Why do soldiers rally around a standard

Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
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RE: http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mstandar.html
I agree standards were useful to keep fighting units together, but I think more importantly, the standard bearer always stayed with the leader so their men knew where he was. They needed to protect him &
look to him for orders. If the standard fell, that meant they were without command. The standard of the general (often the king) was particularly vital. If it fell, the battle, with few exceptions, was lost. With no
one to follow the men lost heart & would usually try to flee.

The expression “rally around the flag” means to protect the leader, in America we more commonly use it to mean honoring our country or preserving the Constitution. “Raise up a standard,” means to lead into battle; “take up the fallen standard” means to take over someone’s failed cause; and “captured their flag” means an indisputable triumph. (The general’s private detatchment would make every effort to gather up a fallen standard. To let the enemy capture it was the ultimate shame. Not only was it viewed as cowardice, but there were periods when such bitter defeat was believed to be a sign from God of the entire people’s moral inferiority.

[[ I have edited the link so it works. – CKDextHavn ]]
[Note: This message has been edited by CKDextHavn]

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We don’t currently appreciate the importance of the standard in medieval times even if we have been in the military in modern times. The standard was used to identify the location of the leader or as a rallying point after or during the battle.It was also waved in certain patterns to denote certain formations or key commands. The use of standards also identified units as mentioned in earlier posts. It was also sort of a dare.A unit routed in battle and losing their standard was disgraced,but a unit could lose the battle and quit the field with the standard intact and at least still have their “colors intact”.

Elibraz