The Portland daily press., 1897-08-10
TROOP F.
Already on the March from FOR
Ethan Allen to Portland.


terday They Crossed tho New Ramp
shire Border.
1t is not a common sight in this part
| of the country to see troop OF casaily
fully equipped for war moving along 'he
road as if in quest of an enemy, anu ~
the march of Capt. George A. Dodd anu
Troop f of the Third Cavalry, now NOV
ing across the upper counties Oh Now
England, is attended with no small
amount of interest and comment iroih
the whole country side.
1t was q happy thought of the manager
OF the New England Fair, soon to be helu
at Portland, to ask the presence OF uhls
troop, for it is eminently fitting that tne
patrons of fair in such a horse state
as Maine is should be shown what can
be done with horses when trained to
work with men, and, too, an influence is
needed to spread wider through the lahu
| the knowledge of the value OF cavalry.
Last Thursday morning the band at
Fort Ethan Allen, which overlooks the
beautiful valley of the Winooski river OF
Vermont, played the lively strains OF
"The Girl 1 Left Behind Me- as the four
troops left the fort, three Of them headed
| south to march to Chester to the State
| militia muster, and one-but the gem OF
the whole-turned their faces eastward
and began the long march to Portland.
Fifty men rode at the backs OF Capt.
Dodd and his lieutenants, Tate and Moses,
and they took up the line of march IN
route order, the long column OF twos
winding along like serpent when the
roads are narrow, and falling apart, hli-
| ing the way when the road permitted. IN
t. e rear of the column came the big four
horse wagons, each bearing those initials
which mean SO much to every citizen OF
| this land--"U. S."
| Four lively long cared mules snapped
the ambulance along at an easy pace,
proving as they came over the water
washed roads the claim of the old soldiers
that "a good mule team can climb tree
if necessary.
The march is taken easily at the outset.
A few miles and then a halt, and all
dismount and fix cinohes and saddle
cloths. The men, too, have chance 60
Timber up little, and then they remount
refreshed.
| A cavalryman marches in time of peace
well prepared for war. His uniform is
easy and fitted for business, a flannel
shirt Of blue, blue blouse and pants, cam
paign hat, borrowed from his Western
brothers, and long-legged boots, he stands
a typical American soldier in an Ameri-
can uniform.
To this he adds all armament of sabre
strapped to the left side of his saddle and
entrenching tool on his left hip, web
belt full of carbine and revolver cart
ridges, revolver on his right hip, the
carbine tucked under his right leg and
fastened to the saddle; canteen, tin
dipper and haversack are also on the
saddle; his overcoat is rolled on the
pommel of his saddle and the feed bag
and blanket on the camille. Thus
equipped he is ready for anything.
A few miles further out another halt
is made, where one of those babbling
brooks which score the hillsides of Yer
mont courses the highway. The captain
looks the location over and orders ''for-
ward. As the troops comes up, lead
in and water; take the bits out, y he or
ders, and the men slip the brides off the
horses heads and lead them down to
plash their noses in the stream and drink
AS rapidly as they went down they
came out, and the hillside is soon alive
with men and horses making pictur-
esque scene hitherto unknown in the
landscape.
The sun is working over toward the
| West, and this adInonished, the captain
sends ahead lieutenant and one troop
er to select a camp ground and buy
| forage for the horses and they gallop
| away in a cloud of dust, leaving tho troop
to follow at their usual speed
| Two or three miles are gone over before
| they are sighted again, waiting at the
| top of hill. AS the troop comes up the
| lieutenant reports to the captain that he
has bargained with farmer for a camp
| ing ground and hay and he pilots the
| troops to the site of their night camp.
The camp ground selected is on high
ground above the road, in an old orchard
A deep gully serves as drain along one
| side, making the ground dry and COM
| Portable for men and horses.
| Here comes the severe test of the wagon
| masters skill. They are not old army
teamsters, though they have a vocabulary
of explosives approximating quite closely
| to that of one who has swung his whip
over a straining team of mules. The
road winds up along the side of the hill
and it looks like an utter impossibility
| to them.
| Here come the executive ability of the
commander. Troop E has a commander
who .sknows' He knows himself and
he knows his men; he does not stop
short in thinking what can be done, he
knows what can be done and he says
edo if. - and it is done.
"Take that team through there, ]" he or
ders to the teamster
| There is a muttered curse from that