The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-06-22

Nj ore "Reminiscences from {, NJ cm bo,r OF
WhcelcrS Famous Cavalry Corps.
atlanta Journal.

10
such a flood of memories of the old
gang that fear shall bore you and
your readers before get them out Of
my head.
Wheeler $ cavalry was not pretty to
look and to see them on the march
was to hold about as motley crew
AS can &c imagined. OF uniforms
there was scarcely any ,cmblancc,
each man wearing what he had or
could get and homcspun jeans was
the most predominant ramcnt. In
arms and equipments there was also
great variety, some carrying Enfield
rifles, some Springfield muskcts, few
carbincs, and some old Mexican war
Mississippi rifles. How the ordnance
department ever kept ammunition for
all these calibrcs has always been
mystery to me. but / do not recall
that we were ever short Of powder or
failed to burn it when there was occa
sion. A great change in our arma-
mcnt, however, took place as the war
progressed, and before its close Spcn-
Ger repeating carbincs and Colts re-
volvers became the general rule,
drawn, Of course, from our usual
source Of supply, our prisoners and
the well-flled wagons trains of the
enemy.
The horses were the property Of the
men, as were most Of their equip
inents, and were good, bad or inditfer-
cnt, according to the purse or prowess
Of the owner by the way, there was
a decided feeling Of comradcship be-
tween the horse and his rider. When
on picket duty the horse was good
company, and his companionship re-
licved the tcdium almost as much as a
human comradc would have done.
Sharing common danger develops an
affection between men and animals as
we'll as between humans, and this l
suppose must account for my vivid
rccollections Of the individual pccu-
liarities of many Of the horses Of our
command. could mention score Of
them, but few must suffice.
CHARACTERISTICS OF HORSES.
Dave Jennings, Of Company d, rode
a little clay-bank mare with scarcely
any withcrs to speak Of. and an irish
man Of Company X rode an old hack
high in front like giraffe. No crup-
pers or breast straps could keep the
saddles Of either in position, and
Dave frequently rode straddle Of his
mare neck, while the Irishman sat
complacently on his horse g rump.
There was John Hilton's horse "Bluc
Nose," whose chief merit consisted in
being the "illegantest swimmer that
ever was seem We swan our horses
across the Tennessee river once, and
while only the head or noses of the
others were visible "Blue Nose pad
died majestically across with his back
and half his sides out of the water.
And Morg Thompson little squcaling
stallion, "Rufin,'' that no amount Of
hard riding or short retions could take
the squal out Of Then there was
poor Jim loves Canadian PAGER,
beautiful animal and very docile, and
at first not at all gun-shy, but later
became almost unmanageablo under
FIRE. We could account for the change
in NO way but by concluding that the
intelligent creature had learned the
dangerous difference between blank
cartridges fred in preliminary drill,
and the report of firearms accompanied
by the whistling of bullets about his
cars. And there was Jack Hanna's
pacing roam, on whose back / one day
took an equestrian portrait of myself
in six inches of mud. And last, but
not least, I remember John Ingram 8
6OEEct VI tuC CdSC AIOu 41OuOhy CuoV nO
bit or tackle that VIC could ever rig up
would stop when once good started. /
rode this son of gun once, end am
not likely ever to forget the expert
cnce. There were three Of US sitting
quietly on the turnpike between
Nashville and Murfrecsboro, when the
first fours Of regiment Of Federal
cavalry rode into the pike from cross
road, not over one hundred yards from
us. A volley followed, Of cour Sc, and
the horses jumped, mine about ifteen
feet, I think, and another only far
enough to set his rider gently on the
ground. Gle had been sitting side
ways, an account Of an affliction like
Job is said 20 have suffered FROM }
Sorrel's head was turned towards the
woods, and right through the timber