Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1890-04-03
A MULE MOUNT BY MOONLIGHT.
A Brigade's First Experience Moanted
During the Late War.

In DcCttnDcf, looS, Just btlOrc host-
Grams planned to start for Murfrecs-
boro from Nashville. John Morgan
broke into Kentucky again on one OF
his numerous raids.
Some one had to be sent after him.
Our division--the Fourth In the Four.
teenth Army Corps--was assigned to
the duty. Our brigade had been sta
toned at Mumfordsville, on the Green
River, from about the Goth Of October
until the latter part Of November, and
we had not been away from there
thirty days. This trip sent Us back to
within three miles OF the same place,
to turn around again, after three or
four days, and march back TO Nash
vile and then on To Murireesboro thus
! passing substantially over the same
route three times in less than forty
days; but In consequence we missed the
| heavy battle of Stone River
When the order to pursue Morgan
was received we were In camp nj or
| near Blcdsoe's Creek. We moved
rapidly, and camo so close to Morgan
that he was beginning to shy of, and
was heading evidently for a return IN
to Tennessee, When near Cave City.
In Kentucky, one evening soon after
we bivouackcd, we received orders TO
send a certain number Of mules from
each regiment train To a certain point
on the pike within our lines by .
o'clock The strangencss OF the order
caused u good deal Of curiosity; but
upon inquiry we soon found Col.
Wilder Of an Indiana regiment and
commanding tho First Brigade Of our
division had become possessed OF the
idea that II he could get his command
to n certain point that night he could
hurt Morgan seriously, aud perhaps
capture him. He was so full Of en-
thusiasm over the project, aud had 50
much faith In 1t, that hc finally pre-
vailed upon our division commander
to issue the order for the mules to DO
furnished from the teams.
We had no cavalry OF any amount
with us, aud there was no way to get
| Wilders men To the point he wanted
to 90 to except to use the mules.
| When II was known what was to he
done the transfers notified some OF
their friends that il they wanted to see
n good deal Of fun In short time they
had better DO at the place whore the
mules were To be taken.
| Accordingly quite II little party Of us
went. II was n bright moonlight night.
II should perhaps, be said that of tho
teams used In the army one mule was
ridden by the driver, aud the other
tive may have been thoroughly broken
TO harness, tractable aud serylceable.
but quite probably had never been rid
den, aud to attempt to mount them
was much like attempting to mount 80
many untamcd mules.
The men had no saddles. and all they
could do was to jump right on TO the
bare backs of the animal, or simply
put their blankets on, with nothing to
keep them In place.
When we arrived there were several
hundred mules on hand, aud the men
to mount soon arrived. The pike was
so full that there was soon mn overflow
into a plowed field along its side, and
In short time all took to the field for
obvious reasons.
As soon ms tho command TO mount
came things became active. In less
than five minutes n good many men
had been thrown on 10 the stony pike
with such force and violence that they
were disabled from duty that night,
aud quite "a number were seriously in
jured. IL soon became apparent that
the soft plowcd field was much the
safer place, and all withdrew To that.
There the mounting was going on on
"A large scale. III man was thrown OIL
he was not generally hurt much rs the
ground was soft. II IL not wide OF the
mark to say that for some time tho
air was full Of mules heels, blankets,
aud men. Considerably more than
half of the men were thrown Of Some
went OIL on the end over the mules
head, some on the rear end Some
never firmly gained scat. but were
pitched about, and finally thrown of
before getting entirely on,
The most common thing was for a
man to jump on, think he was all
right, but before he was fully satisfied
he would find his mule pricking up its
ears, getting under pretty lively mo
ton, and the next thing he would
know he would find himself suddenly
going over the mules head. The mule
would run short distance. and balk
or jump stiil-lcggcd suddenly, and
come to dead halt. The man always
went of over the mulcs head. Some
of the mules would rear, some kick.
Most OF them would give kind OF
sgueal as they started. They ran in
any and every direction, ran into each
other, and such general miX-up no
man ever saw before or since. IL was
SO light that we could SEQ distinctly.
Talk about sport ut circus, at seeing
one or even two trick mules perform!
Here were several hundred, all per-
forming ut once. II was a circus com
plete.
The men were plucky though, and II
thrown once and not injured, tried il
again. They laborcd under still greater
disadvantages because they were
loaded down with their guns and ac-
coutrements. All the mules that had
been ridden before were quiet and
orderly, and after time the men were
victorious. Their officers were hurry
ing them up. and they finally started
off, but ii was a motley cavalcade. Had
John Morgan known of il and dis
patched a company or two of cavalry
after them, and they got near enough
to have caused stampede, it would
| HaNc uctl u uhHSciOuS cOHiiiaHu 10
handle. They would have been just as
apt to charge into the enemy's lines as
anywhere.
The affair lasted half or three-quar-
tors of an hour, and We went back to
our quarters rather expecting that we
might not see our mules again. They
returned some time the next day,
though, but John Morgan was not
brought in AS u prisoner, nor any OF
his command. lie probably never
knew the danger he was in. For all
that. it was an attempt to do some
thing, and some things were learned,
even If no great result followed.
Our brigade was afterwards mount
ed. armed with the Spencer repeating
rifle. and did effective work, but this
was their first experience mounted.
Their commander has been engaged.
since the close of the war. developing
the mineral resources of the country in
the vicinity of Chattanooga. Tenn, but
both he and his surviving men will re-
member as long as they live their first
mount by moonlight in Kentucky
n. y. Ledger.
freaks of Photography.