Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-02-03
ARMY HORSES IN BATTLE.
Sixth Cavalry Horses, "0ld Billy
Tartar" the Generals Roam
and NY Charley"

Nothing seems to operate to reduce the
number of lovers of the horse. lie may
not be in as common use as he was be-
fore they introduced, multiplied over and
over again and brought electric railroads
to their very high state of perfection. and
since the coming of the automobile and
IT'S widespread popularity among those
who possess them, and their marvellous
increase in number, but he still holds his
place. and warm one it is. too, i'll the
affections OF his admirers But this is
not to be an essay on the horse and his
overs. Inc object is to present interest
.7g stories about horses
In 1900, when President Mckinley
selected Gen. Adna r. Chaffee, then a
colonel of regulars and Il volunteer brig
adler, now lieutenant general to Join the
powers i'll the expedition to Pekin for the
purpose of rescuing the imprisoned and
endangered foreign officials on duty there
When the Boxer troubles broke out. he
1skel the general what regiment he would
ike to have accompany him. lie prompt
y replied that lie would prefer his old
regiment, the Sixth cavalry, which, when
i boy of IS, he joined as private and
remained with it for thirty years OF more.
In the shortest possible length of time
hat regiment with its full equipment
and its carefully selected and finely cared
for horses. was assembled at San Fran
cisco. Two large transports had been
fitted up to take the horses to China
while Gen. Cbaffee and the regiment, then
commanded by Lieut.-Col Theodore j.
Whit. now brigadier general and com
mander of the department of the Mis-
souri,, embarked on the transport Grant.
Horses and men parted at the Presidio
the last week in June of that wear. and
did not meet again until the first week in
August, at Taku, China Indeed. all but
two troops of the regiment had gone to
Tien Tsin before the horses were landed
No one. who had never before wit
ncSsel such scenes. will forget what hap
peGed as those horses, that for a month
had been on the water and standing still
unsteadily walked from the point of land
ing to where the two troops OF men were
stationed. Those who know what close
friends the good cavalryman and his
horse are can well understand that these
Yankee troopers, who had parted from
their four footed friends six weeks he
fore. scrutinized each horse as it passed
along in front of them. On the other
hand. the horses looked as earnestly at
the soldiers as the soldiers did at them
Pretty soon there was Hello, Charlie
old boy" a quick response with whin-
ner. and soldier and horse met-the
formers head on the latters shoulder
with pair of soldier arms about the
animals neck | could not say that there
were tears i'll the eyes Of the horse. but
cun say that there were tears in the
eyes of the American cavalryman. Prob
ably the soldier boy was thinking Of the
far-away home country and his dear ones
when his arms twined about the neck of
this good American friend Whea the
horses that belonged TO the two troops
came along there was apparently as JOY
Gus reunion as soldiers ever partici-
patcd in. Horses We're talked to as
though they were long absent friends
just returned. and / guess every horse
belonging to the two troops was given Il
genuine soldier hug. Soldiers and horses
looked their happiness at the glad meet
ing,
Societies for the prevention of cruelty
to animals need waste no sympathy on
cavalry horses, for the average cavalry
man thinks of his horse before he thinks
of himself. and is as gentle with him as
if he were Il brother instead of his horse