The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-08-03
EQUINE VETERAN OF THE WAR.

little hamlet ten miles south of Pitts
burg, with her master, Joseph X. Phil
lips, Of Company F. Eighteenth Penn
sylvania Cavalry, who rode her in
1865. She will be on exhibition next
September at the c.. A. X. encamp.
ment at Pittsburg, The story of this
horse, as told by her owner to a
World correspondent, is as follows !:
"There are those who think Belle
Mosby was captured from Mosby, the
rebel guerrilla, but it is not the case.
We got into Mosby's territory, how
ever. and comrade who had seen
Mosby's dark eyed, gypsy-like wife a
few days before suggested to me that
she be called after her, and Belle
Mosby she was named on that day.
/ was a member of Company +.
Eighteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, un.
der command of Lieut.. w. A. Young,
who is now living at Kammerer, this
State.
We had started from Sandy Hook
to Richmond to help Grant, and in
the Shenandoah Valley captured Jubal
Earlys rebel forces. Company F. was
detailed to take the prisoners back
while the remainder of the army went
on. After the first days march we
crossed the Newmarket Creek and
burned the bridge, for we were close
pressed by party of rebels who were
bent on recapturing the prisoners. 1t
was about 6 o'clock when we went
into camp, and IN less than half an
hour there was great commotion
raised on the other side Of the creek.
Through the gathering dust there
came little black horse, ridden like
the wind by half.grown negro who
was evidently frightened almost to
death. In his broken language he
told how he had stolen the horse
from a nearby rebel camp ard escap-
ed to US, hoping to find freedom. A
hurried consultation was held, and
Lieut.. Young ordered the negro and
horse to be brought across the stream
lust how to get her across was
the question. The banks were steep,
the current swift and the bridge gone,
A twelve-inch plank, however, was
thrown across the abutments of the
ruined bridge, and across this twenty
FIVE feet above the water, the little
mare walked, snorting and trembling,
but without a stop or misstep. The
whole command was down by the
bank by this time to see her cross the
planks. and a great cheer went up as
she stepped among us safe and sound.
"Lieut Young strobe up to the
pare; his practised eye took in every
fine line of the beautiful little thorough
bred. Turning to the negro, he said
I'll give you an overcoat for this horse
All right, massa; dey'll only steal her
from me, anyhow, and I'll take de
coat. So this horse, now Belle Mosby,
became the property of Lieut.. Young
" The next morning the rebs came
down on us in earnest, and we had to
fight for keeps. | saw two horses go
down under Young; then he called
for his new horse, and right eallantly
she bore him. She seemed to bear a
charmed life, darting and flashing
around through the scrap like charm.
ed creature. She was hit several times
by stray bullets, which made only
flesh wounds, however, and didn't
hurt her any.
"Young was very warm friend of
mine, and day or two afterwards he
called me to his tent and said Belle
Mosby should be mine.
81 kept her several weeks and she
carried me safe through several fights,
Then, whe n Comrade w. L. Sheets,
now of Gastonville, Pa, got his dis
charge and was coming home to my
neighborhood let him ride her home
from near Cumberland, Md. When
Belle made her sensational entrance
into our camp on that March evening
in '65, her teeth showed her to be five
years old. Never since l have owned
her has she weighed more than $50
pounds. She is little thoroughbred,
hard as nails.
up to six years ago | worked her
regularly but then her age began to
tell on her and l let her rest. For the
past winter or two she has suffered
greatly from rheumatism, but when
spring comes she has so far managed
to pull through all right. In the last
month or two | have received scores
of letters from all over the country
asking me to put Belle on exhibition
at the coming G. A. r. encampmcnt
in Pittsburg, and | have agreed to do
so. She is beyond doubt the only
horse living that took part in the War
of the rebellion"
The identity of Belle Mosby is
vouched for by Lieut.. Young, of
Kammerer, Pa. Private Al, Lauder
baugh, of Oakdale, Pa, who led her
across the Dlank bridpe in I86s and