The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-04-01
"oLD HORSE OF COMPANY C."
An Amusing Character of the Civil War.

other day. said the mayor. le caHl
 to the company in April, 1861, from
 farm in Central Ohio, a robust six
 footer, with the independence of self
 reliance. and quaintness of the ol'
 Scotch Irish settlers, mellowed by tn
 backwoods .Americanism of his fathe
 and grandfather. He had little educa
 tion, but full measure of common sens
 and rollicking good nature, and, as ht
 himself declared, took to soldering lik'
 a duck to water He has been the cen
 tral figure in good many army sto
 ries simply because of these traits
 which still make him an exceptiona
 character.
 He was responsible for his owr
 nickname of Old Horse In our first
 skirmish the boys were greatly excited
 but they blundered by squade into g pretty square fight. In relating theii experience afterward every man was inclined to take a favorable or at least charitable view of his own conduct except George. He said bluntly: "This old horse was scared. Why boys, l had no more sense than Tom Loffland S bull. That bull, you know, broke leg
 
 cred fence when there was a gate open not three yards away. e
 '' When the rebs began to shoot, by golly, was as crazy as wagon horse that had walked into humble bees nest. didn't care what broke, so I got away. But after whirl or two around an old tree pulled straight in the breeching, by gum, and came down to work with a tight rein on myself That's the way this old horse is going to drive after this, you know
 After that he was called Old Horse, and while he was not a wag he was maker of sport and good cheer He never lost his droll equaniminity or his capacity to put thing cheerfully and picturesquely. He was the same Old Horse on the long marches, in exciting skirmishes, in terrific battles.
 'In 1861 and 1862 we used the large Sfbley tents, and when Old Horse came in from guard duty late at night he would stumble over mens feet and in answer to the swearing and complain ing would shout out good humoredly: Strike light strike a light, men, There's a bug in the baby's ear.' He was always being scolded for touching the tent and making it leak, and he often complained that he could not move an arm or a foot or scratch his head or take off his hat but what some- body shouted, Don't stouch the tent!' His way of getting even was, when we were marching along in a downpour of rain, to elevate his voice and shout in the greatest good humor, Who in Sam Hill touched the tent?'
 "On the first day of the battle at 1 Stone River Old Horse was with that part of the company carried away by stampede through our lines of another division chased by the rebels When the other part Of the company, which | had stood fast in spite of the stam- i pede, came up with the flag Old Horse said he was like thief caught in a with a ham under his arm. | He had no remarks to make; he had no | excuses to offer. He said when the stampede struck him he thought the | world had come to an end, and he ran ike a steer. He had lots of company, ind the longer he ran the more he felt ike running. But, he said, he had all ! he running he wanted for that day and le was ready to. do his share of the lighting. And he did.
 "The third day of the battle Old Horse wandered over to division on ur left to find boy who had lived on he farm next to his at home. When e came back his eyes were large with xcitement, and he sat down to explain 0 the men waiting in line that when he division on the left broke old Pap 'homas rode out in front of the men oming back, ordered them to stop, and yhen they did not drew his revolver nd shot man down. This did not reate as much of a sensation as Old Iorse expected. and when one of the oys remarked that if the man was lnning away Old Pap was right to hoot him Old Horse answered good That's all right but I idn't think the old cuss could hit him. ut I want all you fellows to under- . and that after this when Pap Thomas z around this Old Horse is going to be : cry quiet Almost at the close of the fierce bat z e of that day, and whSn our brigade . as in hot pursuit of the retreating t bels, we came up suddenly on a bat ry that pounded us viciously with < lot-and shell at short range. We 'opped down in the muddy cornfield. l a lowing that in the dusk or gathering c lrkness the rebel gunners were get |, 1g our range by the groans of the r ounded. It was time to try men f verely, and most of us were greatly h cited. :, old Horse, however seemed ta be fl eatly interested in the shooting. He n He'd attention to the fact that the e nners were throwing fuse shells so W to have them drop right into our '' nks, and he said that any man who W i'd you couldn't see cannon ball in cl 3 air was a liar. Just then a shell er tn short fuse came down between my Ii builder and that of Old Horse On al } instant Old Horse caught up a pl ndful of mud, clapped it on the sput- al Ing 1uSe, and said quietly to the oth- 1 gl boys, Ten to one she don't bustr W d she didn't. al If this had occurred in the British of ny or on shipboard George would ty Ve been hero, but as it was he was fil lpiy Old Horse. joking and cheerful tit the race of death. While we were CT med up in Chattanooga Old Horse m s resourceful in eking out his half tn ions, and was cheerful when others G; re depressed, One day, while he was ov uing crackers into wagon to be fo