Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-09-07
now norre. ActIn n,ttIe.

fIn the drills IN the artillery service
the horses will themselves preserve their
alignment as well as the infantry. i
shall always remember one illustration
OF this trait. which / noticed at AN ex-
citing and critical period of battle. In
order to save some of our infantry from
being surrounded aud captured, quick
IL mounted the cannoneer5 on the guns.
and put the whole battery at a dead
gallop across stretch of meadow about
half mile wide. l was quite accus-
toned TO such sights, but when we were
halfway across the field / noticed the
array, and for moment ! was lost in
admiration of the magnificent picture.
Every driver was plying whip and spur,
the great guns were rocking and thun-
dering over the ground, and every horse,
reeking with foam and full Of animation
and excitement. was stralning every
muscle as lie gaIloped 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
six guns. That was an artillery charge,
one Of the most thrilling sights in the
evolutions of war.
'.It is surprising how quickly they
learn the bugle calls. After we had
been in service some time my first ser
geant asked me what call that was. as
the bugle blew some command. That's
a pretty question you ask said, How
in thunder do YOU know how TO march?
Il don't know tie said, but my horse
knows Let the first note Of the feed
or water call be blown, and there will
be a terrible stamping, kicking, and
neighing. Once, in "A terrible storm,
our horses AMI those OF several other
batteries broke loose. and there was
wild rush among the artillerymea 10 get
horses in the morning. All VAS excite
ment, and the horses were hard TO get.
but when / ordered the bugler TO mount
stump and blow The feed call the
horses all made such mad rush for our
battery that the men could hardly get
out OF the way quickly enough.
when il comes to a battle n horse
ceems TO know everything that is going
on; but he does his duty molly, and
seems 10 he in his element. He enters
! into tie spirit Of the LATHE like human
being. Ia shows no fear OF death, and
il is singular that If his mate is shot
down he will look at him and seem
pleased. A horse in my battery 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 . by the side Of the gun and
watched ne firing, and when a shot was
fired wo "a look away in the direction
of the e.iemy. as il TO see the effect Of
the Not When she'll would burst
near Sy he would calmly turn and look
at it. When be saw his own team going
back for ammunition he ran back 10 his
own place and galloped back to the cais-
son with the rest. When the lieutenant
pushed him aside to put in another horse
he looked ~ tSe other one sorrowfully
while he was being harnessed up, and
when he seemed te realize that there
was no further use for him he lay down
and died. The lieutenant strongly as
serted that he died of broken heart.
AT the time that Adams. Jackson's
and Preston's brigades charged me at
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 come ut full speed through the bat
terry. and l Tell YOU he locked simply
grand. He was large, ilnS animal, his
uosirils We're extended wide. his eyes
fairly blazed, and he clutahed the bit
with his teeth as he came or. He came
like the wind, and with his saddle-ilapl
flying he looked as if he we're flying
himself instead Of running. Everybody
gave him n wide berth, and called to
the infantry that l would give 500 to
the man who would catch him, but no
one tried it. and he Is running yet FOR ali
l know OF him. !"