are briefly described by the corrcspont of Cassel’s Journal as follows After the death of the gallant Sir John three of his crack regiments (the 43rd, 52nd, and 95th) were formed into the celebrated “Light Division," commanded by Robert Crawford, One night, as they lay encamped beneath the sheltering branches of a thick wood, a sudden panic seized them. In a moment the tents belched forth hundreds of semi clad figures, which scattered in all directions before the weapons of an imaginary foe. Indeed, there is no knowing what might have become of the terror-stricken division had it not been for the presence of mind of a young officer, who shouted that the French cavalry was about to charge them. Immediately the force of habit reassured itself. The gallant fellows had no fear of a tangible, living foe ; the veteran units mechanically “fell in" to resist cavalry; and—the incident terminated, But it has never been explained. A very similar incident was reported to the writer by a British officer, who formerly held a commission under the Chinese Government. It occurred during the ChinoJapanese war. A certain Chinese regiment, which had upon several occasions distinguished itself in action against the Japanese—the Celestial is an excellent soldier when led by British officers—encamped one night within a mile of the Japanese lines. Sentries baviilg been duly posted, and all necessary precautions taken to ensure against a surprise, the wearied soldiers turned in to sleep the sleep of the just. Shortly before midnight, however, a terrific hullabaloo arose. “Theforeign forces are upon us!’’ rose the cry, and a headlong flight began, in which several other regiments were involved. Eventually the. flight was arfested, but only after daylight had assured the fugitives of the entire absence of their fancied pursuers. Now comes the strange part of the story. Such of the Chinese troops as could be prevailed upon to stay in camp when the panic first broke out were hastily formed into battle array, in order to repulse the Japanese onslaught, the noise of which could be distinctly heard only a short distance away. Minute after minute passed, but still no Japs, whilst the noise fromtheJapaneselir.es seemed to get fainter and fainter. Finally the dawn broke, only to reveal the struggling rear-guard of the Japanese troops, already many miles distant in full flight. Ridiculous though it may sound in cold blood, the fact remains that two large bodies of passably brave soldiers had simultaneously conceived the idea of the other’s onslaught, and run between them upwards of a score miles in pitch darkness, in order to escape from—just nothing.

Needless to say, perhaps, the most fruitless cause of panics is the state of nervous tension into which an army will be thrown by an unexpected series of defeats. However easy of explanation these may be, their effect is invariably to breed a feeling of mistrust, which, if allowed to go unchecked, is the sure forerunner of panics and disasters.