One thing interesting about Tom Snelling in these accounts is that the night before the battle he had told his friends he knew he would be killed, and that he was pretty scared. I suppose that is very common, and perhaps only remembered later if the guy actually dies. But apparantly he was pretty concerned about it, and distraught. before going to sleep he covered his buckles and buttons with mud to take off any shine that might catch an enemy eye once the battle began. Yet when the sun rose and the order to attack was given, he stood up, conquered his fear and ran forward with the rest. His fellows said almost the first shot fired took him down.
Sometimes thinking it over, I think his a perfect act of courage, to be so deeply afraid and yet not run away in the night, and when the time came, to face right into the most fearsome danger. How did so many of these men do this by the 100s of thousands, and keep it going for four long years, destroying so many dreams, wrenching so many families, who never saw their sons or husbands or fathers again?