, 1896-03-02
STORY OF TWO CAVALRY HORSES.
One a, Marvel Of Heroism, the Other
Played a Mean Trick.

Here is a horse story told me by
James F. Lyon, of the First cavalry,
who had no superior in valor. and will
carry to the grave a limp and a quarter
of a pound of lead. He said: I'VE had
in our company a young German nam
ed Schultz. His horse was his especial
pride. Sometimes Schultz went to
sleep without r~ations, but his horse
never. No matter how scarce or how
hard it was to get forage, the young
Germans horse always had an evening
feed. a thorough rubbing down, a low
ing pat and a Good night, Frank in
two languages-broken English and
German. Many IA time have | seen
Schultz skirmish for a lunch for his
horse when we halted to make coffee
instead of preparing his own lunch.
While the rest of us stayed in our tents
and read or played cards, Schultz
would keep Frank company for hours,
sometimes talking German to him and
sometimes English. Some of our
horses showed lack of care: Franks
showed %overcare: was always in good
order; in camp he glistened like a new
plug hat, and seemed as found of his
master as his master of him. When
the Atlanta campaign opened, in May,
or a prettier horse than Schultz and
Frank in the First.
Our first fight of note in hat cam
paign was at Varnell's Station, May 9.
Somebody-never mind who-made a
mess of it. Our little brigade, the Sec
ond, of the First cavalry division. con-
sisting of the Second and Fourth Indi-
I'M and the First Wisconsin, COM
mapded by Col. o. H. La Grange. was
thrown against Gen. Joe Wheeler's en-
tire command, and we fought it all day.
We started to charge, but were halted
in a piece of woods and were ordered
to fight on foot. We were already uu-
der fire and in considerable confusion,
and only a portion of the command
"a hS oiuSi, 81 IL HhppChCu lldl
some of us fought as cavalry and some
as infantry. Schultz remained mount
ed, and did heroic service. Early in the
fight his pet was shot. AS the animal
made but little fuss over it and steadied
down quickly. his rider thought it was
only a slight wound, and remained in
the battle all day. having travelled
many miles in the performance Of i'm
portant and dangerous tasks, the
wounded animal seeming to enter into
the spirit of the work as completely as
his master. That night. at 9 o'clock.
brigade camped. The moment Frank
was u%nsaddled he lay down. Schultz
thought it was because the horse, like
himself, was tired. and, after patting
him and telling him in both languages
what a splendid fellow he had been that
day, and thanking him for carrying
him safely through one of the hottest
battles. he busted himself with supper
getting. In the forage bag were sey-
eral extra ears of corn. After his own
repast of black coffee, crackers and I'M
cooked white pork, such a banquet as
many a soldier has been more thankful
for than he was for the feast of last
Thanksgiving. Schultz shelled the corn
and took 1t to Frank. The horse did
not welcome him as usual; did not rest
his head on the masters shoulder and
look, II he did not speak, thanks for
such a master. He didn't hear Schultz
announce in German that he was COM
ing with a double ration. Frank was
dead and s%tifening. showing that soon
after lying down life had departed.
when Schultz realized that his pet
was dead he threw the orr down,
dropped by the side of the animal, ten
derby laid one hand on his neck, and
with the other gently rubbed his head,
as he had done many times before, and
sobbed like a child. In talking about
his loss the next day he said: My poor
Frank couldn't tell me he was badly
hurt, and ask to go to the hospital, as l
would have done had / been shot. He
carried me all day as II he thought 1t
was his duty, and that things would go
wrong II he didn't. and when the battle
was over and l was getting supper he
lay down and died. That horse was a
better soldier than l am-than any man
In the regiment. Not one Of us would
have fought all day with such a hurt as