The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1896-01-08
STORIES OF THE DAY.
Wartime IncideDts-The Story Of flight
Ing" Jim Stewards Horse.

Major james Stewart Of Carthage.
o., a retired regular, who commanded
Battery b, Fourth artillery, talks about
two occasions when he was shocked and
saddened. His horse, Tartar, was of
blooded stock. and horse and master
were much attached To each other. At
the second Bull Run battle a solid shot
plowed through the rumps Of high strung
Iarter, gouglng out pounds of flesh and
cutting off his tail snug to the body.
The wounded animal frisked about right
briskly for Il minute and then settled
down and carried his rider until the
battle lulled, seeming to know that the
commander could not spare time, in
that iron and leaden hail, to change
horses. He had bled to weakness, bat
quickly obeyed every Of the
rein. When Stewart dismounted and
saw the CHASTITY wound he was, to
use his own language, "as shocked
as If I'd lost an arm.' He supposed
that his ~favorite riding horse would die
Or have to be killed. When, the next
morning, Tartar slowly and with a
wobbly gait walked to his master while
he was slipping coffee and munching
bareback and raw pork, and gently laid
his head upon his shoulder and groaned,
the artilleryman put his arms about his
neck n kissed the brown name. IL
can't kill him." said Stewart. I'VE
will leave him here to die in his own
way and time"
When Battery B aud the other troops
moved out ON the retreat to Centerville,
he major, then a lieutenant, on a new
animal, took a fearful glance at his dis
tressed wal horse, said "Goodby, Tar
tar, and passed Oh in silence. Between
shutdown and dark that night Tartar,
jaded and broken, struggled into camp
and sought out his master as if to report
for duty. He was tenderly petted and
given an extra feed Of oats. The next
morning Stewart summoned the sur
geon, had Tartar examined, and never
was a boy gladder over red topped boots
or anything else than Tartar's master
when the doctor told him that the horse
would be, ready for service within a
month or six weeks. Tartar followed
the regiment through Washington to
South Mountain and Antietam, sticking
close to the horses during the battles,
and when Mcclellan was ready to start
from Bakersville back to Virginia, late
in October, he was the proudest horse in
the Army Of the Potomac as he again
took charge Of Battery BIS commander.
The story Of Tartar's mishap spread
throughout the army. Thousands Of col
diers visited the battery on purpose to
see him. He Jared like a prince. Moth
ing was quite good enough for him. 1t
often happened that the battery passed
troops resting by the roadside. The al,
pearance Of Fighting" Jim Stewart and
bobtailed Tartar was always a signal for
a variety of comments that put every
body in a happy frame of mind.
Tartar never just relished the begin
ming Of a battle after his Bull Run ex-
perience. He didn't try to sulk, grab a
root or dodge behind a tree, but he did
q good deal of prancing, especially when
shells and solid shot shrieked and
whistled in his immediate vicinity, but
after a few minutes he seemed to be as
much interested in what was going on
as any IL i'll the command.
Stewart rode Tartar till the war end |
ed and for several years afterward.
"You may laugh, gentlemen" said the
major to a cluster Of comrades who had
gathered about him at Detroit during
the national encampment-''you may
laugh, gentlemen, but it touched me to
the heart when that poor, wounded
dumb brute came up to me that morn
ing. laid his head on my shoulder and
groaned. I'll admit that q tear skated
over my hard cheek"
"Let me tell you Of another time
when l experienced choking sensation.
Il was hat first day at Gettysburg. Just
before we were ordered into the fight /
had been talking with Colonel Lucius
Fairchild of the Second Wisconsin. Both
of us were in good spirits. We knew
trouble was coming, but were confident
a great victory for our arms was coming
also. The order to advance came, and we
saluted and separated. That hot after
noon, made hotter by the thunder Of
hundreds of cannon and the continuous
rattle Of musketry. while l was getting
the battery through Gettysburg with as
little delay as possible, the other folks
being close to us, l heard some one shout
my name. Looking in the direction from
which the sound came. l saw Colonel
Fairchild standing Oh a porch waving
his handkerchief. Then / saw that one
Of his arms was gone. l can't tell you
how shocked l was, nor how my heart
crowded up into my throat when l re-
called our pleasant visit Of a few hours
before and thought that forever and
forever my dear friend would have to
get along with n arm. l want to
thank you folks up in Wisconsin for be-
ing good to him. Had him for your gov
ernor for q long time, didn't your" Yes,
major, and secretary Of state. The ma
ton had him for a consul, a consul gen.
oral, q foreign minister. He has been
what no other American has or is likely
to be-commander in chief of the Grand
Ar~v If tho Ropphlic and commapder