Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-10-08
Cavalry Men and Horses.

cavalry leader OF the Army of the Po-
tenac. dropped into the handsome Office
Of the 7ymfs yesterday, and, without
knowing how, We went from the dis
oussion Of Tanner to the question of
the endurance OF horses. Probably no
nan in the country had = wider field
fox the study Of horses than General
Pleaston had during the war.
Gen. Plessanton," said I, "cf all
he officers in the army whom you
knew. which one had the best horse ?"
:" had" he answered quickly. 81
bought him, chestnut stallion, from
Prince do Joinville. He vas The finest
hogso n the army Of the Potomac. The
Prince paid 5000 Tor him. and /
bought him whom the Prince was going
away, for $500. Obi but he was .
beautyi he was - gentle a. . lamb,
With the courage of the devil, and the
speed Of the wind. Then he had
bottom. He could 60 without ealing
g drinking and Was - pretty % . wom.
IN. He was thoroughbred. and had
been most carefully broken. He would
jump fences and bitches or any thing
before him. left him in chsrge Of Z
bugler ono day, and that vas the last I
syer say OF either the bHgler or the
horse. / never knew what became Of
them. but il was generally thought that
The busler had run away with the horse
o. tho horse had run away with the
bugler, and they had gone over to tho
snsmy.
Il stallion. . gelding. or MAZE the
best war horAe, General Z" :. Oh, y stall.
lion il the best. He has more courage
and moro endurance. Why, I romem-
Der in the old army. long before the
VA, when it Vas not thought to be the
decent thing for an army officer to ride
. mare. Il Was formerly the practice
81 Ill warlike nations to mcOnt their
cavalry ON stallions, bat in later days
i they can't get 3 stallion they win
stride mule. Mexico is full OF good
horses now. I'll tell you where the
4exicans get them. You know that
nearly all the French army in Algiers
was sent TO Mexico to sustain Bszaine
and Aaximilian, and the cavalry was
Nc principal arm. Every man was
mounted on flne stallion. Well. when
Haximilan collapsed (through Gener-
al Sherman, Grant, Sheridan, and
some otheTs-Ill tell you about il
some day and the French troops were
ordered back to France. it would not
have paid TO take the horses along, and
% they we're sold for what they would
1etch. and the breed Of horses in Mexi.
% y from tho Algerian stations"
"Hew about France and Eugland 7
Do they use stations now 2" No;
they mount what they can get. We
aEs sending horses to England and
France al the time. But England hss
some grand horses. But TO como back,
aaid no. turning suddenly. 40 the
question OF horses in the army; do you
Henember the horse Custer rode at the
great review here at the close 81 the
wasf Not Well, Sir, hs vas Q grand
horse. His name vas Don juan"
DO you really think he ran away
With Custer on that occasion, or was Il
one Of Clusters tricks 2" "I don't know
anything about that, but know there
never was better horse under knight
- ladie' than Don Juan. He Was
thoroughbred bay from Kentucky,
think, and had been trained for tn
turf. j don't know what became o
him"
How many horses did you own at ,
time during the war;" "Oh some
timss I had 6ye or nix or seven ut tn
tvelisst period. You 80, whom We wer'
making those long scouts We would
wear out . horse. Custer, for instance
While IN aide de-oamp on my staff b,
sometimes rode the same horse hun