Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1898-05-28

Kearny's Moscow and Kilpatrick's Cali
co Horse-Custer Had Seven Mou&ts Kill
ed Under Him-Lee's "ChunIy" Gray.
General James Grant Wilson, in his
story of ''Famous American War Horses, "
has rescued from loss many interesting
facts and preserved for the future much
valuable information concerning the
horses rode by the generals of tho civil
war. Cincinnati, the famous battle steed
of General Grant, was presented to him by
a citizen of Cincinnati, who on his death
bed sent for the general, then on IA visit to
that city after the successful siege of Nicks
burg, and gave him the horse on condition
that he should always be treated kindly,
Grant accepted the horse, naming him
Cincinnati. 1t is claimed that he was a
son of the thoroughbred and great four
mile runner, Lexington, that he had run
in several races had fast record and
that tho general was subsequently offered
$40, 600 for him. This was the bay horse
that Grant rode almost constantly during
the campaign of the Wilderness.
Soon after the close of tho war Cincin-
natl was retired to a farm in Maryland,
where the general frequently saw him and
where he died in September, 1874.
During the war Grant also rode thor
oughbred from southern Illinois named
Egypt, and one called Jeff Davis, which
was captured on Davis plantation in Mis-
sissippi.
When Sheridan took his famous ride in
the valley of the Shenandoah, immortal
lied in verse by L. Buchanan Read he
rode black horse, with small star, years
old, named Rienzi, which had been pur
chased in Michigan by an officer of the
Second Michigan cavalry and was present
ed to Sheridan when he became colonel of
that regiment in 1862. After the famous
ride and the battle of Winchester the name
of the horse was changed to Winchester.
During the war he was in 80 battles and
several times slightly wounded.
Writing of him in 1876, Sheridan said:
'He is over II hands in height power
fully built with a deep chest, strong
shoulders, has a broad forehead, clear
eye, and is an animal of great intelligence.
l rode him constantly from 1862 to the
close of the war, in all the actions and in
all the raids, as well as campaigns, in
which l took part. He was never ill, and
his staying powers were superb. At pres
ent he Is a little rheumatic, fat and lazy,
and SO long as live he will be well taken
care Of
That bravo officer General Philip Kear-
ny, rode handsome and spirited white
horse named Moscow, but generally called
by the soldiers Whitley. kearny lost an
arm in the Mexican war, and when wish
ing to draw his sword would take the
reins between his teeth. The general also
rode a light bay called Decatur, which was
shot through the neck at the battle of Fair
Oaks, and a brown, known as Bayard,
which the daring soldier was riding at the
battle of Chantilly, when he came sudden
lyupon a Confederate regiment, and, turn
ing to escape, was struck by a bullet at
the base of the spine, killing him almost
instantly.
Old Spot, an Arabian and Beppo, a
chestnut and a superb jumper, were the
two famous war horses OF General Judson
Fitzpatrick At the battle of Aide the
general rode Beppo, and there the noble
animal fell dead, shot through the heart.
Spot was captured from Confederate
colonel during the second year of the war.
Sheridan once referred to him as "kilpat-
rick's celebrated calico horse"
complshed riders of all the generals of the
army, and in his four years service in the
civil war he had seven horses killed under
him, which it is believed is a larger num-
Der than was lost by any other leader of
northern troops engaged in the war. Dur
ing the war Custer rode great many
horses. Among them was thoroughbred
stallion of great speed and spirit named
Don Juan. Jack Rucker was a beautiful
bay, which the general acquired while in
command of the Michigan brigade, and he
rode him in a large number of battles.
Custer rode Jack Rucker at the battle Of
Five Forks and was on him when he de-
manded of General Longstreet the surren
der of the southern army. Dandy, horse
purchased in Kansas, was u special favor
lite with Custer and riddolS by him on
most of his Indian campaigns. Tho last
horse which Custer rode, when at the head
of part of the Seventh United States cav
airy in the horrible massacre of the Little
Big Horn, June 25, 1876, was IA chestnut
thoroughbred named Vic, from Kentucky.
After the lamentable death of the flaXen
haired soldier General Clusters father, at
his homo in Michigan, would spend hours
at q time in the stable with one of the
horses his brave son had ridden during the
war
General Robert f. Lee had one favor.
lite war horse, Traveller, which he rode
throughout the entire war, having pur
chased him in 1861, and he rode him on
the day of the surrender at Appomattox.
Sheridan, who saw Traveller that day de-
scribed him to General Wilson as chunky
gray horse, yet he is said to have been
over Is hands high, a little above half
bred, of great courage and kindness, not
possessing speed and carrying his head
we'll up. For five years after the war,
while General Lee was president of Wash
ington and Lee university at Lexington,
Traveller was ridden almost daily by the
illustrious soldier of the Confederacy.
General J. f. b. Stuart's chief war
horse was the thoroughbred mare Nir-
ginia, which he rode during the battle of
Gettysburg. In the generals last battle,
where he was mortally wounded, he rode
a gray horse, Another he had was hand
some bay called Bullet.
General Wade Hampton had several
horses killed under him during the war.
Described as one of the finest horses in the
southern army was Beauregard, IA magniil-
cent animal of great boldness and spirit,
1867 hands high. OF him the general
writes: "Hc was wounded at Gettysburg,
mortally, at the same time that l was.
When was taken to the hospital, Beaure
gard, after being unsaddlod and unbridled,
followed me there, lay down outside and
died"
One of the best known horses of the
southern army was the beautiful dapplo
gray mare with white tail and name,
named Nellie Gray, the favorite war horse
q an hnN l. a