Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-23

early portion of the last Gen. Kosciusko.
the famous Polish officer who assisted so
materially in the war of the revolution,
was the author of a valuable treatise on
tactics for horse batteries. President
Adams Secretary of War, Mr.. Henry,
warmly advocated the adoption of
horse artillery in the Unites States
army in 1900 but his recommended
lions We're not productive of much good.
Secretary Dearborn. Jefferson's minister of
war. in 1905 REQUIRED the passage of a
bill through Congress authorizing the equip
ment of a light artillery regiment, as the
horse artillery was called in those days. Mr..
Dearborn was veteran artillery officer of the
war of the revolution, and was fully aware
of the Importance of a well-equipped artI-
lery corps, which the United States did not
have up to his administration and which
he endeavored to secure, the provision for
the horse artillery being contained in a
measure which had for its object the gen.
eral rehabilitation of the artillery SER
vice. The regiment then authorized by Con-
gress was horse artillery in name only. No
horses were provided and to belong to such
a regiment was a very expensive luxury.
The first company of the new organization
paraded the streets of this city on July 4,
ISIS. This company was mounted and fully
equipped. and was the only portion of the
regiment which was mounted up to that
time or was mounted up to the war of 1912.
During the second. war with England a regi-
ment was equipped but owing to the policy
of the various brigade commanders who
had horse artillery attached TO their COM
mands in detaching the horses for trans
portation. etc, the showing made by the
regim, Mt was very poor indeed. Every dis
tinctive feature of the regiment had faded
away by 1914. and was not revived until the
Mexican war, although provision was made
for them from time to time. notably at the
time of the reorganization of the artillery
in 1921. During the Seminole war there
were several companies of So-called light
artillery used in the army, although there is
no record to show that the equipment OF
these companies was any different from that
of those of the years preceding-that is,
light artillery as far the actual weight of
the carriages and guns was concerned. but
not as to the mounting of all the men.
During the war with Mexico. however. the
necessity of properly equipping the horse
batteries was urgent and number of such
organizations were placed in the field and
rendered valuable service. The most famous
of these was Ringgold's Battery formerly
Battery G. 3d Artillery, now the 9Th Field
Battery, under TIE command Of Capt Ring
gold who was subsequently killed in ac-
ton.
AS soon as peace was established again
! the dsmounting of the horse artillery took
place, as lsGai.
In the War Of the Rebellion.
At the time of the outbreak of the war
of the rebellion the number of companies
to each of the regiments of artillery had
beer increased so that there were in the
service sixty companies and batteries. Dur
ing the civil war fifty-six of this number
served, for longer shorter periods, az
field batteries and of this number twent.-
two were horse batteries. The first of these
to be mounted and equipped was Captain
Tidballs company of the I'd Artillery. This
was the first horse artillery company to be