The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1869-04-02
THE BATTLE HORSE.
His Courage on the Field-Gen. Buell.
at Shlloh-Gen. futile s War-Horse.

From the Turf, Field and F arm! ,sg eF
We do not know how truly courageous
the horse Is until he has been tried in the
fiery crucible Of war. A war test means
forced marches, sleepless nights, scauty
supplies OF food, taintness from thirst, the
thunderous snock Of arms, ghastly piles of
dead and dying, and the .sickly smell of
blood. 1t is "a test from which the boldest
often shrink, and, therefore, the horse that
proudly carries his rider through the fierce
st I'm of battle challenges our warmest ad
mlration. In scenes of suffering and daD>
ger the horse, as rule, is not less heroic
than man. Those who have supported
ign ut artillery in a hot engagement, and
have seen how brayeiy stands among the
smoke, the deafening thunder and the
leaden hail, the horse, when his mate has
been shot down at his side, will never for.
get the picture, and they will never speak
.sneerlng y of equine courage r}E &" ,sfs.
On the stubbornly contested field Of Shi>
Ion, when the fierce onslaught was made
on the federal left, when shell was screech-
ing like fiery demons In the air, mimic ba lis
were whlstllng and falling thick ly as hail
from a black summer cloud, when the def :
ant confederate yell blended savagely with
the roar Of artillery and the rattle of mus
kerry, when men were falling like aleaves
from tree stricken with frost. when the
ground was wet with blood. and the air
charged with death, when the last line was
giving way before the mtlrder0us Ere the
SCARED battle flags Of the foe already in
sight,, tremblins on the verge Of one dark
and broad suiphurouS cloud of smoke we
saw general Buell., aStride his noble horse,
dash into the thickest Of the fight, desert
ed by bis staff, and with cleaning sword
rally the breaking line and snatch victory
tIou tie very jaws OF defeat and as We
witnessed the thrilling scene, we scarcely
knew which to admire most, the reckless
indifference to death or the gallantry ot
horse and man. The courage exhibited by
both bordered on the sublime. No pol
troon would have ventured into the hot bed
of storm and danger; and the horse was as
calm as the hand and ironwil that guided
him. + Fl .s-r ..,....-z;1 ..-.--.. ,..- /
Having, seen equine courage tried, we
always look upon the veteran war horse
with pride; and when lie dies, we teellhat
the grass that grows above his grave mark
with Its soft emerald beauty, the last rest
ing place of a hero. Thousands upon
thousands Of horses persisted during the
war, and those that passed safely through
the trial are, one by enc, dropping from
the stage Of time. And as they tali,r let us
hope that the bitter memories, but net the
heroism, Of the. late sanguinary struggle
are dying out with them.
Our Iowa exchanges note the death of
general futile war horse. This animal
figured prominently throughout the entire
service of the volunteer army. The gener-
al rode him in every battle in which. he
participated, and always could firmly rely
on his courage. At Fort Donaldson this
horse was first baptized in the smoke Of
battle then he heard the ,hunders of Shi
lob, and received his first wound. A,
Jackson he was wounded second time,
and third and fourth time in the siege Of
Vicksburg. Honorable sears were these,
received in the front line of action And
general Tuttle simply yielded to the die
tates of humanity, when he transported his
halt and worn battle-horse to the green
pastures and warm stables in Iowa, where,
receiving every kind attention, he nursed
his wounds, then bowed his head and died.
2" An honest horse aud atrue patriot,
was the eulogy pronounced at the grave of
the dead Weed last week by his owner, and
we thus blaZon the words in type that they
may stand monument to the memory Of
the gallant dead. 70 1ds $3.50 aag3 illw