Evening star., 1901-05-31
WAR HORSES OF RENoWN
CELEBRATED BATTIE CHARGERS
PRICED BY FAMOUS GENERALS.
Some of the Best known Were Those
Ridden by JackSon, Taylor
and Scott.

Heh. James u. wilson In Our Animal Friends.
Not even the bloody repulses recently in
nicted by the Beers of South Africa on the
| British forces under Gems Methuen and
Butler were so surprising or appalling as
the losses of Sir Edward Packenham at
| new orleans In January, 1915, when his
command met with the most disastrous de-
1eat ever sustained by British army. In
that campaign the American commander
used three war horses. the favorite being
a bright bay stallion, on which Jackson
| was mounted on that fateful Sth of Janu-
airy. The charger Marion is mentioned in
the popular ballad of "The Battle of New
Orleans"
| so lar as the writer is aware, none of
Old Hlckorys biographers affords any in
| formation concerning his battle steeds and
curlously enough the writer is indebted for
almost all that is known of his celebrated
| war horse to Chaplain General Gleig, the
| last survivor among the commissioned Off
| GERS Who fought in the battle of New Or
| leans.
The Tennessee frontiersman, politician
| ana soldier was fine rider, an ardent ad-
| nlirer OF horses, and the owner Of many
last runners that he-wa fond of racing.
NOT lew of them were sons of his charger
Marion Lieut.. Lavack the only unwound-
ed British officer who surmounted the
american parapets in the battle Of New
| then mounted on his war horse, and later
described both to his friend Glefg, then
captain OF an infantry regiment. Sixty
years after the terrible disaster the ven
cradle chaplain general Of the British
army, under his own roof on the estate Of
Strathfleldsaye, repeated to the writer
| Lavack account of Jackson and his mag
| trait of "Old Hickory" and his horse as
they appeared at the time of his great VIC
Tory may be seen in the city hall, New
YORK. 1t was painted by John Vanderlyn.
Taylor's Old Whitley.
Ihe Duke OF Wellington possessed three
large and valuable estates in Great Britain.
Belgium and Spain, presented to him by
the governments of those countries for
military services of an important character
rendered to them during the Napoleonic
wars. When the present writer was for
the nrst time. guest at the great COM
Hander S English estate of STRAIT thfieldsaye
with its large mansion and 5000 acres he
saw hanging In his sleeping room a colored
l1thograph of Gen. Zachary Taylor mount
eo on white charger, well known in the
army and throughout the country as Old
Wh1tey. The general is represented wear
ing broad-brimmed straw hat, and with
ms right leg thrown over the pommel of
ine u SADDLE; favorite position with "Old
Rough and Ready" This counterfeit pre-
sentiment of Taylor and his war horse or
some other picture of the hero of Buena
vista and his white charger, was house
century ago.
The writer inquiry Of Wellington's
eluest SON learned that the picture was
sent to the Iron Duke" by an anonymous
New York admirer during the Mexican war
and that his father was so much amused
with the droll representation of the sue
cessful American commander that he or
dered the lithograph to be handsomely
framed and hung in the apartment known
as the coronation chamber, where it re-
mains to this day En- passant it may be
mentioned that the illustrious English SOL
dfer displayed the deepest interest in Tay-
lor 8 and Scott Mexican campaigns close
ly following all their movements from the
battle of Palo Alto to the surrender of
the City of Mexico. Wellington also enter
tained a high opinion of Gen. Jackson.
OLD Whitley the most famous steed
of the Mexican war. Gen. VIM. B. Frank
lin writes: "Old Whitley was Taylor's IA
vorite horse, and was as well known to
his army the general himself He was
snow white, and the general always rode
him, notwithstanding the remonstrances of
his staff officers who were apprehensive
that his color would make him too promi-
nent a mark in action. He resembled an
English cob in figure, was a fine animal,
and all who were near the general became
very fond of the horse" Gen. Longstreet
says: Il remember clearly Gen: Taylor
and his war horse Old Whitley. His usual
position when his horse was standing was
one leg over the pommel of the saddle.
Stonewall Jackson's horse sorrel was
HluCn OIL the style OF O1u w nlIey, Out was
not white"
The last survivor OF President Taylor's
immediate family writes: You ask about
Old Whitley. He was a great pet with us
ALL and was never ridden after my fathers
return from Mexico, and when he went to
Washington the war horse was sent to his
plantation. During his term as President
there was so much interest and curiosity
expressed to see the old charger that he
had him brought to Washington, and after
my fathers death he was sent back to the
plantation, then the home of my brother
Richard. where Whitley lived to good old
age. He was pretty well cenuded Of both
name and tail by sightseers."
An army comrade who saw Taylor's
charger as he passed through Cumberland.
Md, precisely half century ago, corrobo-
rates the statement as to Whitey's almost
hairless tail. adding that he was a we'll
formed medium-siZed saddle horse, who
created almost as much interest and curl
osity in Cumberland as the advent of the
general himself would have aroused.
scott's Two Favorites.
Winfield Scott, born two years later than
Taylor, during his campaigns in Mexico
| rode two favorte war horses. They were
both about seventeen hands, for he was so
| large and heavy that no ordinary horse
could carry him. Rollo was a beautiful
bay stylish and spirited. and the other
charger was a bright sorrel named Wash
| ington. The battle steed owned by Scott
during the civil war was, ike ROllO, a blood
bay but nearly eighteen hands high. He
was probably the largest and most power
full steed ever ridden by soldier. The old
| general was greatly attached to Napoleon,
as he named him, and when, owing to the
| infirmities of age, he could no longer use
! him under the saddle. he was driven in
| harness to Scott's coupe. The day before
the hero of the two widely separated wars
| of 1912 and 1916 died at West Point, in
May, 1865, he called the groom, who is still
living, to his bedside, and said: Peter,
take good care of my horse" At the mill
tary funeral, which followed four days
later at West Point, the leviathan Napo-
| leon properly caparisoned followed the re-
mains of his master in the procession to
the United States cemetery, a procession
which included Grant, seven corps COM
manders and some two. hundred general
and field officers, all on: fobt, walking be-
| hind Scotts war horse.
Captain Mays Black Tom.
| Only less celebrated than Old Rough and
Ready's favorite charger was Capt. Charles
Augustus Mays Black Tom, magnificent
and coal black gelding, such a peerless
steed as Theodore Winthrop introduced in
his finest story under the name Of Don
| Fulano, or the Forest King in Ouidas 8
| Of