The National tribune., 1898-12-08
A FAMOUS "CRITTER COMPANY"
Col woIford and His Original Method Of
Managing the LIST Ky. Cav.

Col. woIford and His Original Method of
Managing the LIST Ky. Cav.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: A wall
from ore Of the members of Wolford's 1st
XIV. Cav, praying some of his comrades to
contribute a sketch of the services Of this
famous regiment, recently fell under my
observation in TIE NATIONAL TRIBUNE.
[ have waited with increasing interest for
some member of this critter company" to
speak.
| am sure what any member of this regi
ment might say regarding their services
would be exceedingly interesting. 1t was the
good fortune of the 7th Ohio Cav. to serve for
a time in the same brigade with the 1st KY.
Cav, Col Wolford commanding the brigade,
and all my recollections OF this service are
pleasant and agreeable.
Col Wolford, of the 1st KY. Cav, was an
exceedingly eccentric military commander,
and had marked individuality. Ho was
! entirely without military education or train
ing, and had most supreme contempt for
the conventionalities of military life. In the
matter of drill, think, it would be fair to
say his regiment never passed an hour at this
to him, wholly waste OF time and energy.
In Workmanship Col WoIford was almost
as graceful as bag of meal. A large part Of
the time he rode woman fashion, with one leg
thrown over the front of the saddle, and the
rest of his body hunched up in round
shouldered sort of a way altogether impossible
to describe, but quite as bad as the most
vivid imagination can depict He was ex-
ceedingly careless in his dress, and the only
extra precaution he took to care for himself
in the most severe exposures was to wear
red WOODEN tippit, generally wound twice
| tx-Ytf, Hyin in fbo
wind Just such red tippet as our mothers
used to tie around our neeks when as boys we
went out to have battle with snowballs
| Col. Wolford's Most ardent friend never
claimed that he was q handsome man, but he
was we'll supplied With courage and staying
qualities. He had vast amount Of shrewd-
ness and foresight, combined with great
fondness and aptitude for the light cavalry
service. When commanding his regiment in
battle. he seemed to be about three feet taller
than when hunched up INF his saddle on the
march When under fine or in close prox-
unity to the enemy the character of the man
seemed 10 undergo q complete change,
and from the easy going, halfasleep SOFT OF q
man he became the .wide-awake, keenly-
alert, thorough -goine fighter; though this
view of his character would never have been
suspected by one who had never seen him in
the fame of battle.
His commands to the troops were altogether
homemade " and improvised, and had not
the slightest resemblance to those in the text
books His commands were exceedingly
simple, and given in the ordinary tone of
voice, but the soldier was never in doubt as
TO what the Colonel meant In advancing
the skrmish-line. the Colonei's order was:
"Scatter out" When he was ready to make
the attack, or to meet the attack from the
enemy, his command, in steady tone, was:
"Huddle up"
Now, what commands could be more simple
than these? And the reader must keep in
mind that Col Wolford was not sending these
orders by staff officers, but was himself close
up to the fghting-lne, giving his orders in
person. On one occasion, when in command
of our brigade, and we were falling back
slo ly under heavy pressure from the enemy,
Col Wolford rode to our regiment and gave
his orders; saying: Form string of fight
from stump 10 stump" The language of
this order, nor even semblance of it, could
not be found in any military textbook; but
could anyone misunderstood the ColOnel's
meaning? The order was instantly obeyed
by dismounting the regiment and forming a
line-o battle, the men fighting on foot, with
the protection of trees, i'll an open woods.
/ never knew whether Wolford's regiment
had 200 men in it or j, 900, and do not be-
lieve Col. WolfOrd, or his very gallant Adiu-
tant, Lieut. Carpenter, knew very much more
on this point than did; as the regiment was
constantly being increased or decreased in
numbers, according to the season of the
year. In the Spring large part Of his regi-
ment went home to do the blowing, in order
to plant crop fer the sustenance of their
families. We have frequently seen soldiers
from Wolford's regiment blowing with their
cavalry horses hitched to the pillow, and their
carbines within easy reach; for they often
had need of their guns as they lived, you
might say, right on the line-of- battle, as the
territory in which their homes were located
was, for long period of time, the scene of
many engagements between the contending
armies After the blowing was done, and
the crop planted, Wolford's men would
rejoin the regiment.
| The horses in this regiment were native
Kentucky horses; most of the men, if not all
Of them, furnishing their own mounts.
Woliord's men were all good horsemen, and
were particularly attentive i'll the care of
their horses. All their horses were trained
to the rapid and easy gait known as the run
ming walk. This gait twas easy on both
rider and horse, and enabled this regiment |
to cover fully SO per cent, more miles within |
stated time than, any of the regiments
mounted on horses not trained to this
peculiar gait. Where other regiments
knocked off 30 mileslin a days march, VOL
ford's regiment could with ease make As |
miles at the running walk.
The men of this regiment were of special |
value as scouts. They were all experts in
woodcraft, and seemed never to be at loss |
to meet any emergency that might arise, |
however unexpected it might be-
Col. Wolford wash member of Congress
some years after the civil war, where he
maintained his reputation for oddness l |
am certain many readers of The NATIONAL
TRIBUNE would be glad to read some of the
"reminiscences of the members of the 1st
Ky. Cav. if they can be induced to relate
their experiences. Adj't Carpenter little
red-headed, high-strung, courageous officer,
and most valuable assistant to Col. VOL
ford. could, If living, tell the history of this
regiment in most interesting manner
THEODORE f. ALLEN, Captain, 7th Ohio
Cav; Brevet Colonel. U. S. Vols, Cincin-
natl, o.
The attention OF cur readers is called to
the advertisement in another column. of
the new war game, the blue and the
Gray" for the old and the young soldier
The game is said to be exfremeIv faSci-