The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-01-23
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have TO Say About
Their Old Campaigns
GEN. COMMAGEREs HORSE
The Gallant Four-fceied Veteran Swan After the
steamer.


The Gallant Four-footed Veteran Swan After the
steamer.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In the edition
OF Jan . In the column OF Picket Shots"
] fud a memorandum from Comrade l.. B.
Rowe, 9th Ohio. in which he tells something
OF horse that my father rode; but as lac is a
bit mistaken, / beg thai you Will give me space
30 tell at little greater length the story of that
horse.
Comrade Rowe writes that the horse fell over
board, and that after being rescued he lived un-
I'll after the wax, aud was the only horse that
tr0tted up TO the trenches around Fort Wagner
Just after the disasters that befel Gen. Banks
IN the Shenandoah Valley in 1862, a portion OF
the division that Gen. Shields used TO COM
maud was sent down TO reinforce the Army OF
the Potomac.
To that famous fighting command the 9th
Ohio belonged. and my beloved iather-as gal
laur a soldier As ever drew safer or wore a uni
form-Was then its Lieutenant Colonel.
The command took steamer her. at Washing
ton, and while In passage, after the vessel was
well down the Chesapeake, collision oc-
Cured Several men dropped overheard, and
80 also did the big horse that my father was
wont 10 strgldIe.
In the excitement of the disaster, and the
picking up of the men who had been knocked
overheard, 40 one had noticed that three horses
were missing. and the steamer went or its way
toward Fort Monroe.
This was about o'clock a. m. and there was
a heavy fog, am writing, rs / recnileCt, from
my fathers story. and az daylight next morn
ing The vessel had made only about u miles,
rs C0mrade Rowe tells. When daylight came
the deck lookout reported something sGoat in
the wake OF tine ship, aud at FIRST all hands be-
Gcved u 10 be man whose absence had been
overlooked. The engines were stopped and a
boat sent out, and il was found that the old
gray horse was Try ng 10 keep up with the
regiment he had followed SO long.
Gen. C0mmagere he won the star on his strap
before be left the volunteer seryicc-wasa man
Of immense stature aud corresponding build,
and SO required 3 rather big horse 10 carry ham
comfortably. The horse" Big Frank" the
General called him-was gray in color, about
il hands in hight TO the withers, large OF girth
as wide between the forelegs as the broadest
hand. and his TANKS looked more like pillow
horse than a charger.
/ do not knoT that be feared God; but he was
like bis rider IN one thing, be didn't fear the
devil nor gnnpogder, and be proved it. as Com
FADE Rowe SAYS, 10y being the only horse that
went 20 the ditch outside the sandy walls Of
Fort Wagner IN that fierce assault IN the even
ing OF July is 1903.
j would ike much 70 have DR. Forbes, who
was then the Surgeon OF that regiment. write a
AAAtt1 rhttIA lttttA% low Tue lAth l-ltAA1Aallt-
Colonel came hack 10 be treated for the dread
ful wounds he got in that battle At Wagner and
which eTeutuaiiy cost him his life.
But ! find myself writing too much of my
beloved father aud less Of the horse. The horse
did not live through the war. When Gen. Com
mageTe was az home, on sick leave, in the Sum
mer OF le65, Maj. Butler of tie 9th took pos
session one day Of " Big Prank. when lie was
detailed as general officer OF the day." and
SIM 1ss
down and died al the end Of his DAYS run.
When Gen. COmmagere rejoiued his regiment
went also % tie Army OF the James for staff
duty. and when lie heard Of the death Of his
Old four-looted comrade, lie fairly cried.-F. Y.
C., Washington, d. g.