Arizona weekly citizen., 1890-01-04
HOW HORSES ACT k BATTLE.
some Remarkable Instances of Equine h
 telligence.

telligence.
 ''It is remarkable how quickl, horses adapt themselves to the milf GFy service, said Capt Cox to re- porter. Every artilleryman knows .hat they learn the bugle calls and the evolutions quicker than the men as a rule. For one thing they soon ac quire a uniform gait, which ;s 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 between the different arms of the service-that is, between the infantry nd the cavalry, artillery and the com manders and their escorts.
 ''In the drifts in the artillery ser vice the horses will themselves pro serve their alignment as well a, the infantry. 1 shall always remem, Der one illustration of this trait which 1 noticed at an exciting and critical period of a battle. In order to save some of ous infantry from being sur rounded and captured l quickly mounted the cannoneers on the guns and put the whole battery at dead gallop across a stretch of meadow about half mile wide. was quite accustomed to such sights, but when we were half way across the field l noticed the array, and for moment ] was lost in admiration of the magniti cent picture. Every driver was plying whip and spur, the great guns were rocking and laundering over the ground, and every horse, reeking with foam and full of animation and excitement, was straining every mus cle as he galloped forward; yet il seemed to me that a straight line drawn along in front would have touched the heads of the lead horse in front of the six guns. That was an artillery charge, one of the most thrill ling sights in the evolutions of war
 Tt IS surprising how quickly they learn the bugle calls. After we has been in service some time my first ser geant once asked me what call tha was, as the bugle blew some com mand. That's a pretty question foi you to ask, said How in thunder do you know how to march2' I don't know, he said, but my horse knows. Let the first note of the feed or water call be blown and there will be terri ble stamping, kicking and neighing. Once, Tn a terrible storm, our horses and those of several other batteries broke loose, and there was a 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 stump and blow the feed call the horses all made such a mad rush fo, our battery that the men could hardly get out of the way quickly enough.
 When it comes to battle horS seems to know everything that IS go ing on, but he does his duty nobly ane seems to be in his element. He enter into the spirit of the battle like hu man being. He shows no fear of death and it IS singular that If his mate shot down he will turn to look at hin and seem pleased. A horse in my bat tery was once struck by a piece O. shell, which split his skull so that on. side was loose. The driver turned hin loose. but he walked up by the side O. the gun and watched the firing, ant when Q shot was fired would lool away in the direction of the enemy a if to sec the effect of She shot Wher RShell would burst near by he would calmly turn and look at it. When Inc saw his own team going back for am munition he ran .o his own place anC galloped back to tue caisson with the rest. Whel the lieutenant pushed him aside to put in another horse Inc looked at the other one sorrowfully while he was being harnessed up, anC when he seemed to realize that there was no further use for him he lay down and died. The lieutenant strong ly asserted that he died of broken heart
 At the time that Adams, Jackson's and Prestons brigades charged me al Murfreesboro some officer was killec and the brigades were driven back. But the fallen officers horse had n0 been taught to retreat and he did not He just came at full speed through the battery, and I tell you he looked simply grand. He was a large, fine animal, his nostrils were extended wide, his eyes fairly blazed, and hs clutched the bit with his teeth as he came on. He came like the wind, and with his saddle flaps flying he looked as if he were flying himself instead oi running. Everybody gave him wide berth. ard l called to the infantry that I would give SlOO to the man whc would catch him, but no one tried it and he is running yet for all l know of him. "-San Francisco Chronicle.