What makes some soldiers fearless?

[ironfoot]

In a thread some time back, the topic of best civil war soldiers was discussed. One poster nominated Nathan Bedford Forrest. (Forrest had a bit of a notorious reputation, whether deserved or not,  because of some of his activities activities before and after the war.) I did not know a lot about Forrest at the time. I have learned a little more about him of late. I listened to the tape lecture series that goes with the book "April 1865, the Month that Saved America". The lecturer described some of Forrest's exploits, and his reputation among union generals. I was impressed. Forrest was probably the best individual soldier in the war, and one of the war's best generals. He had a reputation as being fearless, and imparting courage in his men. What makes some men so fearless?

http://ngeorgia.com/people/forrest.html

[Jim N Mo.]

Nathan Bedford Forrest was indeed something else . He was the only man to enter service as a Private and finish it as a Lieutenant General . He is also one of the most under rated and misunderstood figures of the War . Jefferson Davis who was at his deathbed the day before he died and then served as a pallbearer at his funeral , stated that his talents were not appreciated till it was too late .
   As for what makes some men fearless , I feel there are many reasons . Some good and some bad . Religion made Stonewall Jackson feel as safe in battle as if he was in bed . Duty and responsibility helped  Chamberlain , Hancock and others perform their feats of bravery . Glory and ambition pushed some while hatred drove others .
   A few weeks ago I watch a special about Medal of Honor winners and they interviewed WWII and Korean heros . Some appeared to be very ordinary soldiers who just got fed up or pissed off enough over a situation and took the necessary steps to change the outcome .

[Shorty]

I recently read of a study that found (in sex offenders) a deficiency in an area of the brain that also controls fear.  In their case, it might have been a lack of fear of getting caught.  In others, it might explain a lack of fear while in a situation that would normally demand it (combat).  
I recall some military man saying that, "If you're not afraid in combat, you just don't understand what the **** is going on".
I've heard others say that the fearles one is the one who has simply decided that he'e already dead.
Also, the fearless ones are apt not to live long enough to gain a reputation for it.  :wink:

[doc_kreipke]

In Ken Burns' PBS series, author Shelby Foote described Forrest as the prime military genius of the Civil War, saying that the Confederate cavalry general could quickly assess any given terrain and come up with an appropriate tactical response. Another author (forget who) stated that given the way Forrest used his troops, he essentially invented the mechanized infantry before there were vehicles.

Competence and success go a long way to inspire one's troops.

[nohorse]

It is difficult to understand the motivation and the perspective of seemingly fearless men on the field of battle.  There are many instances of heroism and honor particularly during the siege at Vicksburg.  To put this in a better perspective, the largest number of Medals of Honor awarded in one day was May 22, 1863 when 96 soldiers were awarded the medal at Vicksburg. A total of 120 Medals of Honor were earned at Vicksburg.

Being of Confederate lineage I would prefer to expound upon the exploits of my ancestors but reading the posts in this thread prompted me to recall one distinct occurrence at Vicksburg worthy of remembrance by both sides:  

A regiment of Texans was holding the Vicksburg lines at the Railroad Redoubt.  The Railroad Redoubt covered approximately a half-acre of ground, with walls 15 feet high and a ditch 10 feet wide. A line of rifle pits connected it with nearby fortifications, allowing the Confederate defenders to enfilade every approach.

At sunrise on May 22, 1863, the Federal gunboats along with concentrated batteries of artillery began shelling Vicksburg. This continuous and brutal barrage lasted until 10:00 that morning when the men of the 99th Illinois fixed their bayonets, arose from their trenches, and with a loud Huzzah began a run toward the Redoubt.  The 2nd Texas Regiment held their fire until the assault troops were within range and then proceeded to inflict great carnage amongst the their ranks.  The front of the Redoubt was strewn with the dead and wounded.

Then remarkably, a lone Yank stepped forward through the haze and began a run towards the breastworks. Unfaltering he carried the Regiment’s colors proudly as he ran miraculously escaping shot and shell. The Texans continued to fire at this target of opportunity as he stumbled over the bodies of his comrades and pushed on. Astonished by this man’s bravery Confederate Officer Charles Evans yelled out to his troops “Don’t shoot that man!”  As the Confederate fire withered away and the other Texans observed this brave man running through the bloody field they stood and began to shout “Come on, you brave Yank!".  Steadfastly he approached the Redoubt as the Texans continued to shout and applaud this brave lad’s bravery.  Continuing on and expecting death at any moment he continued into the Redoubt where he was captured. Evans believing that any man this brave should be spared took the colors and made him his prisoner.

This brave man became a hero to both his comrades and the Confederate defenders.  His captors brought him before Confederate General Pemberton who offered his regards.  

Confederate Officer Evans and the brave Yank maintained a friendship long after the war ended. When Confederate Officer Evans learned years after the event that the man had not been awarded his Medal of Honor due to an unexplainable delay he secured testimonial letters from both the Texas defenders and his comrades of the 99th Illinois and requested that the medal be sent along with the utmost haste.

Later, based largely upon the testimony of the Texas men that witnessed the event and the recommendation by the Confederate Officer Evans the man was finally awarded the Medal of Honor on April 5, 1898.

In October of that same year the brave Yank attended the Hannibal Street Fair where he was visited by a comrade in arms named Micheal Lane.  The brave Yank proudly had the medal fastened to the outside of his jacket as the two men walked from the fair to the riverfront. As the two men walked together, Lane noticed that the medal had fallen from the man’s jacket. They quickly retraced their steps but due to the rain, mud, and horse and wagon traffic the medal was not to be found.  The next day they placed an advertisement in the local paper “lost and found’ but obtained no response.

The Hannibal Post Master started another campaign to obtain a duplicate medal, again securing testimonials from both Confederate and Federal veterans as well as letters of reference and character from the local populace. Eventually a replacement medal was obtained in July 1899.

Who was this brave Yank?  A man of Canadian birth who worked as a shoe maker and cobbler. A resident of Hannibal he is buried in Holy Family Cemetery [also known as St. Mary’s] . His modest stone merely states: THOMAS J. HIGGINS, MEDAL OF HONOR, SERG CO D, 99 ILL INF, JUN 8, 1831, AUG 15, 1917.  

His statement regarding the medal he received: “the medal was a recognition of an act which I thought at the time was simply a soldier’s duty” [as his regiment had been instructed by his commanding officer to proceed until they reached the enemy’s breastworks].

What happened to the colors? They were returned. In 1873 the colors were sent from Richmond, VA., to Philadelphia, Pa., thence to Springfield Ill., where they now are. Stains of blood can yet be seen on them.

[Shorty]

nohorse,
'Quite a story.  Maybe men thought differently back then.  Today, such a man would be called Forrest Gump.  
Locally, Cold Harbor ('64) recalls such "bravery".  By the third assault, the Union men's feet never touched the ground.  They were running over the bodies of those in the previous charges.  They had already pinned name-tags onto their clothes so that their bodies could be identified.  'Difference is, none of them ever made it to the Confederate lines!  USGrant later admitted that Cold Harbor was his biggest mistake of the war; absolutely no gain for the lives lost.  Seeing no hope of breaking the Confederate lines there, Grant pulled out in the middle of the night, leaving the dead and dying behind, and headed south towards Petersburg.  The Confederates woke up in the morning to find no enemy opposing them and followed.  The dead were not recovered until a year later.

[nohorse]

Shorty –

Good point. Amazing isn’t it? There’s all kinds of stories from this era that are simply just dumbfounding; like the Stockade Redan assault at Vicksburg.  It’s hard to imagine how I would feel if the officer’s came down the line and said:

-We are looking for volunteers for a ‘Forlorn Hope’ [Knowing that means that your chances of survival are almost nil] and,

-We only want single men with no families [Now you know you probably aren’t coming back from the charge] and then

-We are issuing ladders so you can scale the parapets [Sheeez!]

Regretfully, as in your example, the first men to charge were immediately mowed down in the road as they left their defenses.  The next wave ran across the dead bodies in the road not touching the ground.  Those that made it to the parapets found that the ladders were too short and they were trapped in the trench below as the Confederates lit artillery shell fuses and rolled the shells down the parapet into the trench below.  Those soldiers remaining to follow up the charge were then trapped in the road by the dead and the withering fire from the Confederate defenses…….there were a lot of medals given that day also…It took some nerve to step out of the works onto that road [ironically named ‘the Graveyard road’.