Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-20
SMELLETH THE BATTLE AFAR
A Horse so3h Learns to Love the
Powder Smoke.
The Mngniscsnt Spectacle of an Ar
tiilery ChSfge-some INTEREST
ing "Reminiscences by
The War Horse.

years ago.
1t is interesting to know that the ami
NAL which the captain priced so highly
then met death at the battle of Muir
freesboro, with which Captain CoX's
military fame is most closely connected,
for it was here that CoX's battery saved
the day for Rosecrans by holding an
important position at critical moment
against fearful odds, winning place in
history which will be held while the
story of the great battle shall last. 1t
was during these critical moments,
when the battery was pouring grape
and canister into the ranks before it at
the rate of six rounds minute, that n
shell exploded under Captain CoX's
horse with fatal effect. though the rider
escaped unharmed. The horse was II
well-trained animal that had galloped
over many battlefield, and was Cap
tam CoX's private property. His claim
for its loss was not presented after the
war until too late. but "a recent congress
sional enactment reopened the way for
his clam.
1T is remarkable how quickly horses
adapt themselves to the military serv-
ice," says Captain Cox to San
Francisco Chronicle reporter. Every
artillery man knows that they learn the
bugle calls and the evolutions quicker
than the men, as rule. For one thing
they very soon acquire uniform gait,
which is about the same as the route
step or the usual marching step. If the
horses did not acquire the same gait as
the infantry there would be varying
distances between the different arms
of the service-that is, between the in
fantrv and the cavalry artillery and the
commanders and their escorts.
SIN the drills in the artillery service
the horses will themselves preserve
their alignment, as we'll as the infantry.
| shall always remember one illustra
tion of this trait which | noticed at
very exciting and critical period of a
battle. In order to save some of our in
fantry from being surrounded and cap
tured quickly mounted the cannoneer
on the gunsSan put the whole bat
terry at a dead gallop across a stretch
of meadow about half a mile wide. /
was quite accustomed TO such sights, but
when we werefhaH way across the field
l noticed the array, and for moment |
was lost in admiration of the magnif-
cent picture. Every driver was plying
whip and spar. the great guns were
rocking and9i laundering over the
ground, and every horse, reeking with
foam and full of animation and excite
| ment, was strainiug every muscle as he
galloped forward; yet it seemed to me
that straight line drawn along in front
would have touched the heads of the
lead horses in front of the guns. That
was an artillery charge, one Of the most
thrilling sights I'M the evolutions of war.
sit is surprising how quickly they
learn the bugle calls. After we had
been in service some tune, my first SER
| geant once asked me what call that was,
as the bugle blew some command.
That's a pretty question for you to ask,
I said. How in thunder do you know
how to march?' L don't know
! he said, but my horses know Let
the first note of the feed or water call
be blown, and there will be a terrible
| stamping and kicking and nelghing.
| Once in u terrible storm our horses and
| those of several other batteries broke
| loose, and there was wild rush among
| the artillerymen to get horses in the
morning. All was excitement and the
horses were hard to get, but when [
| ordered the bugler to 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 it comes to battle horse
| seems to know everything that is going
on, but he does his duty nobly and
seems to be in his element. He enters
INTO the spirit of the battle like human
being. He shows no fear of death, and
1t is singular that if his mate is shot
down he will turn to look at him and
seem pleased. A horse in my battery
was once struck by piece of shell,
| ah Is, hot 81 10
was loose. The driver turned
him loose. but he walked up by the
side Of the gun and watched the firing,
| and when shot was fired would look
away in the direction of the enemy as
ii to see the effect of the shot When a
shell would burst near by he would
calmly turn and look at it. When he
saw his own team going back for am
munltion he ran to his own place and
galloped back to the caisons 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 strongly as
serted that he died of "a broken heart.
''At the time that Adams, Jackson S
and Preston's brigades charged me at
| MurfreeSboro some ofhcer was Killed
and the brigades were driven back. But
the fallen officers horse had not been
taught to retreat, and he did not He
just came at full speed through the
battery, and tell you he looked simply
grand. He was a llarge, 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-haps
flying he looked rs i he were flying
himself, instead of running. Every
body gave him wide berth and called
to the infantry that l would give 800 to
the man who would catch him, but nc
one tried it, and I'D is running yet for
all | know of himg.
Il tell you was sorry to lose Charley
at Murfreeesboro. He was my friend
as well as faithful servant, and was as
fine an animal as over bestrode. When
he was shot [ tried to get him to go ON
but he told me Hainly that it was all W
with him, and Thad to leave him where
he fell" s1JS
A Gopher Pesr.
Fort DODGE, Ia, May 19.-[Specal to TIL
BEE. The striped and pocket gophers al
present threaten to become quite as formld-
able pest to farmers in portions of Iowa a'
the rabbit is TO the Australian agriculture