Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-02-18
MEXICO'S CAVALRY.
THEIR DINGY AccoUTeRMENTs AND
ROUGH-AND-REAOY STEEDS.
Personal Appearance of the Men-Uniform
and Food of Rider and
Forse-Thirty Cents Per
Diem-Liberty.
TPaso de, Mort Cor. Globe Democrat.

PasO del Mort Cor. GiODe-DefnocrNI
The soldier hold. almost as bad a position
| in the social scale as the actor does in China,
where his rank is lowest of all other profe5-
| sions-a pretty fair test of the culture of the
people, The same is true Of this land Of
God and Liberty" from which l write.
Some companies of the Eleventh Mexican
cavalry are stationed here, and have an
ample opportunity of studying the soldiers
of the republic at will. They are all shades
Of color, from almost white to a dirty
black In nearly all the Indian blood can
be distinctly traced, and in many the
type is SO strongly marked as to
dwarf all .gthers The uniform is not
handsome. 1t consists of a kind of heavy
blouse made of coarse black cloth, with red
facings, AMI pants of the same material, and
fatigue caps similar to our own. The men
are not measured for their uniforms nor
anything else There are three sizes OF uni
forms, and one of the three must fit II it
does not it does not matter, as the officers
seem utterly Indifferent to the personal ap-
pearance of their men. In foot gear the
poor fellows are worse off than in anything
else. The government serves out brogans,
but notice many brave defenden wearing
old moccasins in a state Of dilapidstion that
would excite the contempt of a Papago In
dian. 1t is chilly just now in the mornings
and | observe that many of the soldiers
have colds in their heads, which is very un-
fortunate for them, up TO date the repub-
lie has omitted to supply them with pocket
handkerchiefs.
The Mexican cavalry horss cannot by any
stretch Of fancy be called u noble steed. He
is not Tartar of the Ukraine breed, nor OF
any particular breed to speak of. He is
mustang at that His coat il
rough, and judging from its appearance ]
would argue that the stable call is seldom
sounded in the Eleventh cavalry In bar
rack his ration Of hay is small and his al
lowance Of corn frequently a negative
quantity, which mathematicians demon
strate is less than nothing. In the field he
lives off the face of the country, and how he
continues t. live where an American horse
would starve is an equine mystery. But il
is the capacity of both man and horse to
live on little and bear hardship that makes
the Mexican cavalry better Indian f,htsrs
than our own The Mexican cavalry horse
has little impeiiment to carry. A light hair
lariat that cannot be eaten by cayotes, sup
plies the place of our heavy picquet rope and
plin, he has neither side lines nor hobbies,
poncho supplies the place of blankets, and
ah thC "ciShb oh tho hotS ID titih VI
the rider, his ammunition and his simple
field ration. As the horse can live on any.
thing that burro can, the long wagon or
mule train Is unnecessary. No ons save
those who have seen the Mexican horse on
service can imagine the little he will live on
and the long marches he will make Almost
as sure footed as a mule, he will climb the
steepest mountain-side, and finds refres b.
ment and nourishment in the tough and
wiry gramma grass.
Mexican rations are not fixed by the gov
ernment. and being his own commissary he
has no complaints TO lodge against ths de-
partment of subsistence. He. gets 80 cents
per diem and he finds himself as well as his
slender pay will admit. In the field he lives
on pinola toasted corn ground to fine flour,
corne SEGA Oerked meat, pinoche IA kind Of |
candy made from dirty brown sugar., with, |
as a luxury, a few tortillas thrown in by his |
sweetheart or wife. Strange as it may |
seem, there are men in the Mexican army |
who on 80 cents day manage to support |
a wife and an odd babe or two.
The pinola is meat and drink. Mixed with |
water it makes a nourishing beverage hav-
ing a slight acid flavor which makes it very |
agreeable in the heat of a semi-tropc sun
The pinoche and tortillas may be looked |
upon as a rough attempt at pastry and des-
sert In barracks this hard fare Is varied |
by little chile con carne, an article which,
see by a recent order of the secretary Of |
war, has been, in my opinion, unwisely
omitted from the subsistence stores Of the
American army. On the Mexican frontier,
as in all warm climates, the stomach needs
a stimulant much better supplied by chile
con carne than by the cowboys cordial
with bite" sold in and around our military
The lot Of the Mexican soldier, like that of
Giibert's policeman, 'is not happy one."
In the vast majority Of cases he is a crimi.
nal serving out term of imprisonment in
the army. The uniform he wears brings
with it the ignominy of the striped suit of
the penitentiary. Liberty he has none, ex-
cept in cases Of exceptionally good conduct
and be is guarded by his non-commissioned
officers and his more lucky comrades during
the few hours that he is allowed to exercise
Dr. make his poor little purchases on tas
nla |