The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-25
VALUE OF THE ARMY MULE IN WAR
Anecdotes of the Mules Service and
the Profanity of Tenmsters.
From the Chicago Inter Ocel

the Profanity of Teamsters.
From the Chicago Inter Ocean.
Mules furnish the propening power for
all army wagons. The horse is good
enough for mounting cavalrymen and
yanking artillerymen, but when it comes
to the important matter of Transporting
army supplies, there's only two animals in
1.-THE mule and its driver, These are
proud days for has muleship. a few weeks
ago despised and worthless, this hybrid
Missouri mockingbird is now as valuable
and much-sought after article. It's price
has jumped from $40 to Sl35 a head, and
army buyers are clamoring for II in 10000
head lots at this latter figure. The mule
IS a necessity as well as a luxury in war
time. His advantages over a horse are
legion. He Is the type of toughness. He
will do more work than a horse and live
on less. As a pack animal he is far SUI
perior He is like a camel in his ability
TO go without water.
The mule can live on dry leaves or al
most any kind of provender and do good
work. He will stand any kind or quantity
of abuse or hard usage and never murmur.
His IS the patience of job He is some
what stubborn and hard-headed, but the
sense that is literally beaten into him is
as useful TO him and his employer as any
other sense. He can trot in mud knee
deep all day without WEAKNESS, and he is
far better swimmer than the horse.
One can ride a well-trained mule into a
well or up a tree He Is the sine qua non
for a campaign through the mountains of
Cuba. Old troopers tell me that as a war
animal the mule has all these advantages
and many others, Said an old veteran to
me tonight:
"A mule can discover water two miles
off. And he will never fail to tell you
about it. He will go, If necessary for days
without water, but he win let you know
sure whenever he comes within two miles
of it. His voice Is not musical, but It Is
easy to understand.
Again, his ears are not big for nothing.
He is as watchful as a cat. Any unusual
sound will awake him. He can tell the
tread of hostile footsteps or any movement
OF the enemy at any hour Of the night, and
he will never fail to let you know of It,
THE geese that saved ancient Carthage
are nothing in watchfulness to the army
mule. A mule viii speak out and tell you
about a thousand things that a horse
would let pass by without saying word "
AS a pack animal, when the back has TO
be used in lieu of vehicles the mule Is the
only animal. lie will carry anything you
put on him. RE viii travel with 1t forever.
He will never break down. Wadng
marshes, swimming rivers climbing noun
talns-it is all the same to him. He fat
tens on hardship
Mules are used nearly altogether a army
posts, They carry the courers, pull the
ambulances pillow the potato patches. A
good mule team will pull an ambulance six
miles an hour for twenty hours and never
give forth a sigh of complaint Any one of
them at the end of that journey of 100
miles will promptly elevate to the ceiling
any man who will try to tickle his foot.
While a mule can even stand cold better
than horse. his powers of endurance find
best illustration in hot climates. He Is
the product of southern countries. He is
always immune against yellow fever or
any contagious disease. The climate OF
Cuba has no terrors whatever for him. He
is not as swift as the horse in an artillery
charge, but he will pull these engines of
war all day without fatigue And he will
listen to the roar Of cannon without bat
ting an ear. His nature is not musical.
The sound of battle has neither terror nor
charm for him. lie stays where you put
him, and he raises the white flag never.
During the late war II was a standing
joke, which had great deal OF truth in
it, that a teamster could swear louder ara
longer and more effectively than any 9TH
er man in the army. When a Missourian
was mustered in, If there was a vacancy
in the drivers corps. he was assigned TO
that, as it was supposed that he knew how
to break mules. One lank son of Tho
Ozarks was assigned to transfers duty
in Gen. Lyons division at the outbreak of
the war. He presented himself apologetl-
cally before his superior officer
"Capn," he said hitching his thumbs in
the yarn galluses attached to his butternut
trousers, Il wisht ye'd pint Bill Jones to
drivn' them mules"
"How's that; can't you driver"
"Yeh"
Don't you know how to take care Of
horses?"
'Yeh"
what the DEVILS the matter, then?"
well, We see, Cap'n," clearing his throat,
my wife she KEEP argyin n parson he
KEEP talkin' n / hitched onto the Hardshell
Baptis which is dead agn cussin'"
II was properly understood that the only
way to start a mule team was 20 build a
fire under them, or to swear until the at
mosphere was blue. Sometimes a lot Of
young 2-year-old unbroken mules would
have to be pressed into service. They were
caught and fastened firmly 20 a tree. their
heads planted against the tree trunk. Then
a couple of teamsters would buckle on
the harness. The wagon wheels were lock-
ed the mules backed in, and the traces
snapped. Then the teamSter mounted the
near wheel mule and grasped the jerk line.
and the caya}cade moved forward with a
tremendous shouting, kicking, swearing
and jolting of the wagon.
4 good story is told Of one Of Gen. Sher-
mans Missouri teamsters. He had just
Joined the service, a raw recruit. and was
assigned the task of driving a six-mule
team When the army halted the first
night he was YEARLY embarrassing his
team.
"Hullo, there" said the wag Of the com
pany in passing. What do you mean by
taking care of those mules yourself? Why
don't you have a hostler do it2"
why / thought every man had to take