The Helena independent., 1894-12-01
PLUGS FOR SOLDIERS.
American Cavalry Mounts Are not to 30
Compared With Those OF the Eu.
ropean Armies.
MOST OF THEM uNo1RsRED PLUGS
Lieut.. Col, Kent Suggests That Romount
Depot Be Established At Fort Gus
ter, This State.


is said, will be taken mp In Secretary
IMmonts annual report as one OF the
reforms 10 be accomplished during this
administration. The reports on the
subject, which have been submitted to
the secretary, show the poor specimens
of horsetlcsh which serve as cavalry
mounts, and they condemn the contract
system of purchasing horses. All the
reports from Cavalry officers, together
with descriptions OF the methods
adopted abroad. have been sent TO
Quartermaster General Batchelder, but
ne does not encourage inquiry on the
subject. One of the cavalry officers,
Capt John Bigelow. Jr., says: "rhe
grounds of the quartermaster generals
opposition are. I take it Independent OF
the intrinsic merits OF the system, They
consist probably in part OF political and
IN part Of purely administrative con-
sldeNtions, the latter growing out OF
the interests and preJudlces OF his
corps"
Lieut., Col. ]. +. Kent. Of the Eigh-
teeuth infantry, enters very fully into
the subject, and his suggestion that
remount depot be established near Fort
Custer. Mont, is agreed 10 by the cav
airy officers who have submitted re-
ports as the best substitute for the
present system. Col, Kent says. in
speaking OF the cavalry animals OF the
American army. that they are not 10 be
compared with those OF any of the great
foreign nations. lie adds: "a large ma
Jority of our horses are underbred
plugs" and that they simply answer
the purpose of transportation" and "a
mule would probably be better for such
a purpose II that were all that were re-
quired." He also says that "the kick
ing propensities of the mule" are
equaled, IL not exceeded, by some OF
the horses sent 10 regiments. invoiced
cavalry horses instead OF horses for
the cavalry" The remount depot idea
is adopted by foreign governments with
great success, and the location in Mon
tana is chosen for its proximity TO an
Indian reservation, where forage is
easily obtainable at moderate prices.
IL is proposed at this depot to keep
three-year-old colts, which shall be
trained for two years and then sent 10
regiments, educated or weeded out as
their fitness or unfitness Is demon
strated. The system as suggested is
likely to furnish a well-bred, tractable
horse, one which will not be scared 10
death by the discharge of firearms. and
would keep in reserve sufficient mounts
for emergencies.
Col. Kent criticises the specifications
which the quartermaster-ge general
makes up, and says they will answer
very well for a well-bred race horse.
but that they are not observed in buy
ing army animals He also condemns
the method of inspection and points
out that the duty OF selection falls
primarily on a civilian expert. who
is not always good judge OF a cav
airy horse. The cavalry officer cuts
a very little figure on these inspection
boards. which are made up OF a regu-
lar quartermaster. a civilian expert and
a veterinary surgeon. A cavalry officer
appears 10 be thrown In that he may
object to horses that have been selected
by the board.
Col Kent says: 1.-THE contract sys-
TEN is pernicious I'm its results. No
record Of the breeding is required; the
horse breeder gets comparatively lit
tie and the middleman too much I'm the
speculation. The government seems to
court being fleeced In it's transactions
horsetlesh, and whose business and In
terest II Is 10 turn In the poorest grade
morse that he can get accepted" He
says horses are I'll broken, scarcely
trained, when turned into the ranks as
q rule. and not at all SO after the meth
DDS used abroad" AS a consequence
many OF the horses are very vicious.
with result that there are great
many accidents 60 riders.
Col. Kent also suggests that good
many desertions are due TO fear of the
class OF horses now furnished.
Lieut.. Letcher Hardeman. of the
Tenth cavalry, describes a lot Of twelve
California horses. Of which number
over one-half were condemned within
year on account Of unsoundness.
which probably existed when they were
purchased for the government He says
many of them were vicious and hc de-
scrlbes particularly one horse that
usually had at least one man in the
post hospital for repairs" while two
poor fellows were discharged on "A
surgeons certificate from being perma-
nently crippled by this horse" This
officer visited n stable at one Of the wes-
tern posts recently. and he found "nve
or six horses tied of by themselves
with heavy chains, and was informed
that one Of them was never ridden. and
II was extremely dangerous 10 Try to
govern them" These were cavalry
horses.
Another officer says that Of the horses
received at Fort Custer within the last
two years very few have been broken.
In the ordinary acceptance Of the term.
and, Notwithstanding the constant
handling since their purchase, they are
not the sort Of horses that could be-
safely ridden, especially Rt this time Of
year, when ~ Is necessary for men to-
cucumber themselves with heavy cloth
ing"
II costs SIG per year o. feed the cuv-
airy horse. whether he Is guvrrnable or
wild, Fo that nt the army post which
Lieut. Hardomun visited the six unused
horses were costing SG72, without rem
dering any scry icr FOR thv expenditure
il is said that -ycnT-old colts Gun
hu purchased I'm Uprn market at from
$40 ~ 800 per head. and that probably
after several years the price would hr
reduced n tho breeders could rely on
the government Tor "a ycnrly purchgsp
Al Fort ruRter 200 colts can bee grJZrd
from May 20 December eNCh year with
out being Ergln-lrd al uu One expert
with twenty assistants could BOO The two
years Proposed for training get these
colts well brpkcu ana gentle
This rrmuunt depot which Is pro-
posed for use IA our country has oprr-
atCd with much success abroad. Gr-
ports Of the institution in foreign ar
mics have boon mHdC 10 the division
OF military information by Cant. ~. l..
Helm. who w1s military nttaohe al VIZ
emma; Mai j. g. Post corps Of en-
ginerrs, who WHa stationed m London
and Lieut. T., Clarke. OF the Ninth
cavalry vino Wna M Dusseldorf.