Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1884-06-20
GEN. ShERlDAN'S HORSE.
The Later History OF the Ola Win.
chester War Horse as Complied ~
Bill Nye.

Bue h<sitsT bhsstOFy ID tne Sbu Nvus
chester War Horse as Complied ~
Bill Nye.
New York Mercury,
have always taken great interest
In war incidents, and more so. perhaps,
because / wasn't old enough to put
down the rebellion myself. I have been
very eager to get hold of and hoard up
in my memory all its gallant deeds OF
both sides, and to know the history Of
those who figured prominently in that
great conflict has been one Of my am.
billions.
have always watched with interest
the steady advancement Of Phil Sheri-
dan, the black-eyed warrior with the
fiorid face and the Winchester record.
l have also taken some pains to investi.
gate the later history Of the old Win
chester war horse.
"Old Rienzi died in our stable few
years after the war; said a Chicago
livery man to me o short time ago.
"Gen. Sheridan left him with us and in.
structed us to take good care Of him,
which We did, but he got old at last,
and his teeth failed upon him, and that
busted his digestion, and he kind of
died Of old age, l reckon"
SLOW did Gen. Sheridan take it?"
"Oh, we'll, Phil Sheridan is no school
girl. He didn't turn away when old
Rienzi died and weep the manger full
of scalding regret. II you know Sheri.
dan You know he don't rip the blue
dome of heaven wide open with unavail-
ing walls He just told us to take care
of its remains, patted the old cuss on
the head little and walked of. Phil
Sheridan don't go around weeping
softly into pink bordered wipe when
horse dies. He likes q good horse.
but Rienzi was no Jay-Eye-See for
swiftness, and he wasn't the purtiest
horse you ever see, by no means"
"Did you read lately how Gen. Sheri-
dan didn't ride on horseback since his
old war horse died. and seems to have
lost all interest in horsesg"
"No, I never did. He no doubt
would rather ride in cable-car or q
carriage than TO jar himself up on
horse. That's all likely enough, but
as | say, he's matter-of-fact little
fighter from Fighttown. He never
stopped to snoot and paw up the
ground and sob himself into bronchitis
over old Eienzi. He went right on
about his business. and like old King
What s-his-name, he hollered for an
other boss, and the war department
never slipped cog.
Later ON ! read that the old war
horse Was called Winchester, aud that
he was still alive in o bluegrass pas
ture in Kentucky. The report said that
old Winchester wasn't very coltish. and
that he was evidently failing. Igathered
the idea that he was wearing store teeth
and that his memory was little def
cient, but that lac might live yet
for years. After that met
New York livery stable prince,
at whose palace Gen. Sheridan's
well-known Winchester died Of bolts in
II. He told me all about it and how
Gen. Sheridan came on from Chicago
at the time and held the old horses
head in his lap while the feet limbs
that flew from Winchester down and
saved the day stifiened in the great
mysterious repo-e o. death. he said
that Sheridan wept like child, and as
he told the touching tale to me ! wept
also. ! say ! wepi. Iwepf about q
quart, I should say. He said also that
the horses name wasn't Winchester
nor Rienzi; it was in.
! was sorry TO know il. Jim is no
name for war horse who won victory
and a marble bust and poem. You
cant respect horse much II his name
was Jim.
After that found ont that Gen.
Sheridan's celebrated Winchester horse
was raised in Kentucky; also in Penn
sylyania and Michigan; that he went
out as . volunteer private; that lac was
in the regular service prior to the war,
and that he was drafted, and that he
died on the field OF battle, in u sorrel
pasture, in '13, in eat pain and on
Governors Island: that he was buried
with Masonic honors by the Good
Templars and the Grand Army OF the
Republic; that he was resurrectel by
a medical college and dissected: that lie
was cremated in New Orleans aud taxi
dermed for the military museum ut
New York. Every little while run up
against a new fact relative To this noted
beast. He has died in nineteen differ.
ent states, and been buried in thirteen
different styles, while his soul goes
marching on. Evidently We live in AN
age Of information. iou can get more
information nowadays, such as it is,
than Won know what TO do with.