The sea coast echo., 1898-07-30
HORSES BRAVE IN WAR.
MARTIAL SPIRIT THEY DISPLAY
WHEN THE BATTLE IS ON


Adapt Themselves to the Military
Service Charge OF Rideriess steed
at Murfreesboro- Bugle Calls.
cit is remarkable how quickly
horses adapt themselves to the mill
tary service" !" said an old soldiers
every artilleryman knows that they
learn the bugle calls and the eyolu-
tions quicker than the men, as rule,
They soon acquire uniform gait.
which is about the same as what we
call the route step or the usual march
ing step. III the horses did not ac-
quire the same gait as the infantry,
there would be varying distances be-
tween the different arms of the SER
viee-that is, between the infantry
and the cavalry, artillery, and the
commanders and their escorts. In
the drills in the artillery service the
horses will preserve their alignment
as well as the infantry rank.
II shall always remember one Illus
! tration of this trait which I noted at a
very exciting and critical moment OF a
battle during our civil war. In order
to save some of our infantry from be-
ing surrounded and captured, the
commander of one of our batteries
quickly mounted the cannoneers on
| the guns and put the whole battery at
dead gallop across a stretch OF mead
ow about half mile wide. l was
quite accustomed to such sights, but
when that dashing company was half
| way across the field / noticed the IN
spring array, and for moment was
| lost in rapt admiration of the magniti-
cent picture. Every driver was ply
ing whip aud spur, the great guns
were rocking and laundering over the
ground, and every horse reeking with
| foam and full of animation and excite
ment was straining every muscle as he
galloped forward, yet straight line
| drawn along in front would have
touched the noses of the lead horses
in front of the six guns. That was an
artillery charge, one of the most thrill
ing sights in the evolutions of war.
''It is surprising how quickly horses
learn the bugle calls. Let the first
note of the feed OF water call be
sounded, and instantly there will be a
stamping, kicking and neighing among
the horses. Once, during terrible
night storm in camp, our horses were
seized with such terror that those OF
nearly every battery broke loose. and
scattered about. The next morning
there was a wild rush among the ar
| tilIerymen to capture horses for use.
All was excitement, and the horses re-
fused to be caught. An officer ordered
the bugler to. give the feed call.
Horses from every direction came
dashing in to that battery, and the
rush was so great that it was with diff
fculty the men could get out of the
way of the eager horses.
'When it comes to battle horse
seems to know everything that is go
ing on and the reason for it all, and
does his duty nobly. He enters into
the spirit of battle like human be-
| ing. He shows no fear of death, nc
sign of being overcome by panic III oil
| the wild tumult of the battles roar. A
horse in one of our batteries during
the Murfreesboro fight was hit by a
piece of shell, which split his skull 80
that one. side was loosened. The
driver turned him loose, but he walked
up to the side of the gun and watched
the firing, and when shot was fired
would follow it with his gaze as If to
note it's effect on the enemy. Whena
shell would burst near by he would
turn his head and look at it. When
he saw the team he had worked with
being driven back for ammunition, he
ran to his old place and galloped back
with the rest When all officer pushed
! him aside to have another horse put
| in he eazed at the pew one with
most sorrowful expression III -1tfS % efSs'
Then he seemed to realize that the
glory of battle was no more for him,
and he walked away and lay down and
died. The officer declared that it
was broken heart, not the wound,
that killed him.
During a fierce charge of Con-
federate cavalry at Murfreesboro an
officer was killed and the cavalry
driven back. The horse the officer
had ridden was a magnificent animal,
and he had not been taught to retreat.
Riderless he kept on his way, and as
he dashed through our battery the
sight of him was indeseribably grand.
His nostrils were extended wide, his
eyes fairly blazed, and he clutched
the bit determinedly with his teeth as
he came on like the wind, with his
saddle flaps flying, until he looked as
if he were himself flying instead of
wildly running. Every one gave him
room as he dashed toward us An
officer shouted that he would give 500
to any one who would capture that
superb animal, but all seemed too
much bound up in admiration of the
noble beast to make the effort, and he
sped on and disappeared in the blue
distance.