The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-04-27
war horses.

dTCiiIcrymau KNOWS tnaC tney learn
tho 5usie calls aud the evoiulions
quicker than the men, as a rule. They
soon acquire a uniform gait, which is
about the same as what we call the
route step or the usual marching step.
If the horses did not acquire the same
gait as the infantry there would be
varying distances between the different
arms Of the service-that is, between
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 1 noted at
a very exciting and critical moment of
a battle during our civil war. In order
to save some of our infantry from
being surrounded and captured the
commander of one our batteries quick
ly mounted the on the
guns and put the whole battery at a
dead gallop across a stretch Of meadow
about half q mile wide. l was quite
accustomed to such sights; but when
that dashing company was half way
across the field i noticed the inspiring
array, and for a moment was lost in
rapt admiration Of the magnificent
picture. Every driver was plying the
whip and spur, the great guns we're
rocking and laundering over the
ground, and every horse, reeking with
foam and full Of animation and excite
ment, was s~training every muscle as
he galloped forward, yet a 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
thrilling sights in the e~volutions Of
war.
1T is surprising how quickly hor-
ses learn The bugle calls. Let the
first note of the feed or water call be
sounded and instantly there will be a
stamping, kicking and neighing among
the horses. Once, during a terrible
night storm in camp, ouc horses were
seized with such o terror that those of
nearly every battery broke loose and
scattered about. The next morning
there was a wild rush among the artil-
lerymen to capture horses for use.
All was excitement, and the horses
refused to be caught. An officer
ordered the bugler to give the feed
call. Horses. from every direction
came dashing into that battery. and
the rush was 80 great that it was with
difficulty the men could get out of the
way Of the eager horses.
when it comes to a battle q horse
seems to know everything hat is going
on and the reason for it oil, and does
his duty nobly. He enters into the
spirit Of a battle like q human being.
He shows no fear of death, no sign Of
being overcome by manic 81 :M tho
wild tumult of the battles roar. A
horse in one Of ous batteries during
the Murfreesboro fight was hit by o
piece Of shell, which split his skull 80
that one aide was loosened. The
driver turned him loose, but he walked
up to the side Of the gun and watched
the firing, and when q shot was fired
would follow it with his gaze as if to
note its effect on the enemy. When
o shell would burst lea by he would
urn 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 an officer pushed
him aside to have another horse put
in he gazed at the new one with a
most sorrowful expression in his eyes.
Then he seemed to realize that the
glory Of battle was no more for him,
and he walked away and ley down and
died. The officer declared that it was
a broken heart, not the wound, that
killed him.
During a 6erce charge Of Confede-
rate cavalry at Murfreesboro an officer
was killed and the cavalry driven
back. The horse the oficer had rid
den was a magnificent animal, and he
had not been taught to retreat. Rider
less he kept on his way. and as he
dashed through our battery the sight
of him was indescribably 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. Everyone gave him room
as he dashed tovs I'd ma. An of;cav