The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1905-10-19
EARLY DAYS
OF CAVALRY 5.
CONTINUED from page -


ing to regulations. 1t was done in THIS
manner: The Captains of companies
still unmOunted procured an order au-
thorizing them to select certain num-
Der of disabled horses from the corral
daily, until all the dismounted men
were supplied, so that they might
learn to sit properly. These disabled
horses were then traded for the sound
horses retained by the companies do
ing guard duty in the city. Then, on
inspection day. the worthless animals
were condemned, and the men directed
to draw sound animals from the corral
kept to supply the artillery, until all
the men in the regiment were thus
fairly mounted. The cavalryman be-
gan quite early to look out for HIM
self.
During August and September the
Commanding Generals of the several
Departments made repeated demands
for cavalry. During the early part of
September Gen. Banks was guarding
the Potomac for a distance OF 80 miles
with headquarters at Jamestown; yet
he had no cavalry or mounted orderlies
With which to make quick communica-
TONS and yet it was believed at head
quarters that the Confederates con-
ter'n'a'"d c-,-cs es ~ points within hi
Comma III. o.. 4IJunvI, iui,i,,. "SH.i
the Potomac, on the Maryland shore,
also asked repeatedly for cavalry to be
used as scouts. and for mounted ORDER
lies. Finally he succeeded in securing
some companies of the 1St Ind. Cav,
which enabled him to patrol territory
intensely hostile to the Government,
where he repeatedly Intercepted con-
traband articles and captured NUM-
tions of war. He finally reported con-
tinuous line of pickets along the line
of the Potomac from MattaWoman
Creek to Cape Lookout. And for the
first time contraband exchanges, which
had taken place uninterruptedly along
this section of the river, were brought
to and end.
Cavalry In West Virginia.
In October, 1861, recruiting began
for cavalry in West Virginia, and Gen
Rosecrans reported the nucleus of two
regiments the 1st and I'd w. Va. Cav:
the 1st numbering 500 and the latter
$40 men. Neither of these regiments
was then organized. The insurmount-
able obstacle which presented itself
thers, as elsewhere, was the difficulty
in obtaining arms and equipments for
them, which, at this time even. the Gov
eminent did not furnish to those regi-
ments which it had reluctantly con-
scented to have recruited. The indie
pendent commands invariably gave
good account of themselves whenever
they had an opportunity to show what
stuff there was in them. Gen. Milroy.
Owens. with SO of Bracken's Cavalry
and 700 infantrymen, made an expedi-
ton toward Huntersville which place
they captured, routing 400 rebel cav
elrymen and $50 militia. They took
posse seion of the place, nailed the Stars
and Stripes TO the court house, de-
stroyed $50 barrels of flour, 800 beeyes,
10000 pounds of salt, a large quaint
ty of sugar, coffee. bacon, rice and
clothing: end brought away with them
several boxes of Sharpe's carbines. sa-
hers pistols and clothing. Our loss
was one private. wounded.
In October, 1861, the Governor of
Ohio reque sted Maj. VIM. Mclaughlin.
who had seen service in the Mexican
war, TO recruit an independent squad
ron Of cavalry. 1t was soon raised and
ordered to Kentucky. Soon thereaf-
ter. Maj. Mclaughlin was ordered to
West Virginia. Crossing the Cumber-
land Mountains, he surprised and cap
tured Gainesville. where there was a
full rebel regiment of infantry under
the command of Col. Caudle. Later
this command returned to the West,
where il continued to serve as an indie
pendent command.
In the Army of the Potomac. before
Washington. in August, 1861, scout
ing party from the 1St y. Y. Cav. was
ordered to make q reconnaissance in
the direction of Pohick Church, where
II,
whom they charged and scattered.
Capt. Boyd. reporting the occurrence,
said that 1.-The rebel cavalry had faster
horses and so outfOoted u.s. Later
the same man gave a good account of
himself and his command Al Fairfax
Court House. And from this time for
ward, although new and inexperienced
the Independent commands were used
for locating the position Of the enemy
end for such other service as cavalry
Is called upon to perform.
Everything to Discourage.
In the state of newness then prevail
Ing, and with the determination of the
Government to prevent anything like
encouraging cavalry organizations, a
feeling prevailed among those whose
duty it was 70 provide proper camps,
ETC., that anything was good enough
for the cavalry. The condition of some
or those camps is described by Surgeon
1ripler, who was at that time Medical
Director of the Army Of the Potomac.
He wrote on Aug. %, 1861: Il found
II necessary to send a Surgeon to rem
edy the defects in the police of the
Pennsylvania cavalry located on 7th
ureet." He described the camp as a
nuise nee. This was the camp of
Young's Light Cavalry. afterward
known as the Sd Pa. Cav. Neither
Surgeon nor Assistant Surgeon had
sickened and died with but little or
po medical attention. At another time
when a regiment of New York cavalry
Eas examined by medical officers de-
tailed TO do so. they found so men who
had either hernia or epilepsy; of course,
unfit for any branch of the service
The condition of the cavalry was so
bad that Surgeon TFipler caused a gen.
eral examination of all the camps in
which there were cavalry troops, and
he said OF them: Some regiments
suffered for want Of good and sufficient
clothing. In one instance the Surgeon
OF an Illinois cavalry regiment report
ed that 200 Of the men in his command
had received no trousers or oyeralls
from the United States, and that many
OF his men were reduced to their draw
crs alone" And yet the regiment re-
NAMED comparatively healthy Their
location was changed to lower ground,
snd the camp soon became intolerably
muddy; the part occupied by horses
vas "a perfect quagmire.' never po-
ifced, and the men became DISCOURAGED
and careless During that Autumn
and Winter they had 207 cases OF ty-
phoid fever among them. An order di-
fectfng them TO move to the opposite
hank OF the river would have placed
them upon high ground, but the order
was not forthcoming.
Another body Of cavalrymen known