The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1900-07-26
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.

sUeu tGGe SOMG tNUGdGS ttN0
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys Of Both Armies whiled
Away Life I'm Cemp-ForaEing Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-Thril-
Hing scencs ON the Battlefield.
From his earliest bOyhoOd Gen.
Grant was an expert rider, and like
Washington, he possessed mysteri-
GUS power over horses. He ridiculed
the idea that he could be thrown, so
long as the horse kept on his feet. He
asked but one thing of steed, and
that was that he should go. No Mexi-
can vaQuero. Redouin sheik or Ameri-
can cowboy had a firmer seat, or more
resembled a centaur. Early in the
Mexican war Grant purchased n su-
t,ircd from a herd of wild Texas
horses. He was blindfolded and then
saddled for the first time. The young
lieutenant, springing lightly into the
saddle, ordered the blindfold removed,
when the untamed steed bounded like
a bull, reared, leaped, threw his head
almost to the ground, sprang first to
the right and then to the left in his
efforts to unseat his rider; but finding
all his efforts futile, he dashed away
at terrific rate Of speed. soon disap-
pearing In the distant chaparral. Gen.
Longstreet, who after more than half
q century recalls the incident. In n let
ter to the present writer, states that
no anxiety was felt concerning Grants
safety, who was then. as well as pre-
viOusly while a cadet at the Military
Academy. universally recognized as an
accomplished and fearless horseman.
OF Cortex, as Lieut.. Grant named his
wild charger, he wrote in his Personal
Memoirs:
Il had. however. but little difficulty
In breaiing him, although the first day
there were frequent disagreements be-
tween us as to which way We should
so. and sometimes as to whether we
should go at all. At no time during
the day could choose exactly the part
Of the column would march with, but
after that had as tractable q horse
as any In the army"
During the occupation of the capital
By Gen. Scott's forces, Mexican gen.
tleman. with whom Grant was on
terms OF intimacy, requested the loan
q eOftez for an es.ernoon. His owner
eaid afterward: 81 was afraid he could
not ride the horse, and yet knew II
said a word to that effect the suspicious
Spanish nature would think l was un-
willing to lend him." The result was
the Mexican mounted the spirited stall
Hon, was thrown before he had gone
three blocks and instantly killed.
A few days before the American
army evacuated the city of Mexico.
Grant mounted Cortez and rode out to
make a morning call on the colonel in
command Of the Castle of Chapultepec.
The officers quarters were inside of the
fortress, which was surrounded with
high. broad earthwork. Riding up the
outside slope and around the castle
without observing any hitching post,
Grant spurred his steed down the
broad but long, steep, stone stairs that
led into the fort. When the colonel
appeared and saw Cortez tied at the
door. where no horse had ever been
seen before, he exclaimed In ast0nish-
ment:
Lieutenant, how In heavens name
did you get your horse down hereT
Rode him down, sir" calmly an
swered Grant.
-And how do you expect to get him
outg'
Ride him up. instead of down." re-
piled the Lieutenant, which he accord
fngly did on his departure. the intelli-
gent Cortez climbing like a cat to the
top. when Grant waving his chapeau
in adieu to the Colonel far below, dis |
appeared over the breastworks. With |
the single exception Of Capt Charles |
Nays Black Tom, n magnificent and |
powerful coal-black gelding, such a
steed as Theodore Winthrop Introduces
In his best story under the name of Don |
Fulano. or the Forest King In Ouida's |
novel of Under Two Flags" COrtez
was the grandest war horse in Gen.
Scott's army with which he conquered
Mexico.
Five years later. when Capt. Grant
was stationed with the Fourth Infan-
try at Columbia Barracks, now Fort
on the Columbia River in
what was then Washington Territory.
he purchased the most valuable horse
In that part Of the country. calling him
Garland, in honor of his brigade COM
mander during the Mexican war. In
April. 1853. Lieut.. George b. McCIel-
Ian, of the Engineer Corps, reached Co
lumbia Barracks, and for three months.
while on duty there, was Grants guest.
The day of his arrival, while seated
with several comrades in front of the
officers quarters, they saw the captain
from q ride on his superb
charger and approaching a six-gun bat
terry which was parked some 300 yards
As he drew near the guns
and they were observing the graceful
of Garland and his perfect
rider, the group OF officers saw Grant
pull down his hat more firmly and seat
himself squarely and securely in the
saddle. He is going to leap the bat
teryv' they exclaimed, when Mcclellan
and the Others-including Gen. Rufus
ingalls,. Grants West Point classmate,
who told the stOry-all stood up to see
The interesting performance. Running
rs horse at good speed toward the
pieces, Grant put Garland over the six
guns. one after another, as easily and
as Charles Levers world-fa-
nous Charlie O'Malley could have exc
.uted the clever act Of horsemanship.
Early In June, 1861, Gov. Richard
Yates appointed Grant colonel of an
Illinois regiment, and borrowing $IOO
rom his fathers Galena partner, with
which to equip himself for the position,
oInr,< ono boIf <f xl,,