Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-11-27

o'clock, although in some of the hottest
parts OF the country an earlier time of
day is considered advisable by many
J caralrymen, and the first halt is mace
, after the column has been an hour or
so on the road. This is generally [. q
longest halt of the day. when saddles
are adjusted, and the horses allowed TO
rest aud Craze for a few moments.
Once every hour after that a short
pause OF about five minutes, the men
Invariably dismounting, is made. The
gait Is, as far as the writer's experience
goes, habitually rapid walk, although
General Merritt recommends a trot for
Ten OF fifteen minutes after each halt.
when practicable, which appears TO be
the custom Ia most Of the European
services. In a country where the near
presence OF an enemy is known or sus-
lected marches are conducted with
great caution, and every precauIion
taken by careful soldiers TO guard
against surprise Advance guards and
hankers are thrown ou, III front and on
the sides of the column, and every "a
vine, coulee or canyon, every rock and
/ bush, or group of trees large enough to
conceal a. lurking foe, is carefully er-
amined. 1t is while making forced
march, when perhaps the safety Of
some Ii tie community of settlers or de-
tachment of comrades, cut of and sur
rounded by savage foes, depends upon
the speedy arrival of the relieving col
umn, that the training, the pluck, the
perseverance and endurance OF the
American cavalry are shown to the
/ greatest advantage.
In the rapidlty with which such
marches have been made, the distan-
ces that have been tTaveTsed, the rough
and lnhospltal cOuntIy-often swarm
ing with savage foes-over which the
! journeys have been accomplished, il
has proved itself the equal, II not the
superior TO any troop or the kind In the
civilized world. a column of the
! Fifth Cavalry, under the command of
General Wesly Merritt, marching to
the relief of ThOrnburgh's brave fell
lows in the Ute campaign of 1879,
made one hundred and seventy miles
from IL a. In. October I'd 10 80 a. m
on October 5Jh, without losing or dis
abling horse, AID was I'm good fight
! ing trim on its arrival at its objective
point. Among many instances of the
kind that have cOTe under the knowl-
edge OF the writer, the following cases
of hard and long marches 10y individ-
! hllS may Dt 4ubbtu 10 SilO" IIlt SItI-
ling qualities often exhibited by our
| troopers.
In 1870 the present commander of
the troop of Cavalry attached to the
| brigade of the National Guard IN New
| \ oTk City-at that time Lieutenant
| in the First United States Cavalry
rode with dispatches over rough
broken country one hundred and forty
miles in twenty-five hours, including
halts for rest and Iefreshment. He
was accompanied by sergeant and one
man of his own troop. After resting
one day. the journey back TO his pos t
Was made in little over two days, the
marches being from fifty five TO sixty
miles a day. This feat was accom-
plished without any preparation what
ever, the officer and his men being or
dered out without any warning. Ten
| years afterward l. eutenant Robertson
of the same regiment, with sergeants
J Lynch and Price, rode one hundred
and two miles in pursuit OF a deserter,
through snow and ice, between ten
o clock one night and $50 the next.
On the next day they started on their
return journey from Fort Walla Walla,
w. t, to Fort Lapway, Idaho, which
was reached in two days.