The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1906-03-01
SOLDIERS STORIES.
ENTERTAINING "REMINISCENCES
OF THE WAR.
Graphic Account Of Stirring Scenes
Witnessed ON the Battlefield and in
Camp-veterans Of the Rebellion Re-


Nothing seems to operate to reduce
the number of lovers of the horse. He
may not be In as common use as he
was before they introduced, multiplied
over and over ngain and brought cleo
tric railroads to their very high rate
OF perfection, and since the coming Of
the automobile and Its widespread pop
ularity among those who. possess them,
and their marvellous increase in num-
Der, but he still holds his place, and a
warm one 1t is, too. in the affections
of his admirers. But this Is not to be
an essay on the horse and his lovers.
The object is to present interesting sto-
ries about horses
In 1900, when President Mckinley
selected Gen. Adna Il. Chaffee, then II
colonel Of regulars and volunteer
brlgadier, now lieutenant general, to
Join the powers in the expedition to
Pekin for the purpose of rescuing the
imprisoned and endangered foreign Of
ticinls on duty there when the Boxer
troubles broke out he asked the gen
eral what regiment he would like to
have accompany him. lie promptly re-
piled that he would prefer his old regi-
ment, the Sixth caval-y, which, when
10y OF IS, he Joined rs n private, and
remained with it for thirty years or
more. In the shortest possible length
of time that regiment, with Its full
equipment and its carefully selected
and finely cared-for horses, was assem-
bled at San Francisco. Two large
transports had been fitted up to take
the horses to China, while Gen, Chaffee
and the regiment, then commanded by
Lieut.-Col. Theodore ]. Wint. now brig
adler general and commander Of the
department Of the Missouri, embarked
on the transport Grant. Horses and
men parted at the Preside the last
week in June of that year. and did not
meet again until the first week in Au-
gust, mt Taku, China. Indeed, all but
two troops of the regiment had gone
to Ticn Tsin before the horses were
landed.
No one. who had never before wit
messed such scenes, will forget what
happened as those horses, that for II
month had been on the water and
standing still, unsteadily walked from
the point of landing 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 before, scrutinized
each horse as it passed along in front
OF them. On the other hand, the horses
looked rs earnestly at the soldiers as
the soldiers did Mt them. Pretty soon
there was n "IIellO, Charlie, old boy,
A quick response with whinny, and
soldier and horse met--the formers
head and the latters shoulder, with
pair of soldier arms about the animals
neck. l could not say that there were
tears in the eyes of the horse, but l
can say that there were tears in the
eyes of the American cavalryman.
Probably 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.
When the horses tlmt belonged to the
two troops came along there was appa-
rently as joyous reunion as soldiers
ever participated In. Horses were
talked to as though they were long alb
sent friends, just returned, and l guess
every horse belonging to the two troopa
was given genuine soldier hug Sol
diers and horses looked their happi-
ness ut the glad meeting.
Societies for the prevention of cru
city to animals need waste no sympa-
thy on cavalry horses, for the average
cavalryman thinks of his horse before
he thinks of himself, and Is as gentle
with him as IL he were a brother in
stead of his horse.
recently met my former comrade
of the old days, Capt. Lloyd G. Harris,
a private In 81 and captain in 60,
now prominent st. Louis business
man. He told me story which he
had been called upon to repeat several
times by his little girl. 1t was about
horse in the First New Hampshire
battery. Just before the campaign
which ended with the second battle of
Bull Run and the retreat to Washing
ton began, an order was issued to con-
denim such of the horses as were dis
abled or too old to do full duty In the
coming contests. The battery had one
very old horse that was n great fay
orlte with all of the men. A board
decided that "Old Billy'-that was his
name should be. condemned and left
when the brigade moved. The night
before the troops were to move every
man in the battery patted "Old Bllly's"
neck, talked to him, and babe him n
sorrowful farewell Early the next
morning the brigade started for Cul-
pepper Courthouse. After it had been
on the road an hour sold Billy" came
up with the battery, and, though
wearled and rather wobhly, snickered
his delight at meeting his old Yrlends.
That noon, when the battery horses