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

mounted since the dismounting of Captain
Bragg's (afterward Gen. Bragg of the
confederate service) at Sante Fe after the
Mexican war. The equipment of M, B and
l. companies OF the I'd and c company
of the Sd soon followed. These companies
were formed into horse artillery brigade,
and so efficient did they prove that by the
date of the battle of Charlottesville, May
81 1863, their number had been doubled.
After this battle the horse batteries of that
army, the Army of the Potomac, were or
ganized into two brgades that they might
alternate in campaigning and recuperating
in their arduouS service with the cavalry.
OF the twelve batteries composing the two
brigades, seven Were six-Sun and hve were
four-gun batteries. There were other bat
teres with other armies, doing just as good
service. Gen. WillistOn was one of the
great horse artillery officers developed dur
ing the civil war. Others in the same serv-
ice were Pennington Randol and Chester.
In volumes of historical matter relating to
the army prepared by Major General Wes-
ley Merritt retired, and others, and Major
William f. Birkhmer, much credit is given
to the horse artillery. In his work Cen
eral Merritt, a cavalry officer throughout
the war; says that the cavalry commanders
cannot give too much praise to the work
of the horse artillery. The Sd Field Bat
terry now stationed at Fort Myer, was at
tached to Buford's division of the cavalry
corps of the Army of the Potomac as a
horse battery.
Capt. Foote'S Suggestion.
From the date of the reorganization of
the army at the close of the civil war TO
the present day there have been no horse
batteries Capt Stephen NJ. Foote, the
commander of the 4th Field Battery, Is
close student of the history of artillery
and when he was ordered to prepare his
battery for the annual tournament of the
Military Athletic League at Madison
Square, New York, he secured permission
to form his organization a horse bat
terry with three guns. He has worked for
several months in the training of the
horses and the men, and the exhibition
Yesterday showed the result of careful and
painstaking effort on the part Of the bat
terry commander. The movements were eX-
ecuted with great rapidity, and the horses
and men appeared to be in the best OF con-
dition. Capt Foote's work with the bat
terry has been watched with interest by ar
tillery experts stationed here and yester-
day when the first public exhibition of the
work was given, Gen. Story, CHIEF OF ar
tillery; Gen. CroZier chief of ordnance, as
well as numerous other artillery and ord
nance experts of the army, were present to
see what had been accomplished. The drill
was pleasing in every respect. In the
preparation of his command for the work
Capt Foote has been ably seconded and
| assisted by his junior officers. First Lieut.
Robinson and Second lieuts Weisel and
Carpenter. Lieut.. Weisel will accompany
the battery to New York for the Military
Athletic League tournament.
The work of the troopers of the 10th Cav
airy in the drill hall yesterday before the
artillery drill was pleasing in the extreme.
Capt Rooster has worked up number Of
very pretty movements which please the
eye and gain great applause. The work OF
both the saddle and bareback squads shows
great improvement over the previous drills