Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-06-14
NOW HORSES ACT IN BATTLE.


telligence.
1T is remarkable how quickly
horses adapt themselves to the mill
tary service, said Capt Cox 10 a re-
porter. Every artilleryman knows
that they learn the bugle calls and the
evolutions quicker than the men as a
rule. For one thing they soon &C
quire a uniform gait, which is about
the same as the route step or the us,
ual marching step. If the horses did
not acquire the same gait as the in
fantry there would be varying distan.
ces b. Tween the different arms of the
service-that is, between the infantry
nd the cavalry, artillery and the com.
manders and their escorts.
''In the drills in the artillery ser.
vice the horses will themselves pre-
serve their alignment as we'll ms
the infantry. shall always remem-
Der one illustration Of this trait which
/ noticed al an exciting and critical
period Of a battle. In order TO ave
some of our infantry from being sur.
rounded and captured | quickly
mounted the cannoneers on the guns
and put the whole battery at a dead
gallop a stretch Of meadow
about half a mile wide. ! was quite
accustomed to such sights. but when
we were half way across the field |
noticed the array. and for a moment |
was lost in admiration of the magnifi-
cen picture. Every driver vas plying
whip and spur, the great guns were
rocking and laundering over the
ground, and every horse, reeking
with foam and full of animation aud
excitement was straining every mus
Gle as he galloped forward; yet il
seemed 10 me that a straight line
drawn along in front would have
touched the heads Of the lead Horses
in front of the six guns. That was an
artillery charge, one OF the most thrill
ling sights in the evolutions of war
1T is surprising how quickly they
learn the bugle calls. After we had
been in service some time my first SER
geant once asked me what call that
was, as the bugle blew some com.
mand. That's a pretty question for
you to ask, | said. How ia thunder
do you know how TO marchf Idont
know, he said, hut my horse knows
Let thesiFst note Of the feed or water
call be blown an there will be a terri
Bile stamping, kicking and neighing.
Once, in a ter BILE storm. our horses
and those of several other batteries
broke loose, and there was a wild rush
among the artillervmen to get horses
in the morning. All was excitement
and the horses were hard TO get. but
when | ordered the buglerto mount a
stump and blow the feed call the
horses all made such a mad rush for
our battery that the men could hardly
get out Of the way quickly enough.
when IL ome To battle a horse
seems to know everything that is go
ing on, but he does his duty nobly and
seems 10 he in his element. He enters
into the spirit Of the battle like a hui
man being. He shows no fear of death,
aud it is singular that if his mate is
shot down he will turn To look at him
and seem pleased. A horse in my bat.
terry was once struck by a piece Of
shell, which split his skull so that one
side was loose. The driver turned him
loose, but he walked up by the side Of
the gun and watched the firing, and
when a shot was fired would look
away in the direction of the enemy as
if to see the effect Of the shot. When
ashell would burst near by he would
calmly turn and look at il. When he
saw his own team going back for am
munition he ran 10 his own place and
gallopcd back 10 the caisson with the
rest. When the lieutenant pushed
him aside TO put in another horse he
looked at the other one sorrowfully
while he was being harnessed up, and
when he seemed TO realize that there
was no further use for him he lay
down and died. The lieutenant strong.
ly asserted hat he died of a broken
heart.
"At the time that Adams, Jackson's
and Preston's brigades charged me al
Murfreesboro some officer was killed
and the brigades we're driven back.
But the fallen officers horse had not
been taught 10 retreat and he did not.
He just came ut full speed through
the battery, aud | tell you he looked
simply grand. He was a large, fine
animal, his nostrils were extended
wide, his eyes fairly blazed. and he
clutched the bit with his teeth as he
came on. He came like the wind. and
with his saddle flaps flying he looked
as il he were flying himself instead Of
running. Everybody gave him a wide
berth, and | called TO the infantry that
l would give 500 10 the man who
would catch him. but no one tried il,
and he is running yet for all ! know