Catoctin clarion., 1897-03-11
NApOLEON'S WAREHOUSES;.
Things Not Generally Known About Mn
rengO and Others.

Things Not Generally Known About Mn-
rengo and Others.
Tho most celebrated warhorse Of the
present century is unqucstionably Napo-
Icons Marcngo In view Of the many
hundred Biographies of the great captain,
1t is certainly surprising that SO little
should be known with any degree of ccr-
tainty concerning this world famous
charger.
To an American visitor to the dcthroned
Bonaparte at Chsolhurst in June, 1872,
Louis Napoleon, in a conversation about
his own horses and the war stecds of tho
most illustrious of modern soldiers said:
"Thc empcrors favoritC charger was
Marengo IN Arab of good size and style
and almost white. He rode him In his
last battle of Mount st. Jean, where Ma
rcngo received his seventh wound. once
mounted him when a youth and but
short time before the stecd died at the age
of 36. Another favoritc warhorse was
named Maria and was used by the cmper-
or in many Of his hundred battles. Her
skeleton Is now to be seen in tho ancient
castle of Ivcnach on the Rhine, the prop
erty of the Won Plosson family. OF the
other 60 or 20 horses owned by Napoleon
and used in battlo, perhaps the most ia
nous We're Ali, Austcrlitz, Styrie and
.Jatfa. He had 10 chargers killed under
him"
The American visitor might have added,
but did not, that Marshal Butcher had go
shot in battle, while Generals Custer and
Forrest are believed to have each lost al
most as many in the brief period OF four
years. Maria, or Marie, is thus described
by Victor Hugo in the words of a French
veteran
"On the day when Napoleon gave me
the cross / noticed his beast. 1t had Its
ears very far apart, a deep saddle, "a fine
head, marked with n black star, q very
long neck, prominent knees, projecting
nanks, oblique shoulders and strong
crupper. She was little above Is hands
high"
The Hon. Francis Lawley OF London
possesses the picture of white Arab stall
lion, the history of which is well known,
with the inscription in French, "Ali, bat
tie charger of Napoleon. He was cap
tured from tho mamelukes and presented
to the great captain. On Napoleon down
fall French gentleman purchased Jaffa
and Marcngo and conveyed them to his
etsate In England. The tombstone OF tho
former Is to be seen at Glastonbury In
Kent with this inscription: Under this
stone lies Jalfa the celebrated charger Of
Napoleon"
The last trumpet call sounded for Ma
rcngo IN September, 1929, just as he had
completed 36 years, After his death his
bones received an honorable place In the
Military institute, rs already mentioned.
Another souvenir of the famous stccd Is
one of the hoofs made into u snuifbox,
which makes its daily round after dinner
at the Queen guard, in st. James palace,
London. On the silver Nd Is the legend:
"Hoof OF Marcngo barb charger of Napo-
leon, ridden by him at Marngo, Auster-
litz, Jena, Wagr,m, In the Russian CAM
paign and at Waterloo, and round the sill
vcr shoe the legend continues, "MaTngo
was wounded in the rear hip at Waterloo,
when his great master was on him IN tho
hollow road in advance of the French ro-
sition. He had been frequently wounded
before In other battles. Our Animal
Friends.