Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-07-29
Stories About Horses in Battle.

The infantry service in the volunteer
army made US a nation of good walkers,
said an old eavalryman on Friday, "and
our cavalry service ought to have made
US nation of good riders; but for some
reason it did not. A good many men sit
horse very WELL" be continued, as
Mayor Harrison passed on his Kentucky
horse, "but where is the man who rides
horse as Gen. Rousseau did? Rous-
seau always had fine horse, and both
he and the horse took pride in the fact.
| On parade or on the march or in battle
Rousseau and his horse were always
conspicuous figures.
Rousseau natural dash when he was
horseback often carried him to the dan
ger-line. 1 remember one occasion when
my company was on picket duty On the
Granny White Pike, south of Nashville,
Rousseau and his staff were outside the
lines. About ten o'clock at night they
came dashing up to the picket line, and
when the word halt was given by the
vedettes, the old battle horse which
Rousseau was riding, and which he was
so proud of, took it as a challenge and
went forward like the wind. The ve-
dettes fired, as in duty bound, and there
was considerable commotian along the
line. After time Rousseau rode back
to explain. He closed with this remark:
4 don't care for myself; but you know,
boys, you might have hit the horse.'"
Col. Lytle had horse of that kind"
said an old Twelfth Ohio man." and it
played a rather dramatic part on the day
the Colonel was shot. This was at
CaruifeX Ferry, when the Union troops
were ordered to charge the intreneh-
ments held by the Confederates. There
was furious struggle, and in the midst
of it Col. Lytle was shot and fell from
his horse, one of the finest animals
in the brigade. The old war horse had
been started forward, and when his ri
der fell he went forward as though he
still were guided by the man who had
intended to charge through the rebel
lines. The horse dashed up to and over
the rebel breastworks, ,and was shot after
he had broken through the lines"
"At Stone River" said a Nineteenth
Illinois man, lone of our Illinois gener-
ais had horse shot under him just at
the turn of the battle, on the I'd of jan
uary. Several of the boys sprang for
ward to help him up, but dazed and
bruised as he was, he only said: Catch
me horse He repeated this time and
again; and as there were several horses
galloping about riderless, one was
brought to him. This horse had been
careering over the battlefield, circling
here and there without aim, but the
minute he felt rider in the saddle he
started in gallop for the front, and the
Generals command, seeing him make
bee line in the right direction, started
after him like a great flock of black
BIRDS"
I'VE had in our regiment" said an old
Indiana officer, San old horse called the
Stargazer, which was kept for the use
of the officer of the day. The field Off
GERS don't care to have their horses go
into the hands of any captain or lieuten-
ant who might be detailed to act as Off
Ger of the day, and SO an old scrub had
been picked up and kept for use in this
department. 1t was my fate to be Off
Ger of the day at Lookout Mountain, and
1 was riding old Stargazer along the
ledge when the Colonel overlook ne, RI
ding his splendid war horse. He chal>
lenged me for race. 1 gave Stargazer
touch and went into camp quarter of
a mile ahead of the Colonel. This led to
the discovery that the horse which had
been ridiculed could make better time
than any other in the regiment" Chi
cago Inter-Ocean.