Page:The Reminiscences of Carl Schurz (Volume One).djvu/241

 to do in the Badish land, and whom we should send home on the morrow with a sound thrashing. Now I expected within myself the solemn “emotions on the eve of battle” of which here and there I had read. But no emotions came; I fell asleep as soon as I had stretched myself out.

Neither did those emotions come the next morning, “on the morning of the battle.” It almost appeared to me as if overmuch had been imagined about such emotions. In later life I have gathered the experience that indeed they will occur, but only on exceptional occasions. Ordinarily the thoughts of the soldier on the morning before the battle turn to things of a very practical nature, among which breakfast occupies an important place. So it happened to me on that morning at Ubstadt. At an early hour we were in the saddle, and soon we saw at a little distance in our front some cavalrymen who approached at a moderate pace. This signified that the Prussians had deployed one or more squadrons of uhlans as skirmishers who would be followed by infantry and artillery to make an attack. The uhlans disappeared after having fired a few shots from their carbines, and then began a lively rattle of infantry fire. Soon cannon were posted on both sides and the balls flew to and fro with their peculiar rushing sound, without, however, doing much damage. At first my attention was occupied entirely by orders which I had to transmit or to execute, but after our artillery had been placed, and we sat quietly on our horses in the immediate neighborhood of the battery, I had leisure to become conscious of my thoughts and feelings. Then I experienced another disappointment. For the first time I was “under fire.” I cannot say that I was entirely calm; my nerves were in an unaccustomed stir: but that stir was not fear, nor was it the heroic joy of battle, of which I had read so much, for I was