During the Battle of Cedar Creek, Philip Sheridan rode back from Washington with a few other aides. Before leaving, he ordered that daily reconnaissance should be conducted to watch for a Confederate attack. On 19 October, Jubal Early surprised the unprepared Union soldiers, driving them from the field. Upon Sheridan's trek back, he got an uneasy feeling. From the distance, shots rang out. Sheridan immediately spurred his horse towards the fighting to rally his men and order a countercharge to win the day. Yet, the outcome could have been different if an acoustic shadow had been cast over Sheridan and his aides.
Unfortunately, it occurred for many more commanders at crucial moments in battle. George Pickett and other Confederate officers failed to hear the opening sound of battle at Five Forks as Sheridan and Gouvenour Warren engaged his men. It is unlikely that Pickett's presence would have changed the outcome, but in other cases, it mattered more, like at the Battle of Iuka. In the summer of 1862, Grant had the difficult task of defending northern Mississippi while thinning his ranks to defend the city of Corinth. Grant oversaw William Rosecrans's Army of Mississippi and Ord's two divisions. These two columns moved towards the town of Iuka in a pincer movement that Grant agreed to upon Rosecrans's request. As Grant accompanied Ord's column in the north, Rosecrans was left vulnerable to the south arriving later than anticipated. Sterling Price opted to attack Rosecrans's force to the south and won a tactical victory against Rosecrans, opening up a route to escape from Iuka. Despite Grant and Ord's men being only a couple of miles from the fighting, they did not hear the fighting until a correspondence informed him that Rosecrans needed reinforcements. Grant and Ord took immediate action, capturing some stragglers and fighting a rear guard. Yet, they did not join when Rosecrans needed him the most. This failure to support Rosecrans started a decaying relationship between Grant and Rosecrans.In one case, it almost cost Emperor Napoleon dearly at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt. Napoleon was at war with Prussia in the Fourth Coalition War. Napoleon attempted to strike the Prussian force in one of the early significant engagements, but a larger column of Prussians under Friedrich Wilhelm Carl von Schmettau had orders to advance north to block Marshal Davout's corps in the Kosen Pass. Napoleon defeated the Prussians at Jena, but Davout was left to contend with a Prussian force of 64,000 while only possessing 26,000 men. Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte was only ten miles away from Davout when they came under attack. Bernadotte was under Napoleon's orders to join him in Jena. Bernadotte is criticized for not turning towards Auerstedt when the Prussians engaged with Davout's vastly outnumbered force. However, it is possible Bernadotte never heard the firing due to an acoustic shadow preventing him from making such a decision. This decision had no tremendous strategic consequences because, miraculously, Davout won the battle. However, it created a rift between Davout and Napoleon. It seemed that Napoleon never put Davout in places of tactical importance or considered his operational plans, feeling that Napoleon felt outshined by Auerstedt.
The absence of sound remained one of the most problematic attributes of warfare in the 19th century. There is an emphasis on what the commander sees, and frequently, in the unfolding events on the battlefield, presents a military genius. Yet, even the greatest commanders fall victim to the acoustic shadow. There are cases of officers listening to the ground for enemy fire or movement, but it was unnatural for an officer to listen to the vibrations or the low hum of firing if they are unaware of the present danger. There was not a special gift or trait that could overcome it.
Comments