The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-10-07
ROUGH RIDERS.
Had an Advantage Over Other
Cavalry Regiments.
Capt. G. E. Hair, Of Grigsby's Plains.
men, Talks Interestingly of Expert.
enCes in the Service.


U. S. volunteer cavalry, known better
as Grigsby's Tough riders, viii remain
in the city week or ten days longer.
Tie members Of the regiment, ex-
cept the officers. have been mustered
out, and the officers expect to go out
Nov. 1st. Capt. Hairs home Is at
Belle Fouche. N. ID
In speaking or tine rough riders, he
said today that their expert horse
manship was a great advantage to
them. The other volunteer cavalry
had to learn TO ride and handle their
horses, besides learning to drill, shoot,
etc. AS an instance Of the state
cavalry, there was regiment Of Hi
nois cavalry at Chickamauga. During
one of the movements the rough
riders followed this regiment in the
column, and found the ground strewn
with sabers, canteens. blankets, etc.,
which the Illinois men had dropped.
Forty of the Illinois cavalrymen were
thrown from their horses.
The cavalry companies furnished by
the states contained numerous men
who knew nothing about horseback
riding. The government furnished
splendid riding horses from Kentucky,
Tennessee and that vicinity, but
some of the men could not manage
them. The men were ignorant Of
girthing up the horses, and in conse-
quence there were loose glrths, turned
saddles. lost blankets, thrown riders
and confusion generally. In the drills,
the horses would naturally become
somewhat excited and in trying to
control them, the state cavalry would
lose some of their trappings. When
going at trot or gallop, some of the
accoutrements would fall off. The
rough riders had no such troubles, for
they were as much at home ON the
backs of strange horses as with their
western bronchos and cow horses.
Another point where the rough
riders had the advantage of other
loops of all branches Of the service
was their familiarity with camp life.
Nearly all of Grigsby's riders were
actual cowboys from the western
plain, and they were satisfied with
The government ratlons. There was
less sickness among these men than
in any Of the other regiments.
Capt. Hair states that there was an
abundance of food Of the best quality
and that those who stuck to what the
government furnished had no cause
to patronize the hospitals. The bread
was baked every morning and was of
excellent quality, and the meat was
the best that the Chicago packing
houses could afford. Sickness was
often due to the misguided zeal Of
friends, who sent boxes of cake, pies,
etc. The boys would gorge on these
and then be taken with cramps.
The only serious mistake in regard
to the camp at Chickamauga was in
keeping SO large body of men there
so long. There was only surface
drainage, and the conditions became
bad, thus inducing much sickness
Grigsby's m IN were very anxious to
go to Porto Rico or somewhere else,
and drilled hard the first sixty days.
When the navy won it's decisive vic
tories and it became evident that
there would be no opportunity to see
active service there was a general
letting down and interest abated.
The regiment had a canteen, and
the profits of this were divided among
the different companies and used to
purchase additional varieties of food,
SO the rough riders Jared very well, as
the canteen returned about s165 a
month.