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

few days ago of some "reminiscences OF
Gen. Wheeler has brought back to nae
such food of memories Of the old
gang that I fear I shall bore you and
your readers before [ get them OUT OF
my head.
Wheeler's cavalry was not pretty to
look at, and to see them on the march
was to behold about as motley a crew
as can be imagined. Of uniforms
there was scarcely any semblance,
each man wearing what he had or
could get, and homespun jeans was
the most predominant raiment. In
arms and equipments there was also a
great variety, some carrying Enfield
rifles, some Springfield muskets, a few
carbines, and some old Mexican war
Mississippi rifles. How the ordnance
department. ever kept ammunition fsr
all these calibres has always been a
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-
ment, however, took place as the war
progressed, and before its close Spen-
Ger repeating carbines 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 eqaip-
ments, and we're good, bad or indiffer.
emit, according to the purse or prowess
of the owner. By the way, there was
a decided feeling of comradeship be-
tween the horse and his rider. When
ON picket duty the horse was good
company, and his companionship re-
ieyed the tedium almost as much as
human comrade would have done.
Sharing common danger develops an
affection between men and animals as
well as between humans, and this l
suppose must account for my vivid
recollections Of the individual pecu-'
liarities of many of the horses Of our
command. Icould mention score Of
them, but afew must suffice.
CHARACTERISTICS OF HORSES.
Dave Jennings, Of Company D, rode
4 little clay-bank mare with scarcely
any withers to speak Of. and an irish.
man Of Company Z 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 s neck, while the Irishman sat
complacently on his horses rump.
There WAS John Hilton's horse ssBlue
Nose, /" whose chief merit consisted in
being the "illegantest swimmer that
ever was seen.' 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 s little squealing
stallion, "Rufin,' that no amount Of
hard riding OF short rations could take
the squal out Of. Then there was
poor Jim loves Canadian PAGER,
beautiful animal and very docile, and
at frst not at all gun-shy, but later
became almost unmanageable 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
ears. 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 Ingran's
sorrel Of the cast iron mouth, that no
bit or tackle that we could ever rig up
would stop when once good started. l
rode this son Of a gun once, and am
not likely ever to forget the expert
ence. There were three Of US sitting
quietly on the turnpike between
Nashville and Murfreesboro, 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 course, and
the horses jumped, mine about fifteen
feet, T think, and another only far
enough to set his rider gently on the
ground. Gle had been sitting side
vays, an account of an affection like
Job is said to have suffered FROM
Sorrel's head was turned towards the
woods and right through the timber